Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - 242. Joel Grey

Episode Date: January 14, 2019

Oscar and Tony-winning actor Joel Grey drops by the studio to have a bit of fun at the co-hosts' expense, to share amusing anecdotes about Bob Fosse, Buck Henry, Larry Hagman and Lana Turner and to discuss his new Yiddish language version of "Fiddler on the Roof." Also, Rita Hayworth breaks hearts, Pat McCormick plays Grover Cleveland, Gilbert pulls out his George Jessel impression and Joel shares the stage with the late, great Eddie Cantor. PLUS: "Man on a Swing"! Loving Jack Gilford! (and James Garner)! Hal Prince saves the day! The genius of Will Jordan! And Joel remembers his dad, the legendary Mickey Katz! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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You know, this is John Astin. Maybe. Capital idea. Hello, this is John Astin, and you are listening to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing, colossal, creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky, altogether ooky podcast. Fantastic. Perfect. Perfect. Couldn't ask for better.

Thank you. It was worth the wait. For me. We're going to pay a call on the Addams Family. Hi, this is Gilbert Gottfried, and this is Gilbert Gottfried's amazing, colossal podcast. I'm here with my co-host, Frank Santopadre, and we're once again recording at... You can take it again. Yeah. Hi, this is Gilbert Gottfried and this is Gilbert Gottfried's amazing Colossal podcast.

That was better. He's a director after all. And I'm once again with my co-host Frank Santopadre and our engineer Frank Furtarosa. Our guest this week is a Tony and Oscar-winning actor, singer, dancer, director, producer, and photographer, and genuine Broadway legend.

And we couldn't be more excited to have him sitting here. As an actor, you've seen him in television shows such as Night Gallery, Brooklyn Bridge, Star Trek, Voyager, Brothers and Sisters, Oz, Nurse Jackie, and House. And on the big screen in films like Buffalo Bill and the Indians, The 7% Solution, Remo Williams, The Adventure Begins, The Player, The Music of Chance, and Dancer in the Dark. And of course, in his Academy Award winning role of the emcee in the iconic musical Cabaret. He's also starred in long-running Broadway and off-Broadway shows like Cabaret, George M., The Normal Heart, Chicago, Anything Goes and Wicked, winning a Tony, two Drama Desk Awards, and a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in the process. and a Grammy Hall of Fame award in the process.

His latest passion is directing a Yiddish-language version of Fiddler on the Roof, currently running at the Museum of Jewish Heritage and moving to Off-Broadway in February 2019. February 2019. Playbill Magazine called this version the most authentic production of Fiddler you will ever see. of Ceremonies describes his journey from child actor to Broadway star and includes anecdotes about everyone from Ruth Gordon to Larry Hagman. Please welcome the son of the great Mickey Cats, the namesake of actor Joel McRae, and a man who once shared the screen with Eddie Cantor, the multi-talented Joel Gray. If you knew Susie like I know Susie, oh, oh. You wanted me to do Eddie Cantor, right?

Was that, did I misunderstand? I was trying to get you to sing cabaret. Okay. Okay. I can't. No. Because I didn't sing that song in the movie or on stage. Did you know that?

No. Oh, he means the song you sang at the Y when Gay Talese was interviewing you. Yes, yes. What would you do? Welcome and bienvenue. Welcome. Is that the one? Yes. That's the one.

Yes. Oh, that's just what I wanted. Well, we got that straight. End. Yes. Oh, that's just what I wanted. Well, we got that straight. And a very strange incident happened before we got on the air. And that's we were talking about. You say you don't know that much Yiddish. I don't speak Yiddish. Yeah.

So I was saying to you, I know one expression in Yiddish, and without saying it, you said it. It was scary. I know. It was weird. I thought it was good, too. Yeah. It's going to help you. You'll live like cupping works on a dead person.

Cupping. How did you know? That joke is, by the way, is in the show. Is in Fiddler? Yeah. Oh, okay. Well, we both have to come see it. But how on earth did you know?

Did you predict the one Yiddish phrase that Gilbert knew? In Man on a Swing, I was, you know. Clairvoyant. Right. And some of a Swing. Right. I was, you know. Clairvoyant. Right. And some of it stuck. Good movie. Now, can you tell a story, Mickey Catch, your father, how he was discovered? How my father was discovered?

Yes. I think he's. By Spike Jonze, you mean. Okay. He was. My father was a musician in Cleveland. And Spike Jonze was traveling through the country, touring. And my father was a wonderful clarinetist and a saxophone player.

And he also did comedy bits. He was funny. He just was funny. And he also did this sound. These are called glugs. Very good. And if you know Spike Jonze, Cocktails for Two. Sure.

Yes. He does that sound. Sure. Yes. He does that sound. Yeah. For people that don't know Spike Jonze, he would do these songs and there would be gunshots and car horns and everything. He was a giant star. Now, your father was,

I think, just backstage fooling around, doing some song. Yes, exactly. In a recording session of Spike Jonze. And the head of RCA Victor was in the booth, and he heard my father singing this thing. My dad didn't know that the microphone was open. And he was playing, he was singing.

I had this idea for, he always wrote parodies. I had this idea for, he always wrote parodies. I had this idea for, he always wrote parodies. I had this idea for, he always wrote parodies. And they thought it was funny. They didn't understand Yiddish. They were not Jewish. And they put him on RCA Victor Records.

And that was the beginning of his career as a dialectician and a comedian. And that's how the public knew him, from those records. What was Mickey Katz and his crazy kittens? Because Gilbert and I love that. And Betty Hutton was part of that? He toured.

He toured with Betty Hutton. You know, with the troops. Right. In Europe. Right. He was the band leader. Selling war bonds after shows. Yeah.

At one point, yeah. So when your father started performing around with his songs, was he in like, was it vaudeville, the Yiddish theater? No, there was no Yiddish theater for him because he was a musician. Yeah. And so he was sort of in the vaudeville world. Okay. The Palace Theater in Cleveland. Big names play the Palace Theater.

Very. Burl, Sophie Tucker. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And I used to sit in the pit and watch. Oh, my. And I think that's where I kind of got a bug. And you said, I think it was that your mother took you to,

would take you to the theater. Yes. Yeah. She took me to see a proper American play at the Cleveland Playhouse where they had no idea what a Jew was. No, they didn't. It was very, very high class and, you know, major goish. Joyish. And I sat down there and I watched these children and this children's group of actors putting on a show.

And I just knew in that moment, I said to my mom, I want to do that. I want to do that. At the age of eight? Nine. Nine. It was a little later. Wow. Wow.

