Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - GGACP Rewind: Episode #13: Drew Friedman

Episode Date: February 16, 2026

To kick off the launch of his recent book, "Heroes of the Comics," Gilbert and Frank were joined by their favorite illustrator, the incomparable Drew Friedman. While sitting and admiring Drew's work a...dorning the walls of Manhattan's Society of Illustrators, the boys managed to cover everything from Drew and Gilbert's days at "National Lampoon" to Gilbert's Lon Chaney, Jr. obsession to the time a 15-year-old Drew paid a visit to the home of the legendary Groucho Marx. ALSO: "The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant"! Jerry Lewis kvells over Drew's portrait! The triumphant return of Milton Berle's schlong! And Drew reveals why he's Howard Stern's favorite artist!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:54 Medcan, live well for life. Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started. Godfrey, you're listening to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast. Today, we're talking to one of the greatest illustrators and cartoonists of our time. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Time, National Lampoon, and the Wall Street Journal, just to name of you. So today, Frank Santo Padre and myself sat down with Drew Friedman at New York City Society of Illustrators.
Starting point is 00:01:47 The name of his brand new book is Heroes of the Comics, featuring 85 portraits of the legends of comic books published by Fantagraphics Books. So now we talk to Drew Freed. Hi, I'm Gilbert Gottfried, and I'm here with my co-host, Frank Santo Padre, and this is the amazing colossal podcast. We're here. Today we're taping at the Society of Illustrators on 63rd between Park and Lex, where they're currently having a whole gallery of the work of Drew Friedman. And if you don't know that name, you'd recognize his drawings from, like, National Lampoon, where I met him, and the New Yorker and I think every other magazine. Playboy, yeah, everywhere else. Entertainment.
Starting point is 00:02:51 Was I in Playboy? I don't remember that. You weren't in Playboy? No, no, no. See, I told Frank never to talk during this show. I begged him. You were never in Playboy? No, I was never in Playboy.
Starting point is 00:03:02 See, you're killing the show. Frank, shut up. My dad was in. You don't know anything about my guest. What do you saw? Please. Please shut up, Frank. He has to mention Playboy.
Starting point is 00:03:15 You've never been in it. No, I never been. Entertainment Weekly. Yes, there you go. We mix them up. You're in highlight. Highlights, yes. I only went to the dentist to read highlights.
Starting point is 00:03:27 Yes. The only reason. Now, we did meet. I'm pretty sure at National Lampoon. did. We were, we, we, we, we kind of found each other there because we both loved Lonchaney Jr. Yes. And Lionel Atwell and George Zucco. So we had that in common, especially Tor Johnson. Oh, yeah. So we clicked. And I remember I used to write articles at the time. And for National Lampoon. This is when Nash Lampoon was no longer funny. This is the 80s. It was no longer funny.
Starting point is 00:04:00 So that's when we joined. It's kind of like my season of Saturday Night Live. It's when the show stopped being funny. That's right. Belushi had left, Chevy Chase had left. You had Joe Piscop. Yeah. So I bring in the... Charlie Rocket.
Starting point is 00:04:18 Charlie Rocket, right? What happened to him? Oh, I can tell you. He says, fuck, and he's... The career is over. Over and out. Over and out. But we loved him.
Starting point is 00:04:28 I remember him fondly. Not a Jew. Charlie's no longer with us. I know. I know that. You know, God bless his soul. That's what you're supposed to say, right? Oh, God bless us.
Starting point is 00:04:40 Fuck him. But he's not a Jew and he's not hanging on the wall. And do you remember what I nicknamed you at Lion Pooh? Well, I know you're lying whenever we run into each other. To this day, Jew dots, Jew dots. Of course, I haven't drawn with dots for 20 years. It doesn't matter. I don't renew my material.
Starting point is 00:05:02 It's an affectionate... If you know anything about it. made us. That's for sure. He hasn't updated. I've been doing the same act since I was 12. It's a traditional with us. Jew dots. Yeah. You would come in with your head down and I'd follow you around and start screaming. That's right. Jew dots. Everyone bowed down to Jew dots. That's right. That's right. Because you would, you would shade with millions of tiny dots. Obsessive dots. And I'm tapping on a table. That's right. Remember that? Yes. Gilbert used to come over to my apartment on 6th Street. You know, the block with all the, 400 Indian restaurants.
Starting point is 00:05:38 Oh, yes, yes. I'd be working on the deadline, and Gilbert would knock on the door, so I'd let him in. So what do you want? He said, I want to watch Plan 9 from outer space. I actually had a VHS recorder. Gilbert just got one last year.
Starting point is 00:05:53 So I put that on, or the Black Sleeper, you know, the old shitty... I just got a Beta Mac. Exactly. Doesn't that work like a charm? I love it. I'm into Beta, too. But we would sit there in silence and watch these movies together. of yucca flats.
Starting point is 00:06:07 Well, that too. Anything with Tor Jones. What I remember to is when I was a kid, they would have like reruns of Route 66 every day at a certain time. And I always knew there was this one episode called, I think, Owlitz Wing and Lizard's Tale. That's it. And that had Boris Karloff, Lonchini Jr. and Peter Lorry. Right.
Starting point is 00:06:35 And I would check the TV section every day. The one day I don't check it, I realized that one aired. That's right. And it was hard. I think I missed that, too. But we used to see the photographs in famous monsters. Oh, yeah. Lon Cheney had lousy werewolf makeup on. Oh, horrible.
Starting point is 00:06:53 Boris Carlisth, they just stuck a thing on his head. The worst. And Peter Lorre didn't have to wear any makeup anyway. That was what was so ridiculous. Very weak. At the end, they're supposed to come out as their classic characters. So Boris Karloff's in Frankenstein makeup, Lon Cheney Jr.'s in Wolfman makeup,
Starting point is 00:07:12 and Peter Laurie's wearing a top hat. Not Mr. Motel? No, nothing. He should have. In theory, it sounded great. When you actually watched it, it was one of those things. This stinks. It was terrible.
Starting point is 00:07:24 It was awful. That's right. I thought how could it be bad with those three? George Mahars was better in that way. It was a big disappointment, but, you know, it didn't live up. Now, here's always the test. Can you name the person who was caught in the men's room with George Mahars? Oh, that guy?
Starting point is 00:07:46 Tom Leopold would know. I know it. I don't know his name. Oh, I'm ashamed. And I'm ashamed. I do know who played in the Amazing Colossal Man. That was Glenn Langdon. Oh, very good.
Starting point is 00:07:57 Gilbert had asked me about that earlier, and I didn't Google it. It just came to me. Anyway, the guy in the men's room was Perfecto Telly. That's right, that's right. A guy who could only, when you have a name like that. Can you get him for this show? That's a great story. He's the only person I can get for this show.
Starting point is 00:08:17 I think you should track him down and get him because that's an amazing story, which we can't tell on this show. But it was very, you know, it was very disappointing. Perfecto Tell us. I heard Leopold mentioned that name. That's right. I think he wrote a book. Didn't he write a book like Lance Resson? Rensel wrote a book? I believe he did.
