| 1. Act I: A Call from Long Island - Arlene Golonka, Betty Walker |
| 2. Home from the Office - Lou Jacobi, Betty Walker |
| 3. Reading of the Will - Jack Gilford, Arlene Golonka, Lou Jacobi, , Betty Walker |
| 4. Diamond - Arlene Golonka, Betty Walker |
| 5. Quickies: The Astronaut/The School/The Confession - Jack Gilford, Arlene Golonka, Lou Jacobi, , Bob McFadden, Betty Walker |
| 6. Jury - Frank Gallop, Arlene Golonka, Lou Jacobi, Betty Walker |
| 7. Presidents - Jack Gilford, Bob McFadden, Joe Silver |
| 8. Cocktail Party - Frank Gallop, Lou Jacobi |
| 9. Final Discussion - Lou Jacobi, Betty Walker |
| 10. More Quickies: Cry for Help/Panic/Two Husbands - Frank Gallop, Lou Jacobi, , Betty Walker |
| 11. Convicts - Jack Gilford, , Bob McFadden, Joe Silver |
| 12. Act II: The Housewarming - Jack Gilford, Arlene Golonka, Betty Walker |
| 13. Luncheon - Arlene Golonka, Betty Walker |
| 14. Still More Quickies: The Storm/The Newspaper Reporter/The Home Remedy - Frank Gallop, Jack Gilford, Lou Jacobi, , Betty Walker |
| 15. Conversation in the Hotel Lobby - Lou Jacobi, Betty Walker |
| 16. Agony and the Ecstasy - Arlene Golonka, Betty Walker |
| 17. My Son, the Captain - Lou Jacobi, , Betty Walker |
| 18. Secret Agent, James Bondstein - Frank Gallop, Jack Gilford, Lou Jacobi, , Joe Silver, Betty Walker |
| 19. Enough Already With the Quickies: Dinner/The Elevator/Classified Ad, Is - Jack Gilford, Arlene Golonka, , Betty Walker |
| 20. Goldstein - Frank Gallop, Jack Gilford, Joe Silver |
You Don't Have to Be Jewish/When You're in Love the Whole World Is Jewish,Booker & Foster Present,Rhino / Wea,Ethnic Comedy,Int'l & World Music,Jewish,Jewish: Trad. & Klezmer,Klezmer,Observational Humor,Pop,Sketch Comedy,Spoken Word
Average customer rating:
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You Don't Have to Be Jewish/When You're in Love the Whole World Is Jewish
Bob Booker , and George Foster Manufacturer: Jmg / Jewish Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000LXHGKS Release Date: 2007-02-06 |
Tracks:
- A Call From Long Island - Arlene Golonka
- Home From The Office - Lou Jacobi
- The Reading Of The Will - Jack Gilford
- The Diamond - Arlene Golonka
- Quickies: A) The Astronaut B) The School - Jack Gilford
- The Jury - Frank Gallop
- The Presidents - Jack Gilford
- The Cocktail Party - Frank Gallop
- Final Discussion - Lou Jacobi
- More Quickies: A) Cry For Help B:) Panic - Frank Gallop
- The Convicts - Jack Gilford
- The Housewarming - Jack Gilford
- The Luncheon - Arlene Golonka
- Still More Quickies A) The Storm B) The Newspaper Reporter C) The Home Remedy - Jack Gilford
- Conversation In The Hotel Lobby - Lou Jacobi
- The Agony And The Ecstacy - Arlene Golonka
- My Son, The Captain - Lou Jacobi
- Secret Agent, James Bondstein - Jack Gilford
- Enough Already With The Quickies: A) Dinner B) The Elevator C) Classified Ad, Israeli Style - Jackie Kannon
- Goldstein - Jack Gilford
- Would You Believe It? - Phil Leeds
- The Hobby - Phil Leeds
- My Husband, The Monster - Bob McFadden
- The Ballad Of Irving - Frank Gallop
- The Shoe Repair Shop - Frank Gallop
- Divorce, Kosher Style - Frank Gallop
- Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea - Lou Jacobi
- Things Might Have Been Different - Frank Gallop
- A Call Form Greenwich Village - Betty Walker
- The Great Bank Robbery - Phil Leeds
- Discussion In The Airplane - Phil Leeds
- Miami Beach - Phil Leeds
- Schtick: A) The Traveler B) The Panhandler C) The Cemetary - Frank Gallop
- The Kidnapping - Lou Jacobi
- The Bar Mitzvah - Phil Leeds
- When You're In Love With World Is Jewish - Lou Jacobi
Album Description
One of my fondest family memories of my wonderful childhood in the 1960's was listening to record albums on the hi-fi set in the den. Real records, that you had to flip over after side one, and be careful not to leave on top of the toaster oven. This was a time where my Little Golden Books and little transistor radio were my essential bedtime companions. Not to mention the hot mug of Ovaltine that Mom would make us before hitting the sack."You Don't Have To Be Jewish" and it's follow up, "When You're In Love, The Whole World Is Jewish" were both staples in the Lifson home. Jewish comedy was not available to me as a kid through visits to the Catskills, so these albums, along with "Chanukah Carols" (also available on JMG) were my first exposure to a genre which would help prepare me for the Woody Allen and Albert Brooks movies I would love watching in the next decade, the '70s, and have enjoyed ever since. These very funny records were the brainchild of producer Bob Booker, who had produced a hugely successful pair of albums called "The First Family" which lampooned the Kennedy clan, with actor Vaughn Meader doing a brilliant JFK. These were essential listening for the early '60s, but after JFK's assassination, were quickly antiquated.