Now, how did your parents react? Oh, good. Nine. It was a little later. Wow. Wow. Now, how did your parents react? Oh, good. Yeah. I mean, my mother, she wanted to be a star, you know, an actress, but she had no talent for that. She became a painter. She became a painter and a great cook. You know, she was terrific, but she somehow had this idea that she was going to be a movie star because everybody was crazy about the movies then. It was the beginning of, you know, Hollywood stuff.

Was Peter Lorre one of your favorites? I found that in the research. He was. I was a great fan of him, of his acting. I thought he was a great character actor. Have you heard Gilbert's Peter Lorre, Joel? I'm ready. I'm closing my eyes thought he was a great character actor. Have you heard Gilbert's Peter Lorre, Joel? I'm ready. I'm closing my eyes. It's a treat. Okay.

No, it's you who handled it. You and your stupid attempt to buy it. Kevin found out how valuable it was. No wonder we had such an easy time getting it. You blundering fathead.

Well, I didn't know I was going to be surprised like this. I wish our listeners could see the look on Joel's face. He was delighted by that. Pretty good, huh? Excellent. Yeah, it's the best Peter Lorre. The best Peter Lorre ever done. Who else do you do?

He does Sydney Green Street. Shh, I'm closing my eyes. Here we go. Let's have it. You are a character, sir. I like talking to a man who likes to talk. Brilliant. No, that is brilliant.

Yes, it is. They're both brilliant. Thank you. I can leave now. He's a great mimic. He's a great mimic. We've done 240 of these, Joe, and you wouldn't believe. Do you remember the character actor John MacGyver?

I do. Yeah, listen, and you wouldn't believe. Do you remember the character actor John MacGyver? I do. Yeah, listen to this. Close your eyes. All true. Everything must be done according to schedule. We will have no slackers in this company. I have run a tight ship. Everything must be done according to my orders.

I like that too. You don't have to say anything. I'll just put on a show for you. I did like it. He's a great mimic. We'll pull some other ones out later on on the show for you. I did like it. He's a great mimic. Yeah. We'll pull some other ones out later on in the show. Before we jump off your dad, I do want to, we mentioned this before we turned the mics on,

I do want to direct people to YouTube to see your daughter, Jennifer, do a great tribute to your dad on the Conan show, where she sings Duvid Crockett. And she really gets into it. It is a little dance step. Oh, yeah. She's really. That's my daughter. That's my daughter.

That's my kid. Three generations. And you were saying that acting saved your life. Well, yes. Yes, it did. Because I knew that I had a place. And I needed a place. Even when I was nine years old. I was struggling to fit in, and all of a sudden I was given a role,

and I was able to tell the truth of this character, and people noticed it and said oh you're good and what kid doesn't want to hear that at the age of nine you joined you joined the curtain pullers cleveland playhouse and then i was in the adult and then the adult version. You know, now this is strange because when I saw your performance in Cabaret, the way you looked and the way you played it. Can you imitate me? Wait a minute. Hold on. Give him some time to work on it.

I should think that would be right up your alley. You know, I never attempted it. Because I was born in Coney Island. And in Coney Island, they had that amusement park steeplechase that had that face that I think was George. Yes, yes. Joe is making a scary face. And it was that George. I tell you, that was my handsomest face.

Yeah. And it was that George A. Tilly. That was my handsomest face. And it was a scary. It was like Alfred E. Newman, but psychotic killer. Upside down. And I remember someone saying that that was because they believed that entertainment and having fun. there was something scary and evil about it. So that's why they made that scary face. And so when I saw you in cabaret, it made me think of that because it's like it looks like those people at the cabaret are in hell and you're the devil. It's very eerie.

Thank you. It's an interesting interpretation. Yeah, because you play it very scary. A little bit of Dwight Frye, a little bit of Emil Jannings and the Last Laugh. It's, you play it like very scary. A little bit of Dwight Frye. Yes.

A little bit of, is it Emil Jannings in The Last Laugh? It's almost got like Caligari. Were any of these things running through your head? Because you were such a movie buff. No. It's expressionistic. Well, all right. I was much more influenced by the art of the time of the Nazis.

I see. That's interesting. Well, tell us about how the MC came about. I know how Prince saw you and decided that you were the person to play this part. Yes. A part that you had, correct me if I'm wrong, that you had trouble understanding at first and getting into because he was such a... It wasn't written. There were no lines.

There was no character except the MC, the second-rate comedian, you know, master of ceremonies. And I had no scenes with anybody. It was five great songs. And I needed to find the man, the, you know, that bad guy. So you took some of the low comics, particularly that comic in St. Louis.

Do I have this right? Oh, boy. particularly that comic in St. Louis. Do I have this right? Oh, boy. I thought he was the cheapest shot of an emcee that anybody could ever not want to see. So this guy that you saw on the road from your nightclub days, you retained this, and you decided to infuse this character.

That's fascinating. and you decided to infuse this character. Right. That's fascinating. So this third-rate comic became immortal. He never knew. Yeah. And you never said his name publicly, I would assume. I'm sure he's gone. Yes, he is. By now.

Yeah. I just saw an interview with you. No, I never told anybody. You never told anybody who it was? No. Interesting. And here's another song. I don't think today interview with you. No, I never told anybody. You never told anybody who it was? No. Interesting. And here's another song. I don't think today's the day.

No. He might have heirs or relatives. Here's another song I once heard on the radio that killed me that your father sang. So I'm pushing you again. How much is that pickle in the window? Yeah. The one that's on top of the pail. Yeah.

Right. How much is that pickle in the window? Yes. I do hope that pickle's for sale. People, we say to our listeners that people can find these on YouTube. We have them both queued up. We have Duvid Crockett, which Jennifer did so well on the Conan show, and Pickle in the Window queued up.

They're on YouTube and well worth seeing. And your father was kind of ahead of his time. I mean, Stan Freeberg, you know, there was no Alan Sherman. Nobody was doing parody. They all followed him. Yeah, kind of a trailblazer in that genre. Certainly there was no Weird Al, but, you know, I think they respected him as a forerunner. Exactly. That's what I said, a forerunner.

I feel like there should be alcohol involved in this interview. And when you walked in, you were wearing like a rabbi shawl excuse me over your shoulders that's what that looked like it did yes that's called a talus a talus gilbert what kind of i'm a horrible jew a talus and that was not a tallis. Yeah. That was a very chic shawl. Bo Brummel, he's not, Joel. Maybe on you it just looked more Jewish. Well, maybe that's because of Fiddler. Yes.

You know, Mickey Cats, Fiddler, I'm sort of stuck. Cats, Fiddler, I'm sort of stuck. Now, tell us about this, your production of Fiddler on the Roof. And who it's a tribute to. Well, I got a call from this gentleman that runs the National Theater, Yiddish folksbina, which means the stage, Yiddish stage. And he's a great, you know, a great figure in the Yiddish theater world. And he said, I'm doing, I've always wanted to do Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish. And there was a production 50 years ago in Israel and I've gotten the rights to do it. Would you like to direct it?

