61. "Quincy M.E." .... Matt Dorsey (1 episode, 1977)
... aka Quincy (International: English title: informal title)
- A Blow to the Head... A Blow to the Heart (1977) TV episode .... Matt Dorsey
62. Deadly Harvest (1977) .... Mort Logan
63. "Hunter" .... Sheik Farakbi (1 episode, 1977)
- The Hit (1977) TV episode .... Sheik Farakbi
64. "McCloud" .... Perry Cicero / ... (2 episodes, 1973-1977)
- The Moscow Connection (1977) TV episode .... Tereshkoff
- The Million Dollar Round Up (1973) TV episode .... Perry Cicero
65. "Wonder Woman" .... Prof. Moreno (1 episode, 1977)
... aka The New Adventures of Wonder Woman (USA: new title)
... aka The New Original Wonder Woman (USA: first episodes title)
- Formula 407 (1977) TV episode .... Prof. Moreno
66. "The Six Million Dollar Man" .... Major Popov (1 episode, 1977)
- Death Probe: Part 2 (1977) TV episode .... Major Popov
67. Voyage of the Damned (1976) .... Mr. Hauser
68. "Baretta" .... Vittorio Luzianno (1 episode, 1976)
- Soldier in the Jungle (1976) TV episode .... Vittorio Luzianno
69. Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (1976) (TV) .... Rudenko
70. Columbo: Now You See Him (1976) (TV) .... Jesse Jerome
71. Psychic Killer (1975) .... Dr. Gubner
... aka Killer Force (Australia)
... aka The Kirlian Effect
... aka The Kirlian Force
72. "Ellery Queen" .... Mustafa Haddid (1 episode, 1975)
... aka The Adventures of Ellery Queen
- The Adventure of the Pharoah's Curse (1975) TV episode .... Mustafa Haddid
73. Eric (1975) (TV) .... Dr. Duchesnes
74. "The Invisible Man" .... Dr. Leon Barnard (1 episode, 1975)
- Barnard Wants Out (1975) TV episode .... Dr. Leon Barnard
75. "Marcus Welby, M.D." (3 episodes, 1969-1975)
... aka Robert Young, Family Doctor
- Tomorrow May Never Come (1975) TV episode
- Who Are You Arthur Kolinski? (1973) TV episode
- Homecoming (1969) TV episode
76. "Gunsmoke" .... Alejo Etchahoun / ... (6 episodes, 1965-1975)
... aka Gun Law (UK)
... aka Marshal Dillon (USA: rerun title)
- Manolo (1975) TV episode .... Alejo Etchahoun
- Like Old Times (1974) TV episode .... Ben Rando
- The Mark of Cain (1969) TV episode .... Tim Driscoll
- Blood Money/II (1968) TV episode .... Alex Skouras
- The Pretender (1965) TV episode .... Mr. Dano
(1 more)
77. The Missiles of October (1974) (TV) .... Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko
78. The Stranger Within (1974) (TV) .... Dr. Edward Klein
... aka Trespass
79. The Sex Symbol (1974) (TV) .... Nick Fortis
80. "McMillan & Wife" .... Clementa Habib (1 episode, 1974)
... aka McMillan (USA: sixth season title)
- The Man Without a Face (1974) TV episode .... Clementa Habib
81. "Love, American Style" .... (segment "Love and the Gangster") / ... (2 episodes, 1970-1973)
- Love and the Awkward Age/Love and the Generation Gasp/Love and the Spendthrift (1973) TV episode .... (segment "Love and the Generation Gasp")
- Love and the Boss' Ex/Love and the Gangster/Love and Mr. Nice Guy (1970) TV episode .... (segment "Love and the Gangster")
82. "Search" .... Emmett Brugman (1 episode, 1973)
- The Twenty-four Carat Hit (1973) TV episode .... Emmett Brugman
83. Dracula (1973/II) (TV) .... Dr. Van Helsing
84. "The Streets of San Francisco" (1 episode, 1972)
- Bitter Wine (1972) TV episode
85. "Mannix" (1 episode, 1972)
- A Puzzle for One (1972) TV episode
86. "Cool Million" .... Karinakis (1 episode, 1972)
- Assault on Gavaloni (1972) TV episode .... Karinakis
87. "Adam-12" .... Angelo Covelli (1 episode, 1972)
- The Vendetta (1972) TV episode .... Angelo Covelli
88. "The Mod Squad" .... Janos Kovacs (3 episodes, 1969-1972)
- Corbey (1972) TV episode
- Is That Justice? No, It's the Law (1971) TV episode
- The Debt (1969) TV episode .... Janos Kovacs
89. Lapin 360 (1972)
90. Lieutenant Schuster's Wife (1972) (TV) .... Champagne Joe Carroll
91. "Disneyland" .... Captain Malcione / ... (5 episodes, 1964-1972)
... aka Disney's Wonderful World (USA: new title)
