Comedy
Matters
by
Jeffrey Gurian
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Jackie
Mason and Jeffrey Gurian |
Funniest Man In The World
I have often mentioned
the many comedy legends I've been fortunate to meet,
work with, and even befriend over the years. One
of the foremost as far as I'm concerned is Jackie
Mason, a man with endless natural talent.
My friendship with Jackie goes
back to the early days when I was writing for another
legend, the late Rodney (and don't say Rodney who?),
and Jackie was working at his club. This was well
before Jackie was to become a huge star with his
first one-man show on Broadway, The World According
To Me.
I was thrilled to have been part
of Jackie's inner circle in those days. It was a
wild, unusual, eclectic group that usually contained
at least one rabbi.
We hung mostly at the Edison Diner,
and when we weren't at a table at Columbus Café,
the big celeb hangout in those days which has never
been rivaled as far as I'm concerned, (although
no one actually knows how far that is!), we made
our way from coffee shop to coffee shop, wherever
Jackie felt most comfortable.
I must have seen the show about
10 times, because first I didn't have to pay, and
second, he gave me the opportunity to try and summarize
the show within the confines of a "rap"
song that was to be submitted to Warner Brothers
Music for a music video. He loved what I came up
with, but at the last second I got beat by someone
who did short films, maybe Albert Brooks? I don't
know if that's accurate, but that's how I remember
it.
I often picked Jackie up after
his performance, and we'd go out just the two of
us. When Adrien Arpel was honored by Bloomingdales—the
first time they honored a person instead of a country—she
had a private party at a place on East 58th Street.
She wanted Jackie at the head table with Regis Philbin.
Jackie was the biggest comedy
star in the world. She called me. People knew I
could make that happen. He trusted my opinion on
where to go. I also knew that was the only reason
I was invited to sit at the head table. It was an
amazing evening.
Me and the legendary
Jose Jimenez
Lots of years passed. I haven't always been in touch
with Jackie, but The Universe caused us to cross
paths, and it's on again.
I go with him to Gotham Comedy
Club where he's preparing for a new Broadway show
to debut in March, and I find myself in the company
not only of his wonderful, longtime manager Jyll
Rosenfeld, who looks young enough to be her own
daughter, but another legend, Bill Dana or Jose
Jimenez for those who remember the Ed Sullivan Show.
Jackie is a consummate professional
and begins preparing for a show a year in advance.
This new show can only be a huge hit, and I look
forward to hanging out backstage, and going to many
more coffee shops with this legend for many years
to come.
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Daniella, Richard, and who
else?
I’m everywhere, aren’t I?
A Rich Wedding
From comedy legends to comedy
pre-legends. I get to do the most fun things. Stand-up
comic Daniella Rich (daughter of hit songwriter/socialite
Denise Rich) got married at one of the piers on
the West Side, to English real estate magnate Richard
Kilstock (who may be funnier than both of us). It
was an amazing event.
The New York Post’s Page
Six reported that Daniella and Denise would soon
be doing their own reality show, so I'm not giving
away any secrets in sharing that with you. Not only
is Daniella really funny, she's a real doll and
just perfect for TV. People will fall in love with
her.
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Friars Roast The Donald
Ran into The Donald at a charity
event that his son Donald Trump Jr. was hosting
along with his fiancée Vanessa Haydon where
Donald asked me if he could handle being roasted.
My answer: "If anyone can handle it, you can."
The Stiller Boys, Ben and
Jerry,
at the Trump roast.
With names like that, they should go into the
ice cream business!
I don't think he was prepared for the things that
were said about him. I know Melania certainly wasn't
prepared for the things she heard. To his credit
Donald handled it with grace and dignity. It was
probably the biggest roast the Friars ever had.
More than 1800 people, including
everyone in show business, heard roasters such as
roastmaster Regis Philbin, Susie Essman, Richard
Belzer, Rich Vos, Artie Lange, Jeffrey Ross, and
Lisa Lampanelli (dressed as a nun, no less), say
things about Donald that could never be printed
in this or any other column—I know because
I was one of the writers!
