Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Boy Scouts Help "Old Ladies" Cross the Street - A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was a popular and long-running American hidden camera reality television series. Versions of the show appeared on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by Allen Funt, it often featured practical jokes, and initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

The show involved concealed cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims were told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera." The catchphrase became a song with music and lyrics by Sid Ramin.

In this classic episode two young boy scouts told women crossing the street that their project for the month was to help "old ladies" cross the street. Watch what happens when the scouts ask how old their subjects are.

This Candid Camera episode took place 63 years ago in 1963.  

Enjoy!

Sunday, September 6, 2026

Sunday Comedy Showcase: Animal Impressions with Carl Reiner and Andy Kaufman on the Dick Van Dyke Show

Some of the best TV comedy was on shows and comedy specials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Today we continue our Sunday Comedy Showcase series, sharing some of the classic routines by iconic comedians on Sunday editions of Jewish Humor Central.  

In this sketch from Dick Van Dyke's short-lived 1970s variety show, watch as comedy legend Carl Reiner hilariously pushes Dick to the brink to see if he's promotion material. Reiner shows his comedic talent in changing character from a stiff corporate president to a chicken. And just for good measure, Andy Kaufman makes an appearance as the menace who's constantly trying to get TV time on Van Dyke and Company.    

Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: "Snail Crossing" - A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes.

In this classic stunt set on a highway, Candid Camera staffer Dick was positioned with a sign saying "Snail Crossing".  As each car approached, he waved the sign and told drivers that they could not proceed and had to wait 15 minutes while the snail crossed the road on the way to the mating grounds across the highway. Watch their reactions.

Enjoy!

Thursday, August 27, 2026

Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: Georgia Gibbs (Born Frieda Lipschitz) Sings "The Birth of the Blues"

Today's Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase takes us back to January 1959 when Georgia Gibbs sang The Birth of the Blues on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Georgia Gibbs, born Frieda Lipschitz in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1918, was an American popular singer and vocal entertainer rooted in jazz. Already singing publicly in her early teens, Gibbs achieved acclaim and notoriety in the mid-1950s copying songs originating with the black rhythm and blues community and later became a featured vocalist for many radio and television variety and comedy programs.

Gibbs was the youngest of four children of Russian Jewish descent. Her father died when she was six months old, and she and her three siblings spent the next seven years in a local Jewish orphanage.

In 1943, with her name changed to Georgia Gibbs, she began appearing on the Camel Caravan radio program, hosted by Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore, where she remained a regular performer until 1947. It was Moore who bestowed upon her the famous nickname "Her Nibs, Miss Georgia Gibbs," ironically using the title to describe the singer of diminutive stature who had an enormous "authoritative" prominence in American pop music.

Enjoy!

 
   #Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Dolly Parton Appears in Candid Camera Stunts in 1975

Candid Camera was a popular and long-running American hidden camera reality television series. Versions of the show appeared on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by Allen Funt, it often featured practical jokes, and initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

The show involved concealed cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims were told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera." The catchphrase became a song with music and lyrics by Sid Ramin.

Dolly Parton, the musician, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman who died yesterday in Nashville, was a special favorite among Allen's team when Candid Camera moved its production to Nashville in the 1970s. Dubbed the "Queen of Country," Dolly was fun, witty and enormously talented. 

Here are two of her Candid moments from 1975 when she took part in two elaborate Candid Camera Classics pranks. One involves faking an injury to get assistance in a parking lot, while the other features a disruptive musical performance in a grocery store designed to confuse and provoke reactions from unsuspecting shoppers.

Enjoy!

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: Lenny Schultz "In The Beginning"

Some of the best standup comedy was on TV shows and comedy specials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Today we continue our Sunday Standup series, sharing some of the classic routines by iconic comedians on Sunday editions of Jewish Humor Central.   

Lenny Schultz was an American comedian who performed during the 1970s on television and at comedy clubs in New York City. His madcap style of improvisational comedy influenced other comedians such as Robin Williams, Gallagher, Carrot Top, and David Letterman. 

Throughout his comedy career he continued working as a high school gym teacher and was known to leave clubs early on school nights. Schultz said that both principals and fellow teachers would ask him for autographs after seeing him on TV the night before. Schultz was known among his fellow comedians as a "hard act to follow". 

In this routine from 1977 Schultz tells the story of how it all began--the planet, life, everything-- complete with realistic sound effects.  

Enjoy! 