... aka The Disney Sunday Movie (USA: new title)
... aka The Magical World of Disney (USA: new title)
... aka The Wonderful World of Disney (USA: new title)
... aka Walt Disney (USA: new title)
... aka Walt Disney Presents (USA: new title)
... aka Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (USA: new title)
- Michael O'Hara the Fourth: Part 2 (1972) TV episode .... Artie Moreno
- Michael O'Hara the Fourth: Part 1 (1972) TV episode .... Artie Moreno
- The Treasure of San Bosco Reef: Part 2 (1968) TV episode .... Captain Malcione
- The Treasure of San Bosco Reef: Part 1 (1968) TV episode .... Captain Malcione
- The Tenderfoot: Part 1 (1964) TV episode .... Captain Malcione
92. Michael O'Hara the Fourth (1972) (TV) .... Artie Moreno
93. "The Chicago Teddy Bears" .... Morris (1 episode, 1971)
- A Horse of Another Color (1971) TV episode .... Morris
94. "Dr. Simon Locke" .... Warren (1 episode)
... aka Police Surgeon (USA: new title)
- Kiss and Kill (????) TV episode .... Warren
95. Red Sky at Morning (1971) .... Amadeo Montoya
96. Mrs. Pollifax-Spy (1971) .... Berisha
97. "The High Chaparral" .... Homero José (1 episode, 1970)
- Fiesta (1970) TV episode .... Homero José
98. "Dan August" .... Cussoni (1 episode, 1970)
- The Color of Fury (1970) TV episode .... Cussoni
99. The People Next Door (1970) .... Dr. Salazar
100. Cutter's Trail (1970) (TV) .... Santillo
1. An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster (1999) (V) (voice) .... Papa Mousekewitz
2. 4 Faces (1999)
3. An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island (1998) (V) (voice) .... Papa
... aka An American Tail 3: The Treasure of Manhattan Island (USA)
4. "Chicago Hope" .... Rabbi Ben Taubler (1 episode, 1995)
- Heartbreak (1995) TV episode .... Rabbi Ben Taubler
5. "Law & Order" .... David Steinmetz (1 episode, 1993)
... aka Law & Order Prime (USA: informal title)
- Night & Fog (1993) TV episode .... David Steinmetz
6. "Reasonable Doubts" .... Klaus Reichel (1 episode, 1993)
- Legacy (1993) TV episode .... Klaus Reichel
7. "Doogie Howser, M.D." .... Max (1 episode, 1992)
- Thanks for the Memories (1992) TV episode .... Max
8. An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) (voice) .... Papa Mousekewitz
9. "Murder, She Wrote" .... Constantin Stavros (1 episode, 1990)
- The Great Twain Robbery (1990) TV episode .... Constantin Stavros
10. "Hunter" .... Harold Goodman (1 episode, 1990)
- Oh, the Shark Bites! (1990) TV episode .... Harold Goodman
11. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" .... Toff (1 episode, 1990)
... aka Star Trek: TNG (USA: promotional abbreviation)
- The Most Toys (1990) TV episode .... Toff
12. "L.A. Law" .... Rabbi Isadore Glickman (1 episode, 1990)
- The Pay's Lousy, But the Tips Are Great (1990) TV episode .... Rabbi Isadore Glickman
13. "MacGyver" .... Sam Bolinski (1 episode, 1989)
- The Ten Percent Solution (1989) TV episode .... Sam Bolinski
14. Twins (1988/I) .... Mitchell Traven
15. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) .... Rabbi
16. The Big Knife (1988) (TV) .... Marcus Hoff
17. "J.J. Starbuck" .... Patul (1 episode, 1987)
- Incident at Sam September (1987) TV episode .... Patul
18. "Adderly" (1 episode, 1987)
38. The Thirteenth Day: The Story of Esther (1979) (TV) .... Mordecai
39. "The French Atlantic Affair" (1979) TV mini-series .... Col. Schreiner
40. "Police Story" .... Dr. Burke / ... (2 episodes, 1974-1979)
- A Cry for Justice (1979) TV episode .... Dr. Burke
- The Hunters (1974) TV episode .... Fabrizzio
41. The Rebels (1979) (TV) .... Baron Von Steuben
42. "Battlestar Galactica" .... Eastern Alliance Leader (1 episode, 1979)
- Experiment in Terra (1979) TV episode .... Eastern Alliance Leader
43. "Supertrain" .... Max (1 episode, 1979)
- The Queen and the Improbable Knight (1979) TV episode .... Max
44. "Delta House" .... Mayor DiPasto (1 episode, 1979)
- The Shortest Yard (1979) TV episode .... Mayor DiPasto