Starting point is 00:08:37 He wrote his book, too. Lance Renssel was, of course, Joey Hetherton's husband, who, like, can I, well, like Woody Allen was into children. Oh! I go there. I'm going there. Wow. Someone asked me about Woody Allen. Drew, do you believe it?
Starting point is 00:08:51 I said, I don't know. I wasn't there. But to me, the worst crime is these shitty movies he's made for the last 20 years. That offends me. I think the first horror movie that I remember seeing us, little boy was the indestructible man. Right, we've discussed that. Lonchene Jr., Joe Flynn from McAiles Navy.
Starting point is 00:09:15 Wow. And I think it was Robert Shane. And Casey Adams. Oh, Casey Adams, who was also known as Max Showalter. Remember him, Frank? That's right. I remember Robert Shane from Superman. Yes, Inspector Henderson.
Starting point is 00:09:29 But Casey Adams, and he was also known as Max Showalter, was also in 16 candles with Molly Ringwall. Wow. Wow. Yeah. And he was in the Twilight Zone episode with Billy Mummy, where he sends everybody out to the corner field. He's in there.
Starting point is 00:09:48 Oh, I know who he is. Yeah, yeah. I know who he is. He was like, he was like, he was serious and then he went comedic. I know who he is. And then he went back to comedic.
Starting point is 00:09:54 Just when you said that. Yeah. Or back to serious. Yeah. Casey Adam. But we used to watch that. We used to talk about that because Lon Cheney had those baggy eyes at that point. Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 00:10:02 They used to show close. close-ups of his eyes in the movie. Gilbert and I watched it on Chilla Theater, because, you know, when we were kids. Yeah. Because they show it every other week, practically. And they're playing, like, dramatic music on his eyes, like it's supposed to.
Starting point is 00:10:16 And the scary thing is he's got a drunk's eyes. That's right. It's very baggy and red. It was black and white. Back in those days, you could see the red in the black and white. Chilli theater showed about, they rotated about six different movies.
Starting point is 00:10:30 So you know it was going to come up once a month. It was that in the giant behemoth. Black Sleep and then back to Indestructible Man. And the Black Sleep was a big disappointment because that was Lanchini Jr., John Caradine. It was incredible cast. Yeah. And Basil Rathbone.
Starting point is 00:10:48 And it's like the parts with the main... Bala Lugosi. Who's not talking? His official last film. Yeah. Plan 9, he kind of walked around in front of Tor Johnson's house. And then the graveyard. But Blacksleep was his official last.
Starting point is 00:11:01 Is that the one you email me the photographs from? I'm sure I did. They're having lunch in the cafe. Oh, yes, yes, yes. Life magazine sent photographers there. They never ran the photographs, but they took hundreds of photographs at a restaurant in Hollywood,
Starting point is 00:11:13 in 1956, when they wrapped the film, and they were all in costume. So Tor Johnson comes in with, you know, his undershirt on, shake head. And, you know, he was there to eat. They were all, you know, they were hungry. But, you know, it was the amazing photographs. No, they are.
Starting point is 00:11:26 They are wonderful pictures. They never released them. They never showed them in a magazine, but years later, they, I mean, that's why the interwebs are nice, And sometimes, sometimes they work. And I heard they used to try to eat in the commissary, and everyone's complaining about how disturbing they look at it.
Starting point is 00:11:42 Those guys and the woman with the hair popping out of her, the bald woman with the hair popping out of her face, and the guy with the half of his safe, George Chiquita. Oh, yes. It had this amazing cast. He had a sailor's outfit. That's right. That's right.
Starting point is 00:11:59 I don't know why that was so scary. I forget who the writer was. was, but they flash back to Tor Johnson before he becomes a mongoloid idiot. And he's like a professor. He's like a... He's wearing a monocle. That's right.
Starting point is 00:12:11 It's like, here, the poor professor from Russia. And like, look at him now. Like a monocle, well, he must be smart. Because how else could you wear a monocleic? That's right. He was always an intellectual at the beginning and then he becomes a mongoloid idiot. Like anyone could possibly believe.
Starting point is 00:12:29 He's a police chief in Plan 9 from outer space, of course. Professor Clay. A police chief who can't walk three feet without getting windy. He pulls out his pistol in that scene. But he had his most dialogue in that film, you know. It's soliloquy, basically. Oh, yeah. And Lon Cheney Jr. plays Mongo.
Starting point is 00:12:48 And it's supposed to be that originally he was also a brilliant professor named Dr. Monroe. That's right. But because now he's a monster, they can't call him Dr. Monroe. They have to give him a monster name. He was Mono or Lobo. He was back and forth. Usually he was Lobo.
Starting point is 00:13:09 No matter what movie he was in. Like if a guy's name was Jack Jones, they couldn't call him Jack Jones if he's a monster. So it would be like Jojo. My favorite Tor Johnson moment is when he was on, You Bet Your Life with Groucho Moore. Oh my God, yes. In 1960, he was plugging a film that never even came out.
Starting point is 00:13:30 Night of the Ghouls, I think. was gold. But they had beautiful chemistry together. Your name is Tor Johnson. And you're a knight of the ghoul. Tor was frustrated. And then he got into it. And they could have taken the act on the road.
Starting point is 00:13:47 Did he know he was, that Groucho Marx was a comedian? He had no clue. No clue. He was there for the money, I think. And he didn't get a single question right. Did Phenomen treat him well? Greek mythology was his category. I don't know how he got, he picked that.
Starting point is 00:14:03 He stood there in silence. You look at him and you say, oh, this guy knows Greek mythology. Somehow that was his category. He didn't get one right and he left with nothing. And it was one of the great moments and, you know. So Gilbert would come to your apartment to watch and you would put these movies on. We sit there in silence and watch them. It was the first time I saw that episode of Route 66.
Starting point is 00:14:26 That's right. I played it for it. And it was a bad copy. It was all like, static. It's all you had. Yeah, yeah. But it was a bad copy of a bad show. Then I finally got a clean copy, and it was just God awful. Even worse.
Starting point is 00:14:39 That's right. But, you know, that was the one of two times Lon Cheney was on Route 66, if you remember. Because he also played George Mahars' father. Do I remember? In an episode. Who were you talking to? Who are you talking to? And, and who was also on that, and they didn't have a scene together.
Starting point is 00:15:01 like idiots. They didn't put them together. Was Betty Fields who starred with Lawn Chanion of Mice and Men? Wow, I didn't know that. And they did no scenes together, which was idiotic. What were they thinking? Betty Fields?
Starting point is 00:15:15 No, I didn't know that. I forgot that. I did not know that. Betty Fields. And what would happen when you told Gilbert that he had to leave? Because you had to work. You had a deadline.
Starting point is 00:15:27 I was a fan of Gilbert, you know, as a comedian. It's like, yeah, but I have to leave. After a couple hours, like Gilbert lived about a block for me. I was on 6th Street. I lived on Avenue. Yeah, it was on Avenue. So I sent him home and, you know, and we put on the park. And he'd come back next week.
Starting point is 00:15:46 That was beautiful. I sent him home to his mom and he'd, you know, he'd come back next week. I was basically like Kramer. That's right. You show up. You were my Norton. Yes. Get out.