For "You Don't Have To Be Jewish," Producer Booker, pairing with writer George Foster, assembled a first class ensemble of comedic actors to play the jokes and blackout type sketches on this LP. Lou Jacobi was seen on countless sitcoms as the "Jewish Dad" type, and Valerie Harper, who would later star as "Rhoda" on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Also featured were Arlene Golonka, who played Ken Berry's girlfriend on "Mayberry R.F.D." and Bob Mc Fadden, who were the voices behind many cartoon characters including one version of "Popeye" and one of my '60s faves, "Milton The Monster." And who could forget actor Jack Gilford from the many "Crackerjack" commercials he did, where he is caught eating the kid's Crakerjack late at night?
The sketches on these two wonderfully nostalgic albums played like a prequel, maybe more Jewish version, of TV's "Laugh In" which would appear just a couple years later, in the Fall of 1968. The cast of "You Don't Have To Be Jewish" were invited to appear on the Ed Sullivan show, because of the broad appeal of the album's humor. It was clean and quaint, not biting and unsettling, like several of the "hipper" '60s comics, like Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl. These Jewish jokes were ones that could be repeated at any office gathering or weeknight Pan and Poker games, like the ones I recall my parents having in the mid '60s. They still have the black card table with the white leather top that was used at their gatherings back then, when albums like "You Don't Have To Jewish" were such a unifying force.
Classic bits on these two albums, released for the first time as a double disc CD here, include "Secret Agent James Bondtstein" and "The Cocktail Party" which is reminiscent of "Laugh In's" party scenes with the one liners floating in and out of martini glasses. "The Plotnick Diamond" bit is funny too, where Mrs. Plotnick complains that her large diamond comes enshrouded with a curse..."What's the curse her friend asks, in a Yenta-like way, "Mr. Plotnick!" is the reply. You see, these albums showcase the qualities of Jewish life we have all come to know as "trademarks," like: guilt, marrying a nice young doctor, eating as a remedy for anxiety, worrying too much, and of course, more guilt!
Jewish people throughout the ages have relied on humor as a survival technique, and have always been noted for their sardonic and revelatory abilities to translate "agony" into "ecstasy" in the form of humorous dialogue. One can see where comics like Woody Allen got a lot of his early material from gleaning the cultural mores predominant in both these albums, that show Booker and partner Foster's true genius for defining a genre through humor. The live audience present here makes the material play even more like television, helping to create a real "visual" presence for these playets, which are both timeless and charming in their appeal.
May these hilarious records provide you and your family the same "sitting around the hi-fi" happiness that I experienced when I first listened to them, wearing my pajamas that had all the gas station signs on them (my favorite was "Gulf") and eating my strawberry "Whip 'N Chill" light meringue pudding that Mom would make in those little glass dessert cups that were so evocative of the era for me. Food and humor always go well together in Jewish culture...Enjoy!
Hal Lifson
Customer Reviews:
Finally able to replace our worn-out LP passed down by Baba (my bubbe).......2007-06-17
You don't have to be Jewish, indeed, but familiarity with the turf does help you understand some of the humor, particularly on the follow-up "When You're in Love...." On that album, there's a whole bit about a woman who can't remember her son's surname; even as an adult, I didn't get it until Mom explained that it's a reference to the tendency to choose a less "ethnic" name to get along. But the majority of the material was funny even to my little grade-school self in the 1970s, and it still holds up well today in its universal themes as well as in its culture-specific jabs.