45. "Hawaii Five-O" .... Allie Francis / ... (7 episodes, 1968-1979)
... aka McGarrett (USA: rerun title)
- Number One with a Bullet: Part 2 (1979) TV episode .... Allie Francis
- Number One with a Bullet: Part 1 (1978) TV episode .... Allie Francis
- Dealer's Choice -- Blackmail (1977) TV episode .... Victor Palua
- Hit Gun for Sale (1975) TV episode .... Cordell
- Charter for Death (1973) TV episode .... Leo Paoli
(2 more)
46. "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" .... Vladimir (2 episodes, 1978)
... aka The Nancy Drew Mysteries (USA: short title)
- Defection to Paradise: Part 2 (1978) TV episode .... Vladimir
- Defection to Paradise: Part 1 (1978) TV episode .... Vladimir
47. "Greatest Heroes of the Bible" .... Malimar (1 episode, 1978)
- Daniel in the Lion's Den (1978) TV episode .... Malimar
48. "The Word" (1978) TV mini-series .... Abbot Petropolous
49. "Vega$" .... The Sheik (1 episode, 1978)
- Lady Ice (1978) TV episode .... The Sheik
50. "Sword of Justice" .... Carlos (1 episode, 1978)
- A Double Life (1978) TV episode .... Carlos
51. Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women (1978) (TV) .... Charles Frohman
52. Killing Stone (1978) (TV) .... Earl Stone
53. "High Hopes" (1978) TV series .... Dr. Aaron Herzog
54. "Richie Brockelman, Private Eye" (1 episode, 1978)
- Junk It to Me Baby (1978) TV episode
55. "The Bionic Woman" .... Dr. Philip Jennings (1 episode, 1978)
- Out of Body (1978) TV episode .... Dr. Philip Jennings
56. "Little House on the Prairie" .... Mr. Lundstrom (1 episode, 1978)
... aka Little House: A New Beginning (USA: last season title)
- The Stranger (1978) TV episode .... Mr. Lundstrom
57. "Logan's Run" .... Asa (1 episode, 1978)
- Turnabout (1978) TV episode .... Asa
58. A Double Life (1978) (TV) .... Carlos
59. "Police Woman" .... Como (1 episode, 1977)
- Death Game (1977) TV episode .... Como
60. "Charlie's Angels" .... Anton Metzger (1 episode, 1977)
- Angels in the Wings (1977) TV episode .... Anton Metzger
- Eye in the Sky (1987) TV episode
19. An American Tail (1986) (voice) .... Papa Mousekewitz
20. "Highway to Heaven" .... Deputy Premier Karpovich (1 episode, 1986)
- Summit (1986) TV episode .... Deputy Premier Karpovich
21. "The Facts of Life" .... Sam (1 episode, 1986)
- Concentration (1986) TV episode .... Sam
22. "Hotel" .... Nicholas Petrovsky (1 episode, 1985)
... aka Arthur Hailey's Hotel
- Passports (1985) TV episode .... Nicholas Petrovsky
23. "Magnum, P.I." .... Rabbi Asher Solomon (1 episode, 1985)
- Torah, Torah, Torah (1985) TV episode .... Rabbi Asher Solomon
24. "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" .... Brobich (1 episode, 1984)
- Dead Ringer (1984) TV episode .... Brobich
25. Yentl (1983) .... Reb Mendel 'Papa'
26. Sadat (1983) (TV) .... Leonid Brezhnev
27. "This Is the Life" (1 episode, 1983)
- Bon Voyage and Shalom (1983) TV episode
28. O'Hara's Wife (1982) .... Doctor Fischer
29. St. Helens (1981) .... Mr. Ellison
... aka St. Helens, Killer Volcano
30. "Barney Miller" .... Burger / ... (3 episodes, 1978-1981)
- Riot (1981) TV episode .... Burger
- Middle Age (1979) TV episode .... Yacov Berger
- The Ghost (1978) TV episode .... Carl Simms
31. Condominium (1980) (TV) .... Conlaw
32. Turnover Smith (1980) (TV) .... Ashmed Amad
33. The Henderson Monster (1980) (TV) .... Prof. Leo Tedeschi
34. F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980) (TV) .... Josef Stalin
35. "The Littlest Hobo" .... Lukash (1 episode, 1980)
- Guardian Angel (1980) TV episode .... Lukash
36. "Fantasy Island" .... Horst Von Stern (2 episodes, 1978-1980)
- Aphrodite/Dr. Jeckyll and Miss Hyde (1980) TV episode
- Charlie's Cherubs/Stalag 3 (1978) TV episode .... Horst Von Stern
37. "B.A.D. Cats" (1980) TV series (unknown episodes)
In 1942, a German wonders why he's on the deck of a British steamship, with no memory of how he got there, and an overwhelming sense of impending doom.