Starting point is 00:15:57 Get out. And he'd come back. And always forgiven. But we had, those were happy times. We had lots of fun. Oh, boy. And I remember that, you also used to show Boris Karloff in the Haunted Strangler. Oh, sure.
Starting point is 00:16:20 Yeah, it was like a bad. I like the late 50s Boris Carlin. Oh, yes. The Manster? No, that was, that wasn't important. Oh, the Manster. We love the Manster. Remember that, Frank?
Starting point is 00:16:30 We love that. We love that. Yeah, it was a two-head. It was a joint production of America and Japan. Right. He's a two-headed guy. He's got another little manster growing inside his body. And when they finally split apart, there's a tree between them.
Starting point is 00:16:47 And then all of a sudden they come apart. I thought it was amazing when I was a kid. And later on I figured out they were just saving money on special. There's a tree between him, and he splits off. And I'm going, wait, wait a second. If two bodies split apart from one body, how come his clothes are covered? That's right. That's right. On both bodies. And the master is little, the other little guy is a Japanese guy in makeup.
Starting point is 00:17:12 I think it's, I think that's Glenn Langdon, too. It was like a blonde-ha guy who played the poor master. But there was one great scene where he gets affected by radiation or whatever the hell. And he's looking at the bathroom mirror, pulls down his shirt, and on the back of his shoulder is an eye. A little eyeball. Yeah. It's disturbing. Have you showed that to your son yet? You're saving that? Save that for it.
Starting point is 00:17:37 That was a cousin of the incredible two-headed transplant. Basically, it was like an early, it was an early version of that. With Ray Malan. Yeah, before they found Rosie Greer. Yeah, yeah. It was the beginning of that genre of film, two-headed. And all I could think about watching that one was how bad Rosie Greer must have smelled like in the past. It's possible Ray Malam didn't smell so great either.
Starting point is 00:18:02 That's what you do? Just because he was a football player. And big and fat. That's true. You went from protecting Robert Kennedy from getting killed. He did a great job to co-starring. And the two had a trance one. And he was knitting at the same time, too.
Starting point is 00:18:16 So he would have to go to job interviews and go, what was your last job? Well, I was protecting the life of Senator Kennedy. Oh, you're hired. Yeah. Nice job. That went well. Got him hired on the incredible two-headed. Before we go completely off track here.
Starting point is 00:18:42 Oh, but wait, wait. One segue. One segue. Wasn't he lurch protecting JFK and Dallas today? Ted Cassie? I know he was on the grassy knoll. I think that was. He was a, he was a newspaper.
Starting point is 00:18:56 That was cousin it was protecting John Kennedy. And I remember in the, the two-headed transplant, he, uh, Ray Maland is there with his head. Yeah. Over Rosie Greer's shoulder. That was a good scene.
Starting point is 00:19:12 That was the special thing. They run. They do a lot of running. Oh, yes. With, and when they're running, it's Rosie Greer running and this little balloon with a smiley face on it, bouncing around.
Starting point is 00:19:23 Ray Malam was an Oscar winner, you know, for a lost weekend. And here he is with Rosie Greer. And there's one part where he takes over control of the mind, while Rosie Greer is a, sleep and he makes Rosie Greer punch himself
Starting point is 00:19:39 in the face and knock himself out. It was beautiful. It was sort of a brotherhood story. Wasn't it supposed to be like the defiant ones as a lot of these twins? And then there was the other one. With Bruce Stern. Bruce Stern, yes.
Starting point is 00:19:53 That's right, that's right. But he was the mad. I was one of those films that famous monsters would showcase it and it looked like it was going to be great. Sort of like Dracula versus Frankenstein with Vizandor Vorka. Oh, my God.
Starting point is 00:20:04 Then you'd see it, and it was the worst piece of shit. I was like, what are they thinking? You know, who's paying these guys off? Oh, Frankenstein versus Dracula. Lon Cheney's last film. And Jay Carroll Manish's film. And I heard that. And Russ Tamblin was in there.
Starting point is 00:20:18 Oh, yes, yes, from West Side Story. And strippers were in there. And Anthony Ashley, I think, is in there. And I heard at one time, Lon Cheney was sitting in the room with Jay Carroll Nash and he said, oh, well, Jay, I guess we're both going to be dead soon. And Jake Harold Nash said, shut up, Lon. But he was right.
Starting point is 00:20:46 I think they both died shortly after. It's true. That was that last. Gilbert, you used to talk about return from the past with Lon Cheney. Oh, my God, yes. He played a doctor, a scientist. Yeah, brilliant doctor. All he did was talk about his theories.
Starting point is 00:21:01 I have a theory. I have a theory. You never figured out what his theory was, but I was always done. I have a theory. He was supposed to be a Scottish doctor, which he's very convincing as a Scottish doctor. That film is great because you watch that, and John Carradine is the host. And he's holding a cigarette throughout the whole film as he's hosting, you know, in his hand. He can't even bother to put it down because he knows what shit he's filmed.
Starting point is 00:21:27 He won't even bother to put the cigarette. I think they're paying him $100 and they fed him, and it's a piece of shit. but, you know, Gilbert and I used to discuss that film. The fact that he even put his pants on. That's right. He came to, you know, they pay him, and he's like Henny Youngman. They pay him, it was. The Henny Youngman of horror actors.
Starting point is 00:21:43 You're going to pay me? I'll come. And he was. He's a Scottish doctor in like the 1800s. That's right. And Rochelle Hudson was in that, too. It was once a star. And he, there's one scene, and it takes place in the 1800s.
Starting point is 00:21:59 And Lon Chay... It was like Dark Shadows. There were flashbacks. And Lon Chats. He's wearing a wristwatch. Ah, yeah. It's like Jerry Lewis in the day the clown cried. He's got his wristwreck.
Starting point is 00:22:08 He's got his pinky ring and he's got his black shiny shoes on. Aside from that, yes. He's in Auschwitz. And he's got a pomade. That's right. So because we're here at the Society of Illustrators. Oh, wait, wait, wait, I just remember. I'm never going to get to this.
Starting point is 00:22:26 When he finally brings. One more point. One more point. When Cheney brings the guy to life. The dead body. Yes. He walks off just to have a scene where, like, I guess, for the dead guy to kill the other two students. And he walks off for no reason, I think for a phone call.
Starting point is 00:22:47 Yeah, or get a drink. He's getting a drink. And then when they go back to Cheney, he's like there supposedly just making looks like he's excited about his discovery. Yeah, his theory. My theory. His theory. You never hear what his theory. It's, oh, my theory.
Starting point is 00:23:05 I have a theory. They wouldn't even bother to come up with how they brought a dead guy. Oh, my theory will bring dead people to life. That's right. I think one dead guy does pop up off the table. He's a bald guy. And he looks like confused. Like what am I doing?
Starting point is 00:23:23 Like Doodle's Weaver, I think he looks like. Yeah, what am I doing? And he strangles Don Cheney, and that's the end. Doodle's Weaver who killed him. himself. That's right. Indeed he did. It's very sad.
