Sunday, August 17, 2008

Who's Almost Who: Pearl Williams


The previous post mentioned she went to Seward Park. Her real name was Pearl Wolfe (1914-1991). She was a hoot. The above comes from several clips I put together from a wfmu broadcast from Monica at WFMU
I picked up my first Pearl Williams album many years ago while working at the Confirmed Bachelor Record Store. Recorded live in the early 60s during a "late, late show," A Trip Around The World Is Not A Cruise opens like this:

from wikipedia
Pearl Williams was a Jewish-American comic popular during the 1950s and 1960s. Known for her bawdy humor and aggressive manner, she released nine best-selling “party” records during her career, including:
* "All the Way"
* "Bagels & Lox!"
* "She’s Doin’ What Comes Naturally!"
* "A Trip Around the World is Not a Cruise"
* "You’ll Never Remember it, Write it Down!"
* "Battle of the Mothers!" (with Belle Barth)
* "Party Snatches – the Best of . . ." (featured)
Before retiring in 1984, Williams performed for 18 years at the Place Pigalle in Miami. In 2007, she was proposed to be featured in the Off-Broadway production The J.A.P. Show: Jewish American Princesses of Comedy, which includes live standup routines by four female Jewish comics juxtaposed with the stories of legendary performers from the 1950s and 1960s, Betty Walker, Belle Barth, Totie Fields, Jean Carroll and Williams herself.

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