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: John Brahm
Star: Rod Serling (Narrator/Host), Nehemiah Persoff (Lanser)
Guest Star: Ben Wright (Captain Wilbur), Patrick Macnee (First Officer), Deirdre Owne (Miss Stanley), Leslie Bradley (Major Devereaux), Kendrick Huxham (The Bartender), Hugh Sanders (I) (Jerry Potter), Richard Peel (First Steward), Donald Journeaux (Second Steward), Barry Bernard (Mr. McCloud), James Franciscus (Lieutenant Mueller), Debbie Joyce (Little Girl)
Nehemiah Persoff, ironically, is of Israeli descent.
This episode has British people drinking coffee (instead of their normal tea) because General Foods was the sponsor. Sets constructed for the 1959 feature film The Wreck of the Mary Deare were used for this episode.
Narrator: The S.S. Queen of Glasgow, heading for New York, and the time is 1942. For one man, it is always 1942, and this man will ride the ghost of that ship every night for eternity. This is what is meant by paying the fiddler. This is the comeuppance awaiting every man when the ledger of his life is opened and examined, the tally made, and then the reward or the penalty paid. And in the case of Carl Lanser, former Kapitan Leutnant, Navy of the Third Reich, this is the penalty. This is the justice meted out. This is judgment night in the Twilight Zone.
Narrator: Her name is the S.S. Queen of Glasgow. Her registry: British. Gross tonnage: five thousand. Age: indeterminate. At this moment she's one day out of Liverpool, her destination New York. Duly recorded on this ship's log is the sailing time, course to destination, weather conditions, temperature, longitude and latitude. But what is never recorded in a log is the fear that washes over a deck like fog and ocean spray. Fear like the throbbing strokes of engine pistons, each like a heartbeat, parceling out every hour into breathless minutes of watching, waiting and dreading. For the year is 1942, and this particular ship has lost its convoy. It travels alone like an aged blind thing groping through the unfriendly dark, stalked by unseen periscopes of steel killers. Yes, the Queen of Glasgow is a frightened ship, and she carries with her a premonition of death.
Nehemiah Persoff (born August 2, 1919, Jerusalem, Palestine Mandate (now Israel)) is a prolific American film and television character actor.
Born in what is now part of Israel, Persoff emigrated with his family to the United States in 1929. He began to take an interest in acting in the 1940s, and after serving in the Army during World War II, he began to pursue his acting career in the New York theater. In 1947, he was accepted into the Actor's Studio, and eventually began appearing in films.
His film credits include On the Waterfront, Some Like It Hot, Al Capone, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Voyage of the Damned, The Comancheros, Yentl (where he portrayed Barbra Streisand's father), Twins, and the American Tail animated-film series, where he provided the voice of Papa Mousekewitz.
Persoff appeared in such television series as The Big Valley: Legend of a General, Parts I & II, The Twilight Zone (in the episode "Judgment Night"), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (in the episode "Heart of Gold"), The Untouchables, The Wild Wild West, Hawaii Five-O, Mission: Impossible, Charlie's Angels, Hunter, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Magnum, P.I., Law & Order, and Chicago Hope.
In the mid-1980s, Persoff began to pursue painting, specializing in watercolour. This was at a time when health problems forced him to decrease his acting workload. Now retired from acting, he devotes full-time to his painting.
Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up
Episode Number: 64 Season Num: 2 First Aired: May 26, 1961
Originally aired: May 26, 1961 on CBS, Writer: Rod Serling, Director: Montgomery Pittman, Show Stars: Rod Serling
Guest Stars: John