Starting point is 00:23:34 But then if you doodle Zwee for, you'd have to kill you. There's no other. Uncle Sogorney's Uncle Doodles. Yes. That's right. That Weaver's brother. That's right. That Weaver's brother.
Starting point is 00:23:46 Is that why he killed him? My brother is the CBS, the president of CBS, NBC, and I'm a comedian. Yes. But I'll take Doodles Weaver any day. Tell us about meeting Groucho when you were kids. Well, my dad actually knew Aaron Fleming, who was Groucho's girlfriend. friend in the 60s, sorry. And, you know, they knew each other, so we were out in Los Angeles in 1974,
Starting point is 00:24:08 vacationing, my dad and my brothers. So she called my dad and said, Groucho loves kids, could you come visit? And, you know, so he mentioned that. Sure, we'd love that. So we went to his house, Groucho answered the door, it came up to us. And the first thing he said was, it's a pleasure to meet three, you and your three lovely daughters. Our hair was a little long.
Starting point is 00:24:31 And, you know, so it was an amazing afternoon with Groucho. He sang his songs with Aaron Fleming. At one point, my brother, Josh, asked, Groucho, we used to live in Great Neck, Long Island. There was a theater there called The Playhouse. In the back, they had an old organ. It used to be a vaudeville theater. Do you remember it? And Groucho said, I got an old organ myself.
Starting point is 00:24:51 Everything was a straight line and everything. He couldn't actually have a conversation with the man. Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys walked in. Groucho never, he didn't know who he was. He goes to Groucher. He said, Mr. Marks, it's an honor to meet you. And Groucho looks up in him, he goes, it ought to be. And it went on and all like that.
Starting point is 00:25:10 But that was like, you know, I was 15 at the time, so that was pretty amazing. We didn't take any photographs, which I don't know why, but there we are. And I heard that then you got an invitation to come back. Yes. Actually, my dad, after the next day, Aaron Fleming, again, the notorious Aaron Fleming. But, you know, this was before we knew about her. She was beating them up and slapping her up. Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 00:25:31 She calls them, called back my dad. You called back my dad and says, like, Groucho had such a great time. He'd like to invite you back next week. And our special guest in the house is going to be May West. They haven't seen each other in 35 years since they were at Paramount together. So my dad says to my brother's night, Groucho's invited us back. May West is going to be his guest. And we say, we kind of look at each other and goes, eh, we had enough Groucho.
Starting point is 00:25:54 So to this day, to this day, I regret that. We will return to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal pod. cast after this. Tell the audience who you're our listener. Who your dad was? Well, my dad's a writer named Bruce J. Friedman. Still is, I mean. Yeah, he still is. He's a writer.
Starting point is 00:26:13 He's written... Well, you could kill him now, and then he would have been. Well, he would have... Bruce J. Freed. He still is, and he's still active. But he's written a lot of movie. He's written some movies like Splash and Starr Crazy and plays like Steambeth. And he wrote Heartbreak Kid, the movie Heartbreak Kid.
Starting point is 00:26:30 it became the Neil Simon film. Steambeth, where Valerie Perrine is making. I know that's all you remember. Right past Bill Bixby. Right past the actual plot. And Bill Bixby was it? That's right. That was the TV version a little later.
Starting point is 00:26:46 Art Matrano was in there, and Bill, he had a small part. And Herbert Edelman, quite a cast. Oh, yes, yes. And Kenneth Mars. And so, yeah, that was on TV with Bill Bixby. And I chose Bill Bixby for the part. because at what he called the public TV, WNET, they proposed three actors to my dad,
Starting point is 00:27:06 Dennis Weaver, James Francisus, or Bill Bixby. This was like right in 1972. So my dad didn't know who any of them were. He didn't really watch TV. So he came to me. He said, Drew, who should I pick? I said, Bixby's your man. And I based that on Bixby's performance
Starting point is 00:27:19 in Courtship of Eddie's father, where he was very good in that with Brandon DeWi. And he was really good in Steamback. He was. Yeah, he was. good. You know, it was a good production, and Bill Bixby, you know, you know. And you can see Valerie Pryne naked. That's right. That's what everybody seems to remember. But there was more to it than that. I'm going to correct you because I got Playboy magazine wrong. Brandon Cruz.
Starting point is 00:27:38 Ah. Instead of Brandon DeWild. You are right. Have I redeemed myself? Who's Brandon DeWild? I'm thinking, oh, I'm thinking. From Shane. From Shane. You, you keep bringing a Playboy. And it's your biggest disaster on the. I'm going to get him working Playboy yet. Brandon Cruz, who was like, I think dated Jody Foster. Didn't they? They were together in courtship of Eddie's father for a broad and then he became a pug singer didn't he i believe so you should get him for the show he's got all those he's got all those mrs livingston stories didn't he become an animator who worked on southmore quite possible yeah but you know he was good on that show too here speaking of groucho do you remember i'm sure well you definitely remember this uh the story of mankind
Starting point is 00:28:21 of course yeah i was erwin allen erwin allen production and e guy harpo and he got harpo and Chico. And Hartford Chico and Groucho all separately. Yeah, not all separate. Hey, yeah. You get the Marx brothers and... Yeah. It's the Marx brothers, but let's have them all work separately, because that's where their strength is. They pretty much work separately and love happy, too. Yeah. Oh, yes, yes. Well, Groucho was busy with Merrill Monroe in that one, at least. Right. But I think Groucho used a guy who discovers Manhattan Island in that one. Oh, yes. And one of his ex-wives is like an Indian. Eden. Yeah, she doesn't wear pants. Yeah. And Harpo,
Starting point is 00:28:59 Harpo wears, she has a little skirt on. Yeah. I think that's why he took the part. Oh, yeah. Because his wife could get work. I think Harpo plays, he plays Isaac Newton. Oh, yes. And then Apal falls on his age. He doesn't speak.
Starting point is 00:29:12 And Chico is like, was there because, as always, he was broke. He needed the gambling. Chico needed the money. That was always his excuse. Everything Garo did after 1940. Well, you know, Chico needed the money. And then they asked me to do it because the Chico was in it. Chico needed them.
Starting point is 00:29:37 This is excuse. Why did you appear in this piece of shit, Groucho? Oh, Chico needed a ride. All right. Well, you know, we'll give you a free ride then. Let's go to another. Why did you kill that woman and her child? Chico needed that way.
Starting point is 00:29:51 Yes, Chico was a gambler. And he lost money on a horse. So I killed. Why did you kill Sharon Tate? Well, Chico needed the money. Let's talk about something really unusual. Why did you start?
Starting point is 00:30:08 Why did you perpetuate the Holocaust? You won't stop them. Well, Chirko needed the money. Why did you kill J.FK, Grasca? Well, Chico needed the money. You killed Martin Luther King. Well, Jirko needed the money. Here, Drew, you want to read the questions?
Starting point is 00:30:27 What's the question? Let's go on. Grasho, why did you bomb the World Trade Center? Check on me. Why did you supply Philip Seymar Hoffman with heroin? Well, chico, me. You're off the hook. Wow.