And I said, that's a rather wild idea because I don't speak Yiddish. But I know that play very, very well. I have loved it from the first preview, which I saw in Washington before it came to New York. With Zero? Yes, yes. And I've seen every production ever since.

And I love that musical, and I think it's a great score. It's just everything good. And I also loved Sholem Aleichem's stories, and that's what this Tevye and his daughters was taken from and made into Fiddler. And I woke up the next morning and I said to myself, I don't know how I'm going to do this.

I don't know quite what to do, but I'm going to do it. And I decided that then and there. And it just came. We got these wonderful actors who did not speak Yiddish. I heard you say three-quarters of the cast didn't speak any Yiddish. And so how, the obvious question, how does a man who doesn't speak Yiddish direct other actors to speak it? Oh, thank you so much.

actors to speak it. Oh, thank you so much. I knew what it was about, so I could tell the actors. I see. And we rehearsed it in English, and then once they understood it in English, then they added the Yiddish language. And are you honoring your dad a little bit by doing this show? I sure hope so. Good. That's nice.

That's nice. I know you don't speak it, but is it true that you learned a little bit from listening to his records? Not much. Not much. No, I mean, I know the jokes. Yeah, the jokes. Right.

You knew enough. Yeah, the jokes. Right. You knew enough. And he taught you to respect the audience, too, your father. I heard you say that in an interview. Everything. He was a musician, essentially.

That's really what he adored, was playing the clarinet and playing with his musician friends. He just loved that. The fraternity of it. Yes. And if he played a gig, like a wedding or something, if there was one person on the dance floor, he was still there. Wow. That's great.

We had Gino Conforti on this show, by the way, who is notable because I believe he was the original Fiddler. He was? Yeah. I knew him too. Yeah, good guy. Very sweet. Yeah, he's in LA, still around, did this show. Gilbert sang some Fiddler. What did you sing with Andrea Martin when she was here? Oh, I think Do You Love Me.

There you go. That's a show that's that he cares about. And I heard that when Gino Conforti was the fiddler, Zero Mostel started, he would start yelling stuff that was not in the script. And he started yelling, you know, get off the roof, you fucking kiddie.

This is a Jew production. According to Gino. That's not my style. But what did you think of Zero Mostel? I thought he was a genius. I loved him. I thought he was a genius. I loved him.

But if I were the director and he was fucking with my show like that, it would not be good. Oh. Yeah. He colored outside the lines a lot, didn't he? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, and, you know, threw the play away in a way.

Although he was charming and wonderful. And the rest of the actors were left often hanging and looking bad. Possibly why he wasn't offered the film? And because he was difficult? No, I don't think that. Or because he was asking too much money or something like that? I know nothing about that history. I'll have to ask Norman Jewison when we have him on. Here's a segue, a neat segue.

Jack Ilford, from Zero to Jack Ilford, who you worked with in the original Cabaret production. He's somebody, we love character actors as you do. We've talked about him on this show many times. He was a great friend and a wonderful actor. I never retired of watching him with great timing. Yeah. And sadly blacklisted.

Yeah. But truly a truly funny man. Yep. We will return to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast. But first, a word from our sponsor. The Scorebet app here with trusted stats and real-time sports news. Yeah, hey, who should I take in the Boston

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to a Vietnamese-inspired dish ready in minutes, PC makes any culinary adventure an on-budget breeze. And what about Lottie Lenya, who was in that production? I don't think we've done 250 of these shows. I don't think we've ever interviewed anybody who knew Lottie Lenya. There you go. Mr. Gray's raising his hand. What was she like?

We only know her from the Bond picture, basically, and a few other things. Rosa Klebb, right, Gil? Yes, and from her name being in the Bobby Darin version of Mac and Knife. And you'll work with Bobby Darin, too? La Llorona. Right. And you worked with Bobby Darin, too. La Llorona. Right. And you worked with Bobby Darin. I did.

I did. I worked with him, and I fixed him up with Sandra Dee. You did? Yeah. Oh! That's a claim to fame. Okay, now. And they got married.

So how did you fix these two up? Oh, I'm really good at that. What was that picture? Come September? That's right. Rock Hudson. Yeah. Walter Slazak.

Oh, we love Walter Slazak. Now I'm cooking. Lifeboat. That was early in your career. And you're working with Rock Hudson and Robert Mulligan, who directed To Kill a Mockingbird, and Bobby Darin, and interesting times. Very. And I found this interesting.

You didn't really, do I have this right? You didn't really see necessarily musical theater in your future when you started. You thought you were going to be doing Richard III. You thought you were going to be doing... Yeah. Yeah, I never thought I could sing. Uh-huh. And I had to really study in order to do it.

But it was what, you know, paid the bills and got the attention. Of course. So I did it. What one memory of Lottie Lenya? Anything that stands out? She seemed larger than life. No, she was small. No, I mean, she was not heavy.

She was a great stylist. And of course, you know, she was married to Kurt... Fowl. Kurt Fowl was her husband. Of course. Stylist. And, of course, you know, she was married to Kurt... Um... Vile. Kurt Vile was her husband. Of course. Of course. And you thought after Cabaret you were never going to win the Academy Award.

Right. Yeah. Did I? Yes, you certainly did. Oh, yeah. Yes. Right. I remember that night.

I was sure it was Al Pacino. Sure. I mean, it was such a great performance and a great popular film, and it was his turn. Yeah. This was Godfather 2? No, the first one. Yeah. Godfather 1?

Yeah. Yeah. He hasn't spoken to me since. Is that true? You looked genuinely shocked when they announced your name. And I love the Hagman story, too. That's fun. The best fucking neighbor?

Yeah, you want to tell that? Yeah. I think I already did. Yeah. We'll cut out that part and just... He was my next-door neighbor and my best friend at the time of the Academy Awards, and he knew how nervous I was.

So I came home from the Academy Awards, and there was this enormous trophy that he had engraved the best fucking actor award. No, no, no. I'm bringing it up myself. Best fucking neighbor award. Because he thought I would come home empty-handed and he wanted me to have something. He also thought Pacino was going to take it.

We all did. Yeah, yeah. That's a nice story. Well, I mean, Godfather, that was like the biggest movie in the world. Right. And musicals are less serious in terms of people's ideas about art. Well, certainly in the Academy. I mean, in comedies, too.

