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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic shticks that still gets laughs, August 1, 2001
This review is from: You Don't Have To Be Jewish / When You're In Love The Whole World Is Jewish (1966 Studio Cast) (Audio CD)
This CD is a re-release of two LP albums that originally came out around the same time as Allan Sherman's "My Son, the Folksinger" back in the mid-1960s. This is REAL Jewish humor --- not the nasty anti-semitic jokes that poke fun at Jews, but the types of in-jokes where we Jews laugh at ourselves and the world around us. The casting is superb, the dialect authentic, and the timing is just right. Bob Booker, the producer, says in the liner notes, "We decided to do an album version of Fiddler on the Roof-type stories, like those great bits that were sprinkled throughout the musical. I'm not Jewish, but the point is that you really don't have to be Jewish to love these wonderful stories from Jewish folklore." Booker himself may not be Jewish, but most of the cast are, and the material certainly is. Many of the jokes are taken from Jewish vaudeville, the Yiddish theater, the Borscht Belt, and the stetls of Eastern Europe. For some reason, this type of humor seems to have gone out of style in recent years, which is really too bad, because it's an important part of Jewish history and culture. Most of the Jews in my generation know these jokes, even if they've never heard the CD. So nu, why should the younger generations miss out on such good laughs? In addition to classic shticks, there are some original songs that I just love. "The Ballad of Irving" (the 142nd-fastest gun in the West) pokes fun at Hollywood cowboy images, while "Things Might Have Been Different" humorously conjectures what the world would be like if various historical characters and events had been Jewish. (A similar type of humor was used by Gene Wilder in his 1979 comedy film, "The Frisco Kid," about a rabbi traveling through the Wild West -- also a big favorite of mine.) Some of these jokes may be politically incorrect today, but so what? When we allow ourselves to step off the PC pedestal and look at life as it really is, most of us have to admit that we really do know people who act like that. These jokes are funny, not because they are about Jews per se, but because they let us laugh at universal human absurdities anyone can relate to. If other ethnic groups can tell jokes about how they do or do not fit into the dominant American culture, then why not the Jews?
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dead On - Still, November 9, 2002
This review is from: You Don't Have To Be Jewish / When You're In Love The Whole World Is Jewish (1966 Studio Cast) (Audio CD)
The early 1960's were a good time to be Jewish in the United States. The long legacy of Anti-semitism had been washed away by the World War II, and the premiere of the hit Broadway show Fiddler on the Roof made Yiddishkeit mainstream. The invasion and dilution of the venerable bagel added to the mix, as did the tonic of the Six Day War. Dustin Hoffman was a star, as were Zero Mostel and Barbra Streisand. Bob Dylan. Don't forget Neil Diamond, although I'd love to. Bob Booker and George Foster, neither members of the Tribe, hopped on the Zeitgeist and produced several funny albums based on Jewish stories and humor with some modernizing touches. My father loved these records and I heard all of them many times, so many times they are as much a part of my childhood as my family. The question is, are these albums still funny? Anti-semitism is on the rise. Israel is painted as bad for defending itself against suicide bombers. Paul Wellstone goes down in an aircrash. Beck doesn't play up his background and who wants Courtney Love? Adam Sandler makes Jerry Lewis look like a genius. So it was as a nostaglia trip that I ordered this CD. My wife had never heard it either. When I put the CD on, my heart melted, and I began to laugh, understanding the jokes a lot better at 42 than at 6. This is a funny record, still funny and dead on. My daughter's favorite piece is "My husband the monster," as was mine. History repeats itself. Politicians and rock stars come and go, usually not fast enough, but a good laugh is eternal. Now release "The Jewish Princess" and my life will be complete.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There's only one word for it - OY!, December 14, 2000
This review is from: You Don't Have To Be Jewish / When You're In Love The Whole World Is Jewish (1966 Studio Cast) (Audio CD)
There's not nearly enough Jewish humor anymore. Mike Myers' Coffee Talk from Saturday Night Live was the last great example. Not people making fun of Jews, but Jewish people celebrating the little things that make them different from other people. Most of the time the jokes are incomprehensible to non-Jews, or people who are unacquainted to Jewish Culture, but that's okay, it makes them funnier to those who get it, like a private joke. My favorite Jewish Joke is a good example of this: A guy trapped on a desert island for twenty years keeps himself sane with his faith. He builds, by hand, TWO beautiful temples. When asked why, he explains, "This is the one I attend. I would not set foot in that one if you PAID me!" This is a collection of some of the best Jewish comedians/actors of the time like Lou Jacobi, Phil Leeds (last seen on Seinfeld), and a very young Valerie "Rhoda" Harper. The jokes are mostly old chestnuts, but they're done with such joy that you don't mind. "The Ballad of Irving" is a classic, alone worth having the cds for. I'm sorry they didn't make this a 3-disc set. The third album in this series, "The Yiddish are Coming! The Yiddish are Coming!" featured most of the same cast, with most of the sketches about the war in the Middle East. Perhaps a little too political (not to mention dated) but if you can score a copy of the original album, it's well worth it. Vinnie (not Jewish, but kosher enough to pass)
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