Starting point is 00:30:51 Let me go completely off the reservation here and ask you about... Ask her about your artwork. Oh, okay. You draw? Well, look around this. We're here at the Society of Illustrators. We're celebrating old Jewish comedians right here. And why are you doing?
Starting point is 00:31:16 Because you're going to use it. When did you know your dad was obviously a comedy writer and you grew up in a funny house? When did you know that you were going to draw as opposed to write? I actually, you know, I'll veer off for a second. It was like I was a weird little kid. Because it was really going on a straight line. Exactly. I'll veer off of a chick-o.
Starting point is 00:31:39 Okay, I'll see if we can get back. But I was like, I was a strange little kid, you know, maybe, not to you guys. We share some of, but, you know, when I was a little kid, I didn't want to go to school. I didn't want to go to camp. I didn't want to go out and play. I just want to sit in my room with my guinea pig and read Mad Magazine and comic books and famous monsters. Me, exactly. And watch soupy sales.
Starting point is 00:31:59 Still that way. Watch soupy sales and watch three, three, six. Stooges, yeah, and the Bowery boys and Adventures of Superman. That's all I went. I resented I had to go to school. I had to go to school. I was boys. But I'm still angry about that. But I was just obsessed with Mad Magazine,
Starting point is 00:32:15 mainly mad. I got my education from Dave Berg, basically. He taught me everything I needed to know about life from the lighter side. But anyway, like you guys, I was like, you know, just obsessed with comic books and mad, and that was like, you know, I didn't want to leave my room. And, you know, it's still hard to get me out of my room, my office. So I was a drawing
Starting point is 00:32:31 at an early age. And I guess I showed some kind of weird talent for it, and I stuck with it, and here we are today. I remember when I was a kid that in elementary school, the teacher was playing a game, like, I'm going to say two initials, and you have to guess a famous person with that name. And, you know, so they go, A-L, so, oh, Abraham Lincoln, and stuff like that. And then she goes, OS. and I, very excitedly, I was like four at the time, I jump up and go, Anslow Stevens.
Starting point is 00:33:09 It would have been my natural reaction. Yes. And G.S.S. Glenn Strange. Onslow Stevens, like, descendants wouldn't know that made. You remember him, Frank. You even lost me on that. He was the mad doctor in House of Dracula. That's right.
Starting point is 00:33:24 I know he is. Who was going to cure the monsters of their helmets. They couldn't get Boris calls. for that one. He had a Monaco. Well, he was under the quicksand from the first one. They couldn't get Bella Lugosi, so they got
Starting point is 00:33:37 John Carradine to play Dracula in that one. But he was actually good. He was good. He was good, and I love Caradine. He gave him a little mustache. Yes. And then a top hat. That's right. The dashing Dracula. He was good, and I always loved Caradine,
Starting point is 00:33:51 but you had to have Lagozi as Dracula. You would think. Yeah. Abbott and Costello figured that out, finally. Yes. You know, after 20 years, you know, we should get them back He was pretty good in that. Back in 1930. Let's get him.
Starting point is 00:34:04 That's what started the entire horror craze as Legosi as Dracula. Maybe he was good. Let's not use him again as Dracula. Let's wait 20 years before we use him again. And in Dracula's daughter, they had a paper machet, Baylor Legosi lying in a coffin. It was so, what an insult. And an MGM brought him over for Mark of the Vampire,
Starting point is 00:34:27 but he wasn't Dracula. He was like, was that. Alicard? Oh, no, no. Alucard. Wasn't that the son of Dracula? Yeah, son of you with Lanchini Jr. And overweight the son of Dr.
Starting point is 00:34:38 Yes, very, well, blood has a lot of calories. That's right. He was an overweight. He had a big punch when he was the mummy and he was at a paunch when he played Dragon. He was like, the fattest mummy. Even with all the bandages on, you can see, a pot bell.
Starting point is 00:34:54 He was a well-fed mummy. Boris Carliff at least was emaciated. Tom Tyler was kind of thin. Oh, yes. But Trini was a fat mummy. Do you remember that? Yes, he was... And what is Universal do?
Starting point is 00:35:06 They use them five times in mummy films, even though he had a big belly. And a fat Dracula. Right. And they also gave him a mustache. That's right. Is the mummy. That's right.
Starting point is 00:35:16 And he still had that Oklahoma accent. That's right. He couldn't lose it. Yeah. To me, sounds like Penn Gillette. If you listen to both of them, it's very similar. You know, I love Penn.
Starting point is 00:35:27 But, you know, when I hear Penn talk, I hear Lon Cheney, Jr. Yeah, I come from the hills of Transylvania. And I was like, okay. That's right, that's right. But there, he was Al Euchar. That's right. And, but, yeah, in return to the vampire, it was always a name like Orkoff or something like that. Only the fun.
Starting point is 00:35:49 We love Lonchaney, Jr., but, you know, even in The Wolfman, he's Claude Rain's son, that just doesn't work. Oh, yes, yes. This distinguished British actor was a foot taller, a foot shorter than Lawn Chandy. You know, we, you know, the little bit of that we analyze these things. Yeah. I see that. Still love it. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:36:05 It just wasn't working. Claude Rains comes up to his knees. Father, father, father. I have something to admit. I have a theory. But my favorite Claude Rains line is in, because Cheney is talking about, does he believe in lycancer if he? and he goes, well, there's certain forms of schizophrenia, but a man actually taking the shape of a wolf, I know.
Starting point is 00:36:35 It's fantastic. That's right. Thank you, Father. And Beela goes to see as Beala. Yeah, and Maria Aspen Skaia. Oh, Maria Ospenskaya. And, you know, Maria Uspen Skaia is one of, like, she's known as, like, one of the most famous acting teachers,
Starting point is 00:36:54 way before the stress She invented the, you know, the whole acting. She's not a Slavskiy method? Yeah, she practically invented it. And then she's appearing in Universal Heart. And she must have felt like she was doing porn to be doing it.
Starting point is 00:37:08 It was a come down, I think. You know, it was they didn't quite work. Her Hollywood career didn't quite work. But she's well remembered, you know. I think she's mentioned on Dick Van Dyke show. They bring up her name, don't they? One time. Maria Uspen Sky.
Starting point is 00:37:19 Yeah, they do bring it up. She's mentioned in an odd couple episode by Jack Carter. That's right. Yeah. Which is pretty obscure. I heard that, well, like Chico Marx's daughter, Maxine, wanted to be an actress at one point. And she took lessons from Maria Sponskaya. That's right.
Starting point is 00:37:38 And one time, and I wish there had been at least a snapshot of this, Chico invited her out to dinner. And it was Chico Marx and Maria Spankeye. Well, he would fuck anything. You know that. It's like even, you know, Sophie Tucker. That's right. That's something I could draw, right? Them and better together.
Starting point is 00:38:03 Hey, Maria. Oh, boy, that's a hot. If Chico's daughter started doing the Italian accent, her career might have taken off a little, you know. She looked like Chico. Yeah, she did. If she's the hey, hey boss, what's the matter of, if she adapted her father's mannerism,
Starting point is 00:38:20 she might have gone far, but she resisted that. I don't know why. I'm going to attempt a segue here. Speaking of Jack Carter. You were in Playboy. You weren't in a centerfold, yes. Little Annie Fanny. I was in Playboy in this last month's issue, the January of February issue.