Was Billy Wilder rumored to direct Cabaret? Not that I've been told. That's interesting. It's interesting the stuff you find in... He would have been good. Yeah, because I know you and Fosse, and you don't have to go into it in detail about you and Fosse

because it's a story that's been told many times. Yes. But how in the hell does he look at that character, the character you won the Tony for and the character you owned, and basically say, I see Ruth Gordon in this part. I mean, I told that to Gilbert and he turned white. Yeah. It's surreal. It was a strange moment.

Yeah. However, we pressed on. moment. Yeah. However, we pressed on. Yeah. Yeah. You want to tell the backflip story? Because it's just so ridiculous. No. It's so funny.

Not funny. It was awful. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was the first day of rehearsal in Germany, in Munich. And he said, I have an idea for the two ladies number. Have you ever done a backflip?

And I said, no, but, you know, show me how to do it. He said, okay, Johnny, come over here and watch me, you know, stand back on me. And he went, boom, and turned up and fell right on his face hard and stayed there. He didn't move. We didn't know. It was the first day of rehearsal. We thought, oh, this is the end of the movie. And he got up and they took him to the doctor.

And he was back the next day with his blue, his entire side of his face was blue, and the cigarette was hanging out. Unbelievable. He was a genius. Yes, of course. We love all that jazz. He was great. He was great, great, great. And I guess I never understood what it was. Nobody did. I mean, even the people closest to him. But my instinct is that he loved to perform and I think somewhere in the back of his mind, if he could tell them not to use me,

that he could play it himself. How interesting. Tell him not to use me, that he could play it himself. How interesting. I mean, he must have realized, he's looking at dailies every day, he must have realized that this guy is knocking this out of the park and have to admit grudgingly that he was wrong. Grudgingly. I have to say, in light of everything, Joel, you were very gracious in your acceptance speech.

Well, you know, thank you. By the way, I watched you winning on YouTube, and Robert Duvall looks pissed off. Because he was nominated, too. He was. Yeah. All those guys. Jimmy Kahn, I think, was. Four of them. he was yeah all those guys jimmy kahn i think was four of them you won over the entire cast of the godfather pretty much yeah

yeah that's a silence yes well i also i want to talk about the next movie that you made, which was since you brought it up, which was Man on a Swing, which I watched again. And by the way, you and Cliff Robertson have very, very nice chemistry together. Have you seen it recently? Last night. You did? I'm not kidding you.

You really did? I actually, some friends of mine had never seen it. Oh, it's so good. And I sat and watched the first scene. That was last night. Your first scene. Yes. Yeah, where you're on the intercom before you even go to the police station.

Right. Yeah. Gilbert, you have to see this movie. Now, you did another movie that we spoke about in the introduction, and that was Remo Williams' The Adventure Begins. Now, what was odd about that is, you know, this was like you were playing an Asian in it, and this was past the time when- A 90-year-old Asian.

A 90-year-old Asian, yes. Chun. Yes. Master Chun. Can we hear some of Master Chun? No. I cannot do that. Did anyone...

You ask too much. That's great. It's a little like Dick Cavett's Richard Liu. Remember Richard Liu? Character actor? Yeah. Asian character actor? Yeah. Ah, Krav Karya. You like to disappear into roles, I've heard.

You like to really transform yourself. It's fun. Yeah, you did with that character. You're really unrecognizable. I know. And you won a Saturn Award, which must have been a cool thing. I did? Yes, you did. Yes.

It's in my research. Wait, I don't know. No? Maybe you were nominated. That's even worse. Maybe I got that wrong. Tell us about... To have not won the saturn award there's so many things we want to ask you about we want to ask you about eddie canter too but we

don't go in any order here joel as you see it's all very schizophrenic did you when you were doing buffalo bill and the indians did you like working with Altman? I loved it. Yeah? Yeah. We never knew what we were doing. It was a lot of improvisation. Yeah, because he gives actors a lot of rope. Yep. And that's how it gets written, really.

You know, it's kind of guide, and then everybody improvises, and he takes the best of it. Yeah. Because they said during MASH, both Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland at one point wanted to get him fired because I guess they weren't used to working that way. Okay. Let's call them. Did you spend any time, this is completely off track, but did you spend any time with Pat McCormick while making that movie?

Just looking up to him. Yes, yes. Because he played, I'm trying to remember, was it Grover Cleveland? Yes, and he was seven feet tall. Yeah, yeah. He's sort of a character that comes up a lot on this show. He was fun. Yeah.

And you liked working with Paul? I loved him. He was great. Yeah. My's sort of a character that comes up a lot on this show. He was fun. Yeah. And you liked working with Paul? I loved. He was great. Yeah. My God, what a movie star. And Olivier, so I know and I read in my notes that you love Peter Lorre, but you also loved Olivier. Did you get to spend time with Olivier when you made 7% Solution? No, we didn't have any scenes together.

Damn it. But my character was very Peter Lorre. Yeah. Yeah. Leuwenstein. Yes, Leuwenstein, now that I think of it. Yeah. Yeah, Lysolow.

Peter Lorre's real name was Lysolow Lowenstein. Who? Peter Lorre. Is that true? Yeah. And that's where they got Leuwenstein? Interesting. It Lorre. Is that true? Yeah. And that's where they got Lowenstein? Interesting. It could be.

Is that possible? Yeah. His name was Laszlo Lowenstein. Oh, my God. See? He came over on the same boat. As your bubbe. Yeah.

Why didn't you learn any Yiddish from your bubbe? Gilbert, that's what I want to know. There was also, I think she taught me another expression. That was, I think it was, Which means, they bury people who look better than that. Wow. That's a good one. I read that you like to learn something every day.

I do. So now you have. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, Peter Lorre came over on the same boat with, what's the great director of Metropolis? Fritz Lang. Fritz Lang. Yeah. They came over on the same boat. They escaped Germany together. What do you think, Fritz Lang. Fritz Lang. They came over on the same

boat. They escaped Germany together. What do you think, Fritz? I don't know, Peter. You tell me. Man on a Swing is a fascinating movie.

I want to tell our listeners. People listen to this show to our surprise, Joel. And they like when we recommend movies. And Gilbert has recommended The Swimmer, Frank Perry's movie, a thousand times.

So we're going to recommend another Frank Perry movie, which is Man on a Swing. You're very good in it. And eerie. And you have the difficult task of presenting this guy as very strange

and eccentric and off-putting, but he also has to be credible. And ordinary. And ordinary. And ordinary. I love the way you're shot with the white shoes coming down the stairs, too. I love your entrance. Good eyes.

Yeah, good stuff. Good film. And people should see Buffalo Bill and the Indians, too, because you're fun in that. And Paul Newman's fun in that. Yeah, he had a blast. Yeah, that's an underrated movie that people should see. And Remo Williams, too, because it's a scream.