1960s -1970's Yiddish Humor.......2007-05-14
Enjoy it,
Lenny
Absolute Classic!!.......2007-05-13
Jewish.......2007-03-11
Funny and wonderful.......2007-02-07
Enjoy
Average customer rating:
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You Don't Have To Be Jewish / When You're In Love The Whole World Is Jewish (1966 Studio Cast)
Bob Booker , and George Foster Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000032W1 Release Date: 1992-10-13 |
Tracks:
- Act I: A Call From Long Island - Betty Walker/Arlene Golonka
- Act I: Home From The Office - Lou Jacobi/Betty Walker
- Act I: The Reading Of The Will - Jack Gilford/Lou Jacobi/Jackie Kannon/Arlene Golonka/Betty Walker
- Act I: The Diamond - Arlene Golonka/Betty Walker
- Act I: Quickies: The Astronaut/The School/The Confession - Jack Gilford/Betty Walker/Bob McFadden/Arlene Golonka/Jackie Kannon
- Act I: The Jury - Frank Gilford/Lou Jacobi/Arlene Golonka/Betty Walker
- Act I: The Presidents - Joe Silver/Bob McFadden/Jack Gilford
- Act I: The Cocktail Party - Frank Gallop/Lou Jacobi
- Act I: Final Discussion - Lou Jacobi/Betty Walker
- Act I: More Quickies: Cry For Help/Panic/Two Husbands - Lou Jacobi/Betty Walker
- Act I: The Convicts - Bob McFadden/Jackie Kannon/Joe Silver/Jack Gilford
- Act II: The Housewarming - Arlene Golonka/Jack Gilford/Betty Walker
- Act II: The Lucheon - Arlene Golonka/Betty Walker
- Act II: Still More Quickies: The Storm/The Newspaper Reporter/The Home Remedy - Lou Jacobi/Jack Gilford/Jackie Kannon/Frank Gallop/Betty Walker
- Act II: Conversation In The Lobby - Lou Jacobi/Betty Walker
- Act II: The Agony And The Ecstasy - Betty Walker/Arlene Golonka
- Act II: My Son, The Captain - Lou Jacobi/Jackie Kannon/Betty Walker
- Act II: Secret Agent, James Bondstein - Lou Jacobi/Jack Gilford/Frank Gallop/Joe Silver/Betty Walker/Jackie Kannon
- Act II: Enough Already Withe The Quickies: Dinner/The Elevator/Classified As, Israeli Style - Betty Walker/Jackie Kannon/Arlene GolonkaJack Gilford
- Act II: Goldstein - Joe Silver/Jack Gilford/Frank Gallop
- Act I: Would You Believe It? - Phil Leeds
- Act I: The Hobby - Lou Jacobi/Phil Leeds
- Act I: My Husband, The Monster - Betty Walker/Bob McFadden
- Act I: The Ballad Of Irving - Frank Gallop
- Act I: The Shoe Repair Shop - Lou Jacobi
- Act I: Divorce, Kosher Style - Frank Gallop/Betty Walker
- Act I: Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea - Anthony Holland/Lou Jacobi/Bob McFadden
- Act I: Things Might Have Been Different - Lou Jacobi/Anthony Holland/Valerie Harper/Betty Walker/Frank Gallop
- Act II: A Call From Greenwich Village - Betty Walker/Valerie Harper
- Act II: The Great Bank Robbery - Lou Jacobi/Phil Leeds
- Act II: Discussion In The Airplane - Phil Leeds/Valerie Harper/Betty Walker
- Act II: Miami Beach - Lou Jacobi/Phil Leeds
- Act II: Schtick: The Traveler/The Panhandler/The Cemetary - Lou Jacobi/Valerie Harper/Betty Walker/Frank Gallop
- Act II: The Kidnapping - Lou Jacobi
- Act II: The Bar Mitzvah - Lou Jacobi/Betty Walker/Phil Leeds/Anthony Holland/Bob McFadden
- Act II: When You're In Love The Whole World Is Jewish - Lou Jacobi
Customer Reviews:
You Never Know.......2006-07-19
Still great-and it brings back a lot of memories.......2005-06-19
My first exposure to this collection was in a 1968 Lincoln Mark III that belonged to my father's attorney. He'd drive the big car to our house, and into it my father and I would climb to listen to this marvelous humor come from the in-dash 8-track player. In the tight interior of the Lincoln, all the laughter was quite concentrated. It must have penetrated me indelibly, because this disc still does the trick, even though I know what's coming.
The charm of this work is manifold. All the players have got their voices finely honed for the material. The humor is sweet and simple. It pokes, of course, but gently and with heart, reminding me of a culture that's now almost gone. I miss them deeply.
Each selection is introduced by the late Frank Gallop, whose excellent diction lends a contrasting touch of delightful stuffiness, perhaps a certain WASP-ish dignity to the show. Gallop also performs on some selections.
There are so many reviews here with very worthwhile comments, and I was delighted to read them all. But the main thing with this disc is to put it on and allow yourself to float in its warmth and love. Those are the essence of this production, which was purely a labor of love from a period when there was magic in the air.
Borsht Belt Comedy and old jokes.......2004-08-17
On rye with smear of mustard, please........2004-07-16
Long Time Favorite.......2002-12-21
But I plan to give it to a Jewish friend for Christmas. Hmm, is that a little ironic or what? We laugh about "The Convict" even though he only heard it repeated by me.
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