Starting point is 00:38:37 Maybe that's what I was thinking. That was a great illustration by my friend Philip Burke. He drew you. And you had a beautiful comment about Shemp, which I shared on Facebook. The women screaming Shemp when they're reaching orgasm. Yes, yes. It was beautiful. I loved it.
Starting point is 00:38:52 Yeah, it was in the... The one with Kate Moss on the cover, January-February issue. Oh, I'm sorry. My subscription ran out. I wouldn't know. Why would you let your subscription run on when you used to draw so much for Playboy? As only Frank, Frank, Jack Carter. Well, I was headed somewhere, but I don't remember.
Starting point is 00:39:13 Jack Carter. Well, I was going to ask you. To oblivion if I have anything to say about it. I was going to ask you about some of the people you've drawn who have an exact appreciated. I'll talk about one guy who I wasn't sure about it first. When I did the first book, Old Jewish
Starting point is 00:39:30 comedians, the publisher sent them out to some of the still living comedians. Plus, it would be a waste of posting. Well, I was all for sending them out to the dead ones. Like, dropped them off at their gravesites. So they sent them to, you know, so we sent it to Mickey Freeman and Freddie Roman. And they called
Starting point is 00:39:49 me, actually, left messages on the phone. They loved it. They loved the book. So we sent one to Jerry Louis, too, in Las Vegas. So Jerry calls. It leaves a message. Hello, Drew Friedman. This is Jerry Lewis. Please call me back. And he leaves his phone number twice.
Starting point is 00:40:04 I say, oh, shit. Jerry doesn't sound happy. What did I do? Is it because I didn't put him on the cover? I put Milton Brown. Because I gave him that stupid expression. So I got up my nerve. I say to Kathy, I say, all right, I'm going back. And I call him back. I say, hi, Jerry.
Starting point is 00:40:17 So you got the book? And he goes, yes, Drew, I got the book. I said, well, what did you think? Jesus Christ, I loved you. So I was safe. But Jack Carter was not happy. Notice I went negative first before the Jerry Love. A reporter from the L.A. Times called me.
Starting point is 00:40:37 So what do you think about being a book called Old Jewish comedians? He goes, he hadn't seen it. He goes, old? I think at the time he was 97. And Jewish? I don't work Jewish. And I was like, well, you happen to be Jewish. You don't work Jewish.
Starting point is 00:40:53 Yeah, because you never would have known Jack Carter. Who's Jewish? You okay with the word comedian? And he goes, and then he finally saw the drawing, and it got worse. He goes, he drew me with those stupid liver spots. And he gave me,
Starting point is 00:41:05 comb my hair over like I'm going bald. He said, I want him to draw me again. I didn't talk to him, but I said, no, no, tell him like one drawing per Jew, one drawing per customer, that was it. He wasn't happy. He said, Caesar, God rest his soul. He wasn't happy either.
Starting point is 00:41:20 Oh, wow. Because I outed his real name. Kathy and I did research back in the, you know, when the interwebs were still early. Kathy, your lovely wife. That's right. And so his name, all the websites said, Isaac, Sidney, Caesar.
Starting point is 00:41:33 So that's what we used in the book, because the only text in the books are their real Jewish names, because every one of them changed their names, except for one or two. Carl Reiner is really Carl Reiner. Manashisholnik is really Manashishkhan. Yeah, you wouldn't do that.
Starting point is 00:41:47 And Myron Cohen is Mironkoan. But all the others won't change it, because they couldn't get word, because they were Jews, and, you know, so like, like, you know the story. So we kind of outed, outed Cid Cid Cesar, I outed Don Knott's too. His real name is Archibald, so all the site said at the time. And he was offended. So his agent called said, oh, Don is not happy about this.
Starting point is 00:42:06 Call from Las Vegas. I said, shit, you know, I said, I love Don Rickles. The last thing I wanted to do was offend him. I said, so we'll make a correction in the second book. So we, the correction is basically, Don Reckles says his name was not Archibald. Cic's his name claims his name was not. Because we're not so sure. You know, it's like, it's possible they just don't want, they want their legacy to say, Sid Caesar, Don Rickles like that. So, you know, some of them were pissed off. But most of them love the books. And some of them will be here when we have the opening reception for this in two nights.
Starting point is 00:42:34 You know, some of the... You accidentally mentioned Don Not, whose real name was Jesse. That's right. And when he was dying, Andy Griffith visited his hospital bed and said, speak to me, Jesse. Because he thought, by calling him Jesse, would annoy him enough. He didn't want to be called Jesse, and he kept saying, come on, speak Jesse. Did that work? That killed him.
Starting point is 00:43:03 Yeah, that finished. He should have brought Jim neighbors and Rock Hudson. That would have gotten a jolt out of him. Surprise? I heard. What have you heard? Because I was just about to bring up Milton Bro's cock. So let's segue into that.
Starting point is 00:43:17 We're saving that. You don't have the strength. We're saving that one. And then we'll get to Danny Thomas. When they were doing Gomer Piles. in the Marines. That's right. What was that?
Starting point is 00:43:28 Goma Piles. He was in Vietnam, I think. Yes, yes. But that was the show that was a spin-off. That's right. And he was a Marine. And I heard they had an actual Marine who was like a technical advisor
Starting point is 00:43:44 and a real toughest-nails guy. And he would get really uncomfortable because Rock Hudson would visit Jim Neighbors, on the set. And they both would drink a little and get a little frisky. Tired.
Starting point is 00:44:01 Yeah, they'd be prancing around and giggling and hugging each other. Did you attend the wedding? I've never met anybody. Who was there? Were you at the wedding? Because I wasn't invited. I wished to God.
Starting point is 00:44:15 I wasn't invited. O'Reilly Cox was the best man. I know that. And the joke around that time was after Rock Hudson died, was Rock Hudson had no friends, but he had neighbors up the ass. That's a beauty. I think Mark Twain.
Starting point is 00:44:35 I believe it was. I think it was Robert Frost. It was Robert Frost. It was Robert. It was one of his final poems. Beautiful. That still brings a tear to my eye. Do you want to segue into Milton Burrell?
Starting point is 00:44:45 No. We have him right here on the cover of your book. I wanted to capture that angry Milton Burrow. Remember he used to go on Joe Franklin's show? Shut up, Joe. I'm talking. pointing at him. Yes.
Starting point is 00:44:56 And his cigar smoke was dribbling down his chin. And he would shut, you know, and Joe would like, I'm sorry, Milton, sorry, Milton. You know, he just let him go and he was never funny. But I love Milton because, you know, when he used to go on Howard Stern Show, Howard would only want to talk about his cock. Yeah. Like just, that's it, nothing else. And Milton, what's the matter with you, Howard?