What about Dancer in the Dark? I love Dancer in the Dark. I think it's genius. Yes, me too. Me too. I'm going to mispronounce his name. Lars von Trier? Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Yeah. And I love his other film, Breaking the Waves. That's what made me want to work with him. Really? Yeah. Yeah. I got a call from my agent saying that the singer, this Bjork is doing this movie called, not Breaking the W Waves Dancer in the Dark

and she wants to speak to you. I said okay. The telephone rings. Hello? Yes. This is Bjork. Who? Bjork.

I'm going from Denmark and making a movie called Dancer in the Dark. I'm Bjork. And I want you to come to Denmark and we will make the movie and you will dance. Yes, goodbye.

That was the end of it. Did you know who she was? I did. Uh-huh. I remember her wearing the swan dress at the Oscars, too. Yes. Yeah. She's a very interesting performer.

Marvelous. I love her. Yeah. I liked you in Kafka, too. The Soderbergh picture. That was fun. Yeah. Yeah. And I also loved Kafka, too. The Soderbergh picture. That was fun. Yeah. Yeah.

And I also loved you on Sex and the City when you dropped your pants. Guess what? I know. Well, finish it out. I love that you're so amused by it. It wasn't him. People approach him and say, Joe, I loved you in Sex and the City

when you dropped your pants. Not me. Were you happy with the double they got you? A double ass. I also remember seeing you in that second

edition of Outer Lim outer limits you were an inventor who invent whose son dies and you save his his brain or his intelligence and you put it into a robot of uh your son it It did? I remember it better than you do. You're sure it wasn't Ron Rifkin? I think it was Eddie Cantor. By the way, that Cantor clip with you was on YouTube. Isn't that... People can see it. It is wild. Shameful.

Why do you say that? Because I didn't know what the fuck I was doing. Okay. I mean, I didn't know what I was wild. Shameful. Why do you say that? Because I didn't know what the fuck I was doing. Okay. I mean, I didn't know what I was doing. I mean, I didn't know. He says he compares you to Danny Kaye. He says you're the next Danny Kaye. A lot of pressure.

Yeah. Yeah. I was 18. Yeah. But what energy and what commitment. Commitment. Yeah. Right.

Commitment. Commitment. Yeah. Right. Commitment. Commitment. Now, you were friends with Robert Clary from Hogan's Heroes. Yes. He's still with us, Robert. Yes. Yeah. He's a sweetheart.

Yeah. I haven't seen him in much too long. And what is the Eddie Cantor connection again with Robert? He was married to one of Eddie Cantor's daughters. To one of Eddie Cantor's daughters, that's right. Natalie. That's right. How did the Cantor thing even come about?

I mean, you do the Charleston at one point. It came about because he came to see Borscht Capades. Borscht Capades, right. In Miami Beach. Jenny Grossinger brought him. And he came backstage and he said, I'm doing a show. Now you've got to take a back seat to the Eddie Cantor impression. I'm doing a show. And I think you'd be very good in it.

I wish we had video. How did you find him? And he said, at the end of it, he said, well, that was very good. Would you like to be in a Broadway show? that was very good would you like to be in a broadway show because i've just gotten word from this man who's doing this show that you have a part in it good luck wow was a lie oh interesting it was show business oh just so he was just saying it for yeah boy that's that's dirty pool no it's not a lie that's the wrong word it was just show business yeah how did you find him to be good yeah i mean really professional and

his early work is awfully good how about keith brazell in the Eddie Cantor story? His early work is... We had Leonard Maltin here last week, and we were obsessing about Keith Brazell in the Eddie Cantor story. That's an obsession. Yeah, because I remember there's one part in Keith Brazile's Eddie Cantor, and there's one part where he's in his apartment and a guy with the phoniest looking rubber nose comes in to show he was friends with Jimmy Durante.

And it's like, Eddie! Good to see you, Eddie! It's like, Eddie! Good to see you, Eddie! It's like, dink-a-dink-a-dink. Oh, that's pretty good. We asked Leonard if he could, a listener asked if you could go back in time and prevent any movie from being made. What would it be?

And he said the Eddie Cantor story. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then there was Jolson Sings Again. We're just talking about bad biopics and how many of those things they got wrong. And actually, I loved them. You do? No, I mean, at the time.

Oh, interesting. As a kid. Yeah. And Al Jolson was a hero. He really was a phenomenal artist. You liked all those pictures because you weren't old enough

to know they were so seriously flawed. No. Wait a minute. Now you tell me? Yeah. We asked him about what was it, Donald O'Connor and the Buster Keaton story? It was another one. That wasn't brilliant?

Well, Joel will appreciate your jessel. Oh. Yes. Let me call up my mother here on the phone. Hello, Mama? Yes, it's Georgie. Georgie? You know, the one that sends you checks every week.

Oh, now you remember. Hey, Mama, did you get the parrot that I sent you? What? You ate the parrot? But that parrot spoke seven different languages. Oh, he should have said something. That's great. This is the kind of shit we talk about on this show.

Eddie Cantor, Donald O'Connor. Name another podcast where they're obsessing about Keith Brazell. Can I ask you a couple of questions, Joel, that fans sent in for you? Sure. This is one. I know you like to be asked questions you haven't been asked before. Andrew Milner said, Is it true that in the 50s, Joel performed in a backers audition for an unproduced Broadway musical called Saturday Night?

Yes. Written by an unknown Stephen Sondheim. Exactly. Yes. Does he have any recollections of that fateful event? Yes. Well, that answers that one. I think we're being punked by Joel Greif.

answers that one. I think we're being punked by Joel Wright. No, actually, I knew immediately that Steve Sondheim was a genius. You did.

And I loved that piece. And what happened? What became of I don't think it ever got made. Interesting.

Interesting. To think that even the great Sondheim has. I think it was his first show. Interesting. Maybe.

Did you ever see the movie that he wrote with Anthony Perkins, The Last of Sheila? I did. Yeah. Yeah, it was fun. Interesting. Oh, that was with James Coco, wasn't it? James Coburn. Yeah, James Coburn.

No, James... But wasn't James Coco like a Fatty Arbuckle? No, you're thinking of a different movie. Oh. Which was the one with the cowlouch? You're thinking of The Wild Party. The Wild Party. The Wild Party, where he played a Fatty Arbuckle? No, you're thinking of a different movie. Oh. Which was the one You're thinking of The Wild Party. The Wild Party. Where he played

a Fatty Arbuckle character. Okay, you can leave now, Joe. Here's another one, Joe. You'll like this one. Any memories of working on the Rankin-Bass special which was

The Night Before Christmas? Yeah, take the money and run. That's honest. So not one of your proudest. No. If we're a Hanukkah special, that's something else. What about the Muppets? You did an early Muppet show.