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: Dinah Shore Sings "Something Wonderful" on the Ed Sullivan Show

Dinah Shore, born Frances Rose Shore (1916–1994) in Winchester, Tennessee,  to Russian-Jewish immigrant shopkeepers Anna Stein and Solomon Shore, was an American singer, actress, television personality, author, and talk show host. 

Raised in Nashville, she rose to prominence as a recording artist during the Big Band era. She achieved even greater success a decade later in television, mainly as the host of a series of variety programs sponsored by Chevrolet. 

In 1966 she appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and sang Something Wonderful from The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Enjoy!

 
  #Throwback Thursday       #TBT

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: "Faucet Fiasco" - Candid Camera Gold

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes. 

In this classic episode, the Candid Camera crew rigged the sinks in a public restroom in Gulfport, Mississippi so that they could control the flow of water from the faucets. 

Enjoy!

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: Andy Kaufman Sing-Along in 1976

Some of the best standup comedy was on TV shows and comedy specials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Today we continue our Sunday Standup series, sharing some of the classic routines by iconic comedians on Sunday editions of Jewish Humor Central.  

Andy Kaufman's career was taking off in the 1970s, from the stage of the Improv comedy club in New York to Saturday Night Live and appearances on several variety and talk shows. He introduced his foreign man character and his lip sync to the Mighty Mouse theme. As he deconstructed the idea of the stand-up comedian, his only hope, in his words, was to entertain.

A favorite piece of an Andy Kaufman performance was audience participation, whether it was singing along or going out for milk and cookies after the show. In this bit from 50 years ago, he invites the audience to join him in a sing-along. 

Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: "Loose Door" - Candid Camera Gold From 1966

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes. 

Sixty years ago the Candid Camera producers set up an office situation with a door that people were supposed to knock on before entering. But none of the realized how strong they were.

Enjoy!

Sunday, August 9, 2026

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: George Burns and Jack Benny as The Smothers Brothers

Some of the best standup comedy was on TV shows and comedy specials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Today we continue our Sunday Standup series, sharing some of the classic routines by iconic comedians on Sunday editions of Jewish Humor Central. 

In 1967 legendary comedians Jack Benny and George Burns, who evolved from the vaudeville stage to television, stepped into the roles of bickering comedic brothers Tom and Dick Smothers on this sketch from the classic hit comedy show and topped it off with the song "I Taught Him Everything He Knows." 

Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: "Coffee Break with Vivian Vance" - A Candid Camera Classic from 1962

Candid Camera was a popular and long-running American hidden camera reality television series. Versions of the show appeared on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by Allen Funt, it often featured practical jokes, and initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

The show involved concealed cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims were told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera." The catchphrase became a song with music and lyrics by Sid Ramin.

In this classic episode, shoppers at department stores in New York City encounter a sales clerk who repeatedly abandons her duties to take an immediate coffee break. As unsuspecting customers interact with the employee, the situation escalates, testing the patience of those attempting to make a purchase. The role of the sales clerk is played by actress Vivian Vance, who was best known for playing landlady Ethel Mertz on the sitcom I Love Lucy.

This Candid Camera episode took place 64 years ago in 1962.  

Enjoy!

Thursday, July 30, 2026

Throwback Thursday Musical Special: The Barry Sisters Sing "All of Me" in 1962

For almost half a century, from the 1930s to 1976, The Barry Sisters, Claire and Merna, were the voice of Jewish jazz in recordings, nightclub acts, and television appearances on The Jack Paar Show, The Tonight Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show.

Born in the Bronx to Yiddish speaking immigrants from Kiev, Clara and Minnie Bagelman started out in show business using their real names as The Bagelman Sisters, but after awhile, Clara became Claire, Minnie became Merna, and Bagelman became Barry. They performed songs in nine languages.

Looking glamorous and sparing no expense for their orchestrations, they sang to a full house at the Concord and other Catskills resorts.

In this Throwback Thursday musical special, Claire and Merna perform wrote "All of Me", a popular song writtten in 1931 by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons. They performed it on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1962.

Enjoy!

 
   #Throwback Thursday         #TBT

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: "Shuttle to Nowhere" - A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes.

In this Candid Camera classic stunt set in a shopping mall, staffer Jose posed as a driver of a parking lot shuttle. Customers thought that the shuttle would take them to the mall entrance, but the sign on the shuttle said "Park and Ride" and that's exactly what it did -- after they parked they were taken on a ride around the parking lot.

Enjoy!

Sunday, July 26, 2026

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: Andy Kaufman Sings a Song From the Islands of the Caspian Sea

It's hard to believe, but Andy Kaufman has been gone for 42 years. Kaufman, for all the funny characters he portrayed, insisted on being known as a song-and-dance man. 