Starting point is 00:45:14 You know, he's like, you know, what would your mother say? Well, you know, other things we should talk about. So maybe, then occasionally Howard would bring us something up, you know, like something, you know, the old days. And Milton said, like, he would get the conversation. back to his cock instantly. It's like, you know, that's all he was, you know. Because I heard that Milton Burrell, once in Vegas, had a competition with Tom Jones over who
Starting point is 00:45:38 had the biggest cock. And this is after the, after the Forrest Tucker competition. Oh, yes. Yeah. He only took out enough to win. Yes. Right. And I heard like Milton Burl opened up his pants a little bit.
Starting point is 00:45:53 Yeah. And Tom Jones just went, okay, okay. It's over. That's right. I've met a few people who've seen it. It was very, it was very, like, we know, Capian and I, you know, a young lady, a young lady who actually may,
Starting point is 00:46:10 directed Milton Bro's last film and Adam Sandler's first film. Oh my God. Going overboard. Do you remember that one? Oh, geez. It's like, you know, it's an interesting film, but Milton was in there. I think this stands out as being a best,
Starting point is 00:46:23 Bad Adam Sandlerovie. Yeah, such a thing as possible. It's the first in the series of Bad Adam, right from the get-go. But she said, like, let me see it. Yes. You know, she was the right. She said, all right, let me see it. He obliged her instantly.
Starting point is 00:46:37 Oh, yeah. Set up a table. Like, sitting up a table. He pulled it, it took, he said it was a process of getting it out. She said it was, like, multi-colored. It was like, you know, like you see a big piece of tongue in the delicate test? It hasn't been sliced up yet. He was like, he just, like, plopped it down.
Starting point is 00:46:53 on the table with a big thud. And there it is. She says it was most disturbed. She still has nightmares about it. And didn't he also walk around parties? Yeah, naked. Yeah, and he'd put a stick on like a serving planner. And walk around. Who has it right?
Starting point is 00:47:14 Of course. Well, you expect that. When he threw a party, you expected it. But he would walk around his dress room naked in front of his writers. You know? This guy's trying to come up with material, and there he was. Irving Brecker talked about that in the early 30s. Milton was opened the door the first time he met him, and there he was naked.
Starting point is 00:47:30 The gigantic schlong. And he said, yes, it's completely true. Everything you've ever heard. All true. Not made up. Oh, we should get back to Aaron Fleming. Oh, okay. That was Scroo's girlfriend.
Starting point is 00:47:46 Was his concubine? Yeah. His caretaker. And then, yeah, news started coming. coming out about her. Yeah, little by little, like she, you know, maybe was a little rough one and slap him around, throw him down the stairs, beat him over the head with baseball bats. She was threatened to kill other members of his relatives. She got out of control. She wound up homeless, actually. Yeah, homeless, and she shot herself. I guess so. Yeah, yeah, she was homeless
Starting point is 00:48:13 and then she blew her brains out. Yeah, yeah, she lost it. You could see it happening. She was Flemo, of course, as Michael O'Donniu wrote about her. I mean, I, I mean, I, yeah, she was homeless. I mean, I think they did a report. And Flemo, you know, she was the sixth Marks, Brunswick. She was kind of a sad figure. We knew her when she was still, like, at her height. You know, she was inviting Ellie Gould over to the house all the time. Oh, and Bill Colesby.
Starting point is 00:48:33 And Sally Kellerman was always there. And, you know, she'd fill his house with a celebrity, young hip celebrities. And, you know, so that's when we were invited. We didn't, you know, we didn't say anything weird or askew about her, you know. But little, little by little, you know, it started. And someday there's going to be a TV movie. Oh. Who's going to play Old Grouch?
Starting point is 00:48:52 You would be perfect, I think. Because Groucho, why did your girlfriend, Aaron Fleming, kill herself? Well, Chico, Nade me, Zimani. Jokka, why did Aaron throw you down the stairs? Because Chico needs a money. Someday I predict there'll be a, it'll probably be a shitty film. But I'm predicting ahead of time. It'll be a TV movie of the week.
Starting point is 00:49:16 Another one of our favorites is... Kevin Spacey could play old grout. It'd be great. But, Bud and Lou. Well, of course. With Buddy Hackett and Harvey Corman as, who know, you listen to them do their bits. It's terrible. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:49:33 He like, it's slowed down when Buddy Hackett does Lou. Okay, I bet. He's like, you know, he's like slows down the entire routines and every, all the, all the timing is going. Yeah, because it's like in who's on first? He would go, what's the guy's name on first base? And there he's going, Buddy Hackett's going, why? It is the guy. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:49:55 True. I'm right. It's like they've never seen the routine. Yes, yes. Harvey Corman looked nothing like buttoff. He sounded nothing. He was like, tried to do a gravel voice at least because, you know, he wanted an Emmy maybe.
Starting point is 00:50:08 He was like, I remember Shaqie Green like going, like wasn't Buddy Hackett great as Lucas Stull? I remember on tonight show specifically saying, wasn't he great on it? Shouldn't he get an Emmy for that performance? Johnny Carson looking at him like, huh? No, he's so. Actually was...
Starting point is 00:50:24 Fascinating. My old-time favorite death scene is a buddy Hackett lying in a hospital bed. And Arnie Johnson, very interesting from laughing. Oh, playing Eddie Sherman. Yes. He shows up. He's good in it. And he delivers, he brings him under his coat, a strawberry malted.
Starting point is 00:50:48 And he goes, you know, he takes his shit. And he goes, you know, Eddie, I had a lot of shrub every multitude in my day. But this one's the best. And he falls down there. It was great. When they tell him his son died? Like, I'm sorry, Lou Jr. just died. My son, Lou Jr. just died.
Starting point is 00:51:14 He like, get all with it. Get all with it. Yeah, he just died. He's dead. He drowned. My son, Lou Jr., he was like, he took, take a lot. by half an hour. I have to shut up a foundation
Starting point is 00:51:26 for Louie Jr. He got to be like a He died. I'm a bad boy. Groucho, why did Lucas tell Lounger have to die? Because Chico needed him on. You mentioned Howard Stern
Starting point is 00:51:44 a minute ago. Tell us how Howard Stern became one of your biggest fans. Well, actually, Billy West, who was one of your recent guests, actually brought Howard one of our books, Warts and All. And then the next day, Howard, this is around 20 years ago or so, Howard was talking about it in the air,
Starting point is 00:51:58 actually reading some of the dialect from, and since then we kind of had a, you know, we kind of hit it off. I illustrated both the Howard's books, Miss America, and private parts. And, you know, so he's been very supportive of me over the years. And, you know, he's mentioned that I'm his favorite artist. I don't agree, but that's what he claims.
Starting point is 00:52:17 I mean, I don't agree that I'm my favorite artist. But anyway. So, you know, so we go, you know, we go way back. He's been very supportive, terrific guy. And I like Jerry Lewis, too. You know, I have nothing bad to say about him. Which is, see, Jerry Lewis is one of those people infamous. I've just met him a handful of times, and he was always nice to me.
Starting point is 00:52:40 And that's the classic line. When you, anyone you talk to, he was, yeah, yeah, I met Kathleen Freeman. And I said, so, what was Jerry? Louis I like to work with because she worked with him in a lot of movies. And she said, well, he was always nice to me. He's always nice to me. I remember Gilbert doing the aristocrats joke in front of Jerry. I think that's what gave him the heart attack.