I did one of the first Muppet shows. Did you like that experience? Loved the Muppets. Yeah, Henson was genius, wasn't he? Oh, I had the best time. We will return to Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast

after this. Spring is here and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well-groomed lawn delivered, but you can get a almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well-groomed lawn delivered, but you can get a chicken parmesan delivered. A cabana? That's a no. But a banana? That's a yes.

A nice tan? Sorry, nope. But a box fan? Happily, yes. A day of sunshine? No. A box of fine wines? Yes. Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol and select markets.

Product availability may vary by Regency app for details. Listen closely as a master painter carefully brushes Benjamin Moore Regal Select down the seam of the wall. It's like poetry in motion.

Benjamin Moore. See the love. Here's one. We're just going to keep firing this stuff at you. Benjamin Moore, see the love. Here's one. We're just going to keep firing this stuff at you. This has become an interrogation. Gilbert wants to know, by the way, if you do a Jules Podell impression. Yes. Since you played the Copa.

I don't think I ever met him. You never met Jules Podell? Maybe it was, oh, whoa. Yeah. Maybe it was like that. I was 18. I was really out of my depth. Yeah. You didn't like playing nightclubs, I understand.

I was an actor. Yeah. And I was in the wrong place. Yeah. And you found that they held it against you when you tried to do legitimate theater? There was a bias? Yes. Yes.

I was a variety-ish performer. It's interesting. There were a lot of gangsters in clubs back then who were running it. Yeah, especially in Chicago. Oh, really? The Chez Paris. That was a great nightclub.

Gorgeous, gorgeous line of girls. I was 18. Oh, my God. On top of the world. It was great. And we always heard that the gangsters were like the nicest bosses to have. I don't know. Maybe so.

I remember the gentlemen that ran that place were wonderful. Their names were, are you ready? Okay. Dingy and Don Joe. I'm not kidding.

Dingy and donjo we talked to people who played you know the old days of Vegas and they said that they were happier working for the mob than they were working for the people who replaced them the bean counters all the celebrities loved working for the mob

yeah they treated you really right donjo medlevine he remembers his name Yeah. They treated you really right. Donjo Medlevine. He remembers his name. Wait a minute. Wow. Yeah, made a big impression. And Dave Halper was dingy. Dingy Dave.

It's like a Damon Runyon. It's a character out of Capra. But they were really generous and fatherly. Interesting. Yeah. Why did you hate the experience so much? Why did you hate being in nightclubs? Obviously because you considered yourself an actor, but...

That's exactly the reason. That was it. That's all there is to it. Yeah. a part, a play, something, you know, that was, whether it wasn't drinking and talking. And, you know, they didn't really care necessarily. If you were singing your heart out, if they were, you you know gambling or there

was a girl there i remember you know they just sat with their backs to you interesting did you ever deal with rowdy crowds or drunks or things like that when you're performing yeah yeah that's no fun gilbert does it bother you you you perform exclusively in clubs does it bother you? You perform exclusively in clubs. Does it bother you that people are talking or drinking while you're on stage? No, he accepts it. I'm not sure he notices it. I love every second of it. Am I right? You take it all, right?

Yeah, you have to. But no, it is better when they're paying attention. What was your act, Joel? I mean, was it a little song and dance, some jokes? I mean, what was the, yeah, was it all music? Special material. Special material. Who wrote the special material? You did. No. Uh-huh. The writer that wrote the most for me was a guy named Jerry Seelan. Okay. And it was good. It was good.

Do you remember any of your jokes from back then? I don't think so. And I don't think I want to say them. I don't think so. And I don't think I want to say them. But it did leave... You've really attacked me in a way that I've not felt attacked in so long. This room is... devoid... of respect.

Right? Well, the good thing about your nightclub career is it led to a career on the screen. You started doing films and you started doing television, like Maverick and 7-7 Sunset Strip. Yeah, but that wasn't from nightclubs. It wasn't? It was in spite of. Really? How so?

Because, you know, I... Didn't Lana Turner see you at one point? I can't talk about that. Okay. You know, you're really getting a little unpleasant. Oh, I see. You know, I could really getting a little unpleasant. Oh, I see. You know, I could be in a lawsuit. He's got a great poker face, Gil.

I'll give him that. I was in love with Lana Turner. Were you? I was. Oh. You and Johnny Stompanato both. That's right. Yeah.

And I had a date with her. You had a date with Lana Turner? I did. Wow. Well, this is something that every man at that time would have traded places with you. Yeah, it was good. It was next best to Rita Hayworth.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Desta Rita Hayworth. You went on a date with Rita Hayworth? Put the blame on Mame. Oh, my God. You're putting us on now. No, I'm serious. You went on a date with... I was 16. Wow.

And I saw Gilda. Sure. And put the blame on Mame. Just was the most erotic thing I'd ever seen. Did you ever see it? Sure, of course. You didn't feel it? Yes. Yes, I know what you're talking about.

I like her in The Lady from Shanghai, too. Perhaps less erotic, but I get what you're saying. Oh, well, since we're talking about lady from Shanghai, I can do my Everett Sloan imitation. Perfect segue. Are you

pointing that gun at me, lover? Well, good, because I'm pointing this gun at you and then from what about edward everett horton you do ever never do a good edward everett horton but i'll do uh in in uh oh what in in citizen Kane, he says, time? I'm chairman of the board.

Pretty good. I have nothing but time. Great. That was worth everything. I think I'm leaving. No, you can't top that. You can't top Edward Sloan? Give him a little taste of James Mason, just because he's such a captive audience.

I mean that literally. And I mean that literally. Congratulations, my dear. I seem to have made it just in time. There's no need to be formal. I know most of you on a first-name basis. Any others you want? Joel's face is just enjoying this so much. How about

Will Jordan? We had Will Jordan here. We did. Will Jordan doing James Mason? Yeah. We had Will Jordan on this show. And he did. He just passed. He was the most famous Ed Sullivan impersonator. Yeah. He was sweet. He was the most famous Ed Sullivan impersonator. Yeah.

He was sweet. He was a pal. Oh, good man. Yeah, he was great on the show. Yeah, this show is... Wait a minute. This show is great. Is that it?

No. Is that it? No. I was going to say what we tried to do is introduce younger audiences to people like Will Jordan on this show. We had, you know, a lot of character actors on the show. Richard Benjamin was here. Norman Lear. Carl Reiner.

Bruce Stern. Yourself. It's good company. it's a it's richard donner was here bogdanovich a lot of good people and it's like you being on the show for like like younger people listening to this show the same way your father those people heard your father and said i don't know what this is but i like it and i want to hear more of it it's like there are people now who are going to start looking up your name who didn't know you before you'll see got about 60 70 000 people you know downloading the show per week it's a lot of people it is yes and we've we're proud to say we've introduced people like Barbara Felden and Bruce Dern and Larry Storch.