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A Younger Legend
Have you ever had the experience
of running into a certain person wherever you go?
With me it's Richard Lewis, which is great because
I happen to love him, (not in a romantic way, as
a comic!) For a "young comic" he's legendary.
Like a young Woody Allen.
I run into him on the streets
of New York, at the airport in L.A., at the Friars
Club, and once purposely at the premiere of the
movie Drunks in which he starred, and was masterful,
I might add. I went hoping to be able to give him
some material I had written for him, even though
I knew he has never worked with a writer, as he
writes his own stuff.
I gave him lines like: "My
family are firm believers in the power of negative
thinking. They feel you can ruin almost anything,
if you really put your mind to it."
Me and the young legend,
Richard Lewis, at Joe's Pub
And, "My shrink was treating me for feelings
of loneliness. At one point, I was so lonely, I
tried to develop a split personality."
I was so excited about seeing
him, I got to the theatre late. There was a long
line, and to be honest, I cut the line and ran down
a staircase I thought would take me into the theatre.
Instead, it took me to the men's room, and who do
I run into face to face coming out but Richard Lewis.
If I had been on time, or stayed
on the correct line, I never would have seen him.
His first words to me were, "What the heck
are you doing here?" I was about to say, "I'm
picking up some chopmeat for my parents." Instead
I blurted out, "I wrote you some stuff, and
here it is." I gave him an envelope, which
is the worst thing to do to a person about to appear
on stage.
After the movie, he was nowhere
to be found, so it was amazing timing that I had
run into him that way. At home I found his message
on my answering machine thanking me profusely for
my jokes, and explaining why he couldn't use them,
even though he used the word "brilliant"
to describe them. I still have the tape, which I
treasure.
Last time I ran into him was just
before the Trump roast. It was on Lexington Avenue
near Bloomingdale’s. He was appearing at Joe's
Pub, an intimate room downtown on Lafayette Street.
The room was sold out, and he killed. Absolutely
killed.
He doesn't use notes on stage
anymore. He told me he decided to stop that. He's
truly one of a kind, and a really nice guy to boot!
(Who says things like "to boot?" Where
are we, in Tibet?)
Until next time,
remember,
COMEDY MATTERS!
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A nationally known comedy writer, and an authority
on roast humor, Jeffrey L. Gurian has written material
for many of the great performers at the fabled Friars
Roasts, including Richard Belzer, Robin Williams,
Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis, and even Bruce Willis,
as well as comedy stars such as Joan Rivers, Gilbert
Gottfried, Phil Hartman, Pauly Shore and Pat Cooper.
He wrote and directed The "Men Who" Series
of short films for the Toyota Comedy Festival. He
also wrote for MTV and USA Network, and was one
of the writers of Sony's first interactive film.
As a playwright he wrote a one- hour NBC drama about
the devastating effects of homelessness on the young,
entitled De La Salle. His first feature film "Face
to Face", that he wrote with Scott Baio, made
its world premiere at the Taos, New Mexico Film
Festival, and was honored as the opening night film.
It has since become an award-winning film as it
won Best Comedy Feature at the Marco Island Film
Festival and Valley Film Festival in Hollywood.
His newest film, " I Am Woody" about a
mob boss obsessed with Woody Allen, won for Best
Short Film at the NY Independent Film Festival.
He can be seen around town performing his comedy
news broadcast Uncle Nat’s Traveling Peep
Show with his comedy partner model/performer Sonya
Gignac, currently being groomed as an on-air personality
at WPIX Sports. In addition Jeffrey is a Clinical
Professor at NYU in the Oral Medicine/Oro-Facial
Pain Department, a cosmetic dentist, lecturer, author
and healer. He also is credited for developing a
cure for stuttering. You may read more at www.jeffreygurian.com.
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