Starting point is 00:53:07 He had a heart attack that afternoon at the Hilton Hotel. And when he grabbed his chest went, Hine! It was a beautiful moment. How did the old Jewish comedian's book come about the first one? And the series, the book series. Briefly, the editor of the books, Monty Beauchot, my friend, was doing these series of books and said, Drew, do you want to do one?
Starting point is 00:53:32 These square hard covers. You can do anything you want. And I said, well, the money isn't great, but what do I like drawing the most? I like drawing old Jews. And I like drawing comedian. So I combined that, old Jewish comedian. So that's what I came up with. We've done three books now, and now we're here at the Society of Illustrators,
Starting point is 00:53:49 where they're having the old Jewish comedian show. with all the artwork is hanging. And the show's going to be on for two months through May. So hopefully everybody can come visit. Hopefully we'll have the podcast up soon enough for people to hear this. Hopefully we'll have a podcast for the fun show. Even if you hate you. Don't assume anything.
Starting point is 00:54:06 Even if you hate Jews, you're going to love this show. Even if you're Mel Gibson, you're going to love this show. I guarantee it. And it's like everybody, not everybody loves the Jews, but everybody loves old Jewish comedians. Let's talk about... Danny Thomas. Danny Thompson.
Starting point is 00:54:20 Okay. You know what the court, when they finally write the coffee, the glass coffee table book about Danny Thomas, you know the title. Make room for duty? Exactly. Don't encourage him.
Starting point is 00:54:38 No, Sid Melton. Well, yeah, of course. Yeah. You mean personally? No, I met him personally about three times. Yeah. He lived in Van Nuys.
Starting point is 00:54:57 Yes. Yeah. in a pathetic apartment. Near where Joey Ross died. Oh, wow. Joey Ross died in Van Nuys. And I heard Joey Ross, before he died, grabbed his chest, went, ooh, oh, oh. That's likely.
Starting point is 00:55:12 That's right. Joey Ross used to, you know, he married hookers. Yes. And then he would get offended that all his friends were fucking them. I can't believe it. You know, so he keep divorce and marry another one. And I heard that Nat Heikin, hated Joe.
Starting point is 00:55:29 Well, Joey smelled. That was like, to begin with. Like Rosie Greer? And Imaging Coco, who was a distinguished actress, you know, from your show show. And she had to work with him, and he was wearing a loincloth at that point. And it's about time. She couldn't stand them. Nobody liked them.
Starting point is 00:55:44 And I heard. Fred Gwynn put up with them. Yeah. I heard he thought he was like, he immediately thought he was a big Shakespearean actor and a major star. And, oh, I heard one time they had some people who were in. invited to the set, some women, who were from some whatever religious group, and they passed by Joey Ross's dressing room.
Starting point is 00:56:07 The door was open, and he was there jerking off. What else would jerks? I don't know if he wore his top hat door. Something else only I could draw. I'm going to get right to work on that one. What was he jerking off to? What in particular? The thing with two heads.
Starting point is 00:56:26 He was jerking off the pictures. of Al Lewis. Schnauzer. Schnauzer. I never heard that one, but that's a nice memory. I met Joey Ross at Cantors, when it used to be a hangout. Yeah. When it was good. Oh, yes, yes, yes.
Starting point is 00:56:46 Before it was lousy. Yes, yes. And I remember I had just done a pilot, and I was there with the other guy who worked on the pilot, and we met Joey Ross. he told him, and Joey Ross said, well, I just hope you guys have the luck that I did. I did three pilots, and they all became serious. That was great. He was amazing.
Starting point is 00:57:12 Yeah. I think they want to close. The society? Yeah. No, they put a for sale sign. I think it's closing. Everybody's hungry. They left.
Starting point is 00:57:26 It's only midnight. What have we left out? They're showing new tenants the building. What have we left out? Before we run. One more. Can I ask you, you're kind enough to give me a copy of Skadu for my birthday? Oh, my God.
Starting point is 00:57:39 Could you briefly share your passion for the movie Skadoo? Well, you know, it's like, Skadoo is one of those films where they give it, you know, they give it to a guy who's never made a comedy in his life with no sense of humor. Otto Premiger, who also shared Danny Thomas's passion for glass coffee table. by the way. I didn't know that. We'll talk about that over dinner. All right.
Starting point is 00:58:00 But he, they give so they, so what is Hollywood do in 1960? They give him a movie to do, a comedy movie, an old-star comedy movie, too. It's possibly the worst film. Worst comedy ever made, possibly the worst film ever made. With the greatest cast, Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing, who does the strip tease in it. It's disturbing.
Starting point is 00:58:17 It's hard to watch. Frankie Avalon. Groucho. Groucho Marx is like, you know, why did you appear in that film, Groucho? He plays God. Chico needs a month. even though Chico had been dead for 10 years, he still needed the money for his maintenance of his grave site.
Starting point is 00:58:39 But it's fascinating to watch as Jackie Gleason is angry throughout the whole time. Like, how did I get in this? Doesn't he drop acid in the picture? With Austin Pendle. Well, Routrejo's name is LSD. He's God. Oh, he's God. Okay.
Starting point is 00:58:52 Dick Sean is LSD in the producer. Oh, okay. He's gotten that. It's terrible. Not a laugh to be had, but it's fascinating just the same. And it's Hollywood showing they didn't understand the whole hippie youth movement, like, proving it. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:59:07 We've got to be part of this. But it's like giving Stanley Kramer another guy who never made a comedy, who actually made a funny one, so that was the thinking. Like anybody can direct the comedy. So they gave it one to Otto Preminger. You know, it was like, hardly ever made a good movie, let alone a comedy movie. Laura was his one, you know,
Starting point is 00:59:26 But anatomy of a murder. He was also a comedy director. It's fascinating to watch. I heard that John Philip Law... He's a hippie. He was offered the part of Joe Buck in Midnight Cowboy. I heard that too. That's right.
Starting point is 00:59:42 And he turned it down because he figured, hey, what? I'm going to play a homosexual hustler out in the street when I could be doing a classic comedy with Groucho Marx and Jackie Gleason. I think you know why he didn't take that film? He didn't want to get a blow job from Bob Balaband. When he read that, when his agent said,
Starting point is 01:00:04 well, look, you know, we got Bob Balaban, you know, on 40 seconds he's going to blow you. He said, hey, you know, do I need this? But then they asked John Philip Law, why did you take Skadoo? He said, because you're going to do it. Thank you, Drew. My pleasure.
Starting point is 01:00:24 My pleasure. Is this show going to be canceled? Yes. Thank you. It's never happened. It's a pleasure. It won't be a shock when it's canceled. Next time we'll go further.
Starting point is 01:00:37 We're here at the Society of Illustrators on 63rd between Park and Lex. Here with famous illustrator and cartoonist Drew Friedman. I'm Gilbert Gottfried. to hear with my co-host Frank Santropadre, and this has been the amazing colossal podcast.

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