Lee Merriweather. Lee Merriweather and all of these other people to younger audiences. Jimmy Webb was here. Paul Williams. And the one I'm most proud of, Janet Ann Gallo, who was the little girl in Ghost of Frankenstein with Lon Chaney Jr. and Baila Gossi. You like old horror films, Joel? No. Oh, God.

Oh, God. All right. I'm going to ask you about your photography, and then we're going to let you get out of here. Tell us. You're doing another book. Do I have this right? Four books of photography? Right.

Gilbert's sister, who passed away last year, was a published photographer. You might know her work. Yeah. Arlene Gottfried. I think you'd like it. I think i do it sounds familiar she photographed how would you say it like like uh she loved old new york the way new york used to look like of course she loved any of the kind of broken down

poor dirty stuff that you don't see now, like a New York soul built up. No, not exactly. Yeah. I mean, we got plenty of Tsuris here. Yeah. And cock-a-doodle. It's everywhere. I mean, they're just digging up every street.

Yeah, you could say it. Yeah. Yeah, I know. But I think she liked faces. She liked regular people and interesting faces. And we'll send you a book. Okay, good. I But I think she liked faces. She liked regular people and interesting faces. And we'll send you a book. Okay, good. I think you'll actually like it.

How did you get into this? How did you decide that photography was sort of a second career? I'm a visual guy. Art has always interested me. I was at the Cleveland Art Museum when I was eight years old, and I would try to get lost from my class so I could stay there longer. And they were looking for me. Interesting. In the tombs. In the tombs at the Cleveland Museum. You've done four books and one coming called Sexy Flowers? No, the new one is called The Flower Whisperer.

The Flower—oh, you changed the title. Yeah, my daughter called me that. The Flower Whisperer. And she's writing the foreword. I like that. Here's what I wanted to ask you, too. Some of these performances, like you doing Amos in Chicago, are they available for anybody to see?

Are there DVDs of some of your stage work or The Normal Heart or any of these performances that I'm never going to get to see? No. Nothing is available to see? I don't think so. I mean, I saw you in Wicked, and that was a treat. That was good fun. Yeah, that was fun.

Stephen Schwartz went to my high school, apropos of nothing. He did a great job. Yeah, you were wonderful in that. If I may blow some smoke up your tush. I'm going to go for some more. You see? You do nothing and they're screaming. We're an easy audience.

You're sweet. You're very nice. Well, we're fans. None of that can be seen. None of the not wicked or anything goes. Nobody ever put them on. You don't have them. I don't think so.

Yeah. That's the interesting thing about theater. It's sort of there and then gone. Some of that stuff is at Lincoln Center. It is. Yeah. And I have never looked. But I'm sure something is there. Of the movies and TV that you've done,

are you able to watch yourself or are you one of those people who'd rather not? No, I have to. Yeah. You do. Yeah. I have to look at it and say, what were you thinking there? And I see. And it came through.

Or it didn't, whatever. And that's how you learn. My wife loves you in that house episode. She thinks you're heartbreaking. Yeah. And I like you on the night gallery episode where you killed Howard Duff. Do you remember this? With a very young Mark Hamill.

In a bit part. I got another one for you. Hit me. I was on the Raymond Burr. Oh, Ironside. Ironside. Yes. And I played a jockey.

I don't think I've seen that one. Wait a minute. And you know who my girlfriend was? Sherry Lansing. Future Hollywood studio executive. Right. Wow. Who's married to um...

Married to... Yes. Who was she married to? She's married to the great director. Alan Pakula. No, not Alan Pakula. Who was she married to? God. Give me a hint. What did he direct?

French Connection. Oh, Friedkin. Right. Thank you. Right. William Friedkin. Right. Yes.

Foolish me, saying Alan Pakula. Alan Pakula was married to Hope Lang. Right. How'd you like Raymond Burr when you did Ironside? Nice. How do you like Gilbert Gottfried? Nice.

So I kind of remind you of Raymond Burr. And you haven't asked about yourself. About me? Ask me. I think you like me, okay. What do you think of Frank?

Nice. What do you think of our engineer Frank? Nice. You should have done more comedies, my friend. What about Maverick? What about James Garner, if I'm just throwing names out at you comedies, my friend. What about Maverick? What about James Garner?

If I'm just throwing names out at you. One of my buddies. Yeah, wasn't he great? He was great. My wife and I just watched him in Murphy's Romance, Martin Ritt movie. He was the real thing. And we were very tight.

And what did you think of him? What did I think of him? Yeah. In one word. Of Garner? Yes. I thought he was a great actor. Okay. Ask me what I thought of him. What did you think of Garner? Nice.

Nice. Using your own bits against you. I heard it. Is Buck Henry a friend? Yes. Buck Henry did this show. Yeah. We love him. He was very funny.

He's a wonderful man. Yeah. Yeah. What a body of work. I will tell you something about Buck Henry. Please do. night of cabaret, I received a wire, a telegram from Buck Henry that said, wish I were there to observe your peculiar ways. Oh, I love that.

You never forget that. That's great. Right? That's great. Wow. You know, I remember a James Garner quote where they once asked him in an interview if he would ever do nudity. And he said, I don't do horror films. That's funny.

You know, I loved your book, by the way, which I got on Kindle, Master of Ceremonies, which we're going to plug here from 2016. A great journey. But also, I found this was fascinating, the vicissitudes of show business. One minute you're doing, you're in Jones Beach in this pirate production. With Louis Armstrong. With Louis Armstrong. Right. And not long after, you're winning an Academy Award.

But I was quitting in between. Right. It not long after, you're winning an Academy Award. But I was quitting in between. Right. It was the end of my career. Yes, that's also interesting. Jones Beach. Yeah. It was so horrible. Yeah.

You were taking the bus out there? I was dreadful. It was dreadful. And it was not what I had in mind at the Cleveland playoffs. Of course. At nine. Of course. Of course.

At nine, at the Cleveland Playhouse. Of course. At nine. Of course. Of course. But a fascinating example of, as my friend Susie Essman says, stay on the bus. It was the depths. Stay to the end. You were taking the bus, literally you were taking the bus, from New York to Jones Beach.

Right. And performing. It was Children's Theater? No, no. Oh, was it? It was called Mardi Gras. What was Satchmo doing in this? He was doing 20 Minutes.