According to his Wikipedia biography, Kaufman "was a popular and eccentric American entertainer, actor and performance artist."

"Elaborate ruses and pranks were major elements of his career. His body of work maintains a cult following and he continues to be respected for his original material, performance style, and unflinching commitment to character."

Kaufman came to prominence with his "Mighty Mouse" routine on the first Saturday Night Live show. He portrayed a garage mechanic from an unidentified European country on the sitcom Taxi, which also starred Danny DeVito and Jewish actors Judd Hirsch (Alex) and Carol Kane (Simka) and featured Dr. Joyce Brothers as herself in this episode.

The character he played on Taxi, Latka Gravas, had a Jewish and Eastern European feel to it even though it was never specific. The dialect, language and rituals were all made up, but whatever your ethnicity, they made it seem that they captured some of the flavor of the "old country", whatever it was.

Kaufman was born in New York City and grew up in a middle-class Jewish family in Great Neck, Long Island. He died at the age of 35 from a rare form of lung cancer. For years his fans thought he was faking his death as another elaborate prank. 

Here is a video of Kaufman performing what he characterized as "A song which is sung every year at harvest time in the islands of the Caspian Sea." The performance is entirely in one of his "Foreign Man" dialects and the audience is only too happy to join him in his funny gibberish.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: "Bound and Gagged" - A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was a popular and long-running American hidden camera reality television series. Versions of the show appeared on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by Allen Funt, it often featured practical jokes, and initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

The show involved concealed cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims were told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera." The catchphrase became a song with music and lyrics by Sid Ramin.

In this classic episode the Candid Camera team rigged an office to look like a robbery had just taken place. Allen Funt played the role of the victim who was bound and gagged. This prank was designed to explore social behavior, examining whether individuals choose to intervene or ignore someone seemingly in distress. What would you do if you walked into the office and witnessed the scene? Unbind him? Call the police? Or just walk away? 

Enjoy!

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Throwback Thursday Comedy Showcase: Allan Sherman Sings "Taking Lessons" - A Parody of "Making Whoopee"

Allan Sherman dominated the world of song parody during the 1960s and recorded eight albums, starting with My Son the Folksinger.  

Listening to or reading his lyrics is a crash course in pop culture of the 1960s, with Sherman taking satiric swipes at summer camp, psychiatry, fad diets, Hadassah ladies, school dropouts, and upward mobility.


The popularity of his parodies got him many guest appearances on TV variety shows.
 

"Makin' Whoopee" is a song first popularized by Eddie Cantor in the 1928 musical Whoopee!. Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics and Walter Donaldson composed the music for the song as well as for the entire musical.

We just came across a rare video of Sherman singing "Taking Lessons," a parody of "Makin' Whoopee" on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. Here is the video of him singing the song, followed by a video clip of Eddie Cantor singing  "Makin' Whoopee", the basis for Sherman's takeoff.

Enjoy!

 
 
     
#Throwback Thursday      #TBT 

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special - "Recycled Underwear" - A Candid Camera Classic from 2002

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes.

In this Candid Camera classic stunt set in a Fashion Bug store in California in 2002, Linda, a Candid Camera staffer, posed as a clerk trying to sell reduced price underwear. Watch their reactions when they find out that the items were previously worn, washed, and returned.

Enjoy!

Sunday, July 12, 2026

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: Rodney Dangerfield Delivers One-Liners in 1978

Some of the best standup comedy was on TV shows and comedy specials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Today we continue our Sunday Standup series, sharing some of the classic routines by iconic comedians on Sunday editions of Jewish Humor Central. 

Rodney Dangerfield (1921-2004) was a fixture on the standup comedy circuit during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. His appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Dean Martin Show and all the late night shows solidified his place in the world of comedy.

Born Jacob Rodney Cohen on Long Island, Dangerfield (he took the name from a character in a skit on the Jack Benny Show) had a career that went beyond standup comedy to the movies and to his own comedy club, Dangerfield's, in Manhattan.

We found a video clip of Dangerfield on the Redd Foxx show at the peak of his popularity in 1978. In five minutes, he fires off a barrage of one-liners to the delight of the audience.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Cop in Your Driveway - A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes.

In this classic stunt Candid Camera co-host Dina Eastwood poses as a traffic enforcement officer visiting suburban homes to issue fake citations for minor parking infractions. Residents react with confusion and frustration while attempting to defend their parking habits on private property. 

Enjoy!