Getting a check. It's fascinating, too, because a lot of times we've had guests on this show, Gilbert, who've told us stories like that. Like, I was bottoming out. I was going to quit. I was going to walk away. It was over. I was going to try to find something else to do with my life. And then a turning point. That's exactly what happened. Was Hal Prince that turning point? Yeah. Yeah. He called me one morning when I was at my lowest.

lowest, he said, what's the matter? I said, oh, no, it's just, it's hard. And you know, there's no work and blah, blah, blah. He said, well, forget it because I have a new show and I think there's a part of it for you. That's, those were his words. He'd seen you and stopped the world. I want to get off. Yeah. want to get off I knew you were the guy planted the seed how about that it's inspiring to see how quickly things can turn and that all the time that you had put in

was not in vain and all these people that do the same thing and never get that moment you tell that to young actors young young performers, ask you for advice? I just say that it's difficult. Yeah. And it's nothing you can do about it. It has to happen.

When Jennifer told you that she wanted to be a performer, how did you respond? I slapped her. that she wanted to be a performer. How did you respond? I slapped her. I just, I said, God damn it. Hold on a minute. Okay, that's a good thing because you're beautiful and talented.

That's good. That's not true. Oh, okay. I mean, I wanted her to have a more normal childhood and uh young adulthood but she was fierce like her dad good for her we just had diane ladd in that chair telling us the very same thing about laura dern why do you have to do this can you be anything else can you run can you heal lepers be a doctor something where you're not going to be so harshly evaluated? You must have had a little bit of that, like fear for her being mistreated.

Of course. It's hard. You want to protect your children. She's done very well. She has. And she's got a beautiful daughter who's 16. And her husband's a terrific actor and director,

Clark Gregg. Yeah, sure. We were just talking about him. Yep. Yeah. Colt Coulson. Yes. Did he write

What Lies Beneath? Yes. I like that picture. Me too. Very good. Scared the shit out of me. Me too. God, that was...

Very good. I was sorry I was alone. Yes. People know Clark Gregg as Coulson from the Avengers movies, I guess, most popularly. But he's also a writer-director. Yeah. And he's on the Marvel... To be reckoned with.

You know... He's on S.H.I.E.L.D., Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Every week. Yeah, someone to be reckoned with. And he's a great director. Yes, talented family. What else you got for this man? He's got to go

He's got stuff to do He's got pictures to take I have to go to the Museum of Jewish Heritage Okay, give us one more plug for Fiddler It's coming to stage 42 Yes In February

Which used to be the Little Schubert Okay February 19th in February which used to be the Little Schubert. Okay. February 19th. I think February 11th is maybe the first preview. February 11th. Okay, I misspoke. I think something like that.

Okay, so we're going to tell everybody to go if you're in the Tri-State area. Now you've got to see it. Well, we're going to see it. You should see it downtown. Okay. Not this production.

This production. This production. Yeah. Okay. Well, it's going to be the same people. I will buy a ticket right after we get off the mic, sir. I think we can arrange for you to come. The publicist is waving.

It's sold out. However. Oh, only I knew somebody. Now, I heard that it's also translated. Yes, they have the super titles in Russian and English. I can't. Actually, everybody knows. Oh, yeah, everyone knows the words already.

Yeah, they know that story. And it's... I find the non-Jewish audience finds their own ancestry in what we're putting up there and are

mesmerized by it. And timelier than ever, as you've pointed out. Yes. With all the mishigas. Today. Just looking at it today. Yeah. At Mexico.

Yeah, and the anti-immigrant sentiment. It's just horrendous. Your grandmother came from Russia? Uh-huh. And how did they end up in Ohio? She had a cousin. Everybody had somebody. Yeah, yeah.

That came first. Yeah. And my grandmother never learned to speak English. And one of my favorite things is she used to drive a truck in Cleveland. And I said, Grandma, how did you get a license? She says, I gave the man a couple bucks. I love it. All right, we're going to tell everybody.

Gilbert and I are going to go see it first, but everybody needs to see Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, directed by the great Joel Grey. For personal reasons, I want people to see Man on a Swing and Buffalo Bill and the Indians. And that Night Gallery episode, which is also online. Gilbert?

And I want to hear you sing another one of your father's songs. Okay. Do we have it queued up? You need music? No. Okay. He's going to do it without music. I get mirahim mit a we with a beautiful wife Where the sheep and the goats live

I give me a house with healthy cowboys And a couple hundred cattle to buy Everybody sing. Home, home, off in the range Come on in and bring plenty of change. From Erev to Boyka, Spildman, Pinnacle and Boyka. Dalton in my high schooler, off in the range. That's Aston.

The great Mickey Katz. He was. Mickey would be proud. Performed by his son, Joel, the great Joel Gray. To our listeners, find Mickey Katz. The albums are out there. The videos are on YouTube. Get them.

Joel, this is my new favorite episode of our show. We've done 247 or some ungodly number. Thanks for schlepping out in the rain. It was funny. Oh, very. It was funny, and you guys are good. He's going to give you a sign-off. You're very cute.

Thank you, as are you, sir. Funny, charming, and sweet. You're very kind. Gil? We've been talking to the great Joel Grey. That's it? Yeah. That was as much as you could do

how long was i here joel joel give yourself a sign off oh uh could you do like a little station id for us yes i know better thanks I know better. Thanks, pal. Thank you. If someone stood up in a crowd and raised his voice a boy out loud and waved his arm and shook his leg,

you'd notice him. If someone in the movie show yelled fire in the second row this whole place is a pumpkin you'd notice him and even without clucking like a hen. Everyone gets noticed now and then. Unless, of course, that person it should be. Invisible. Inconsequential. Inconsequential. It's been a few weeks.

Me. Me. Cellophane, Mr. Cellophane. Should have been my name, Mr. Cellophane. Cause you can look right through me walk right by me and never know i'm there i tell you cellophane mr cellophane should have been my name mr cellophane Cause you can look right through me Walk right by me And never know I'm there

Suppose you was a little cat Residing in a person's flat Who fed you fish and scratched your ear You'd notice him suppose you was a woman wed and sleeping in a double bed beside one man for seven years years. You'd notice him. Ah, human beings made of more than air. With all that bulk you're bound to see him there. Unless that human being next to you is unimpressive,

undistinguished. You know. You should have been my name, Mr. Cellophane. Cause you can look right through me Walk right by me And never know I'm there I tell ya, Cellophane, Mr. Cellophane Should have been my name, Mr. Cellophane

Cause you can look right through me Walk right by me And never know I'm there Never even know I'm there Hope I didn't take up too much of your time. Thank you. Dara Gottfried and Frank Santapadre with audio production by Frank Furtarosa. Web and social media is handled by Mike McPadden, Greg Pair and John Bradley-Seals. Special audio contributions by John Beach.

Special thanks to John Fodiatis, John Murray and Paul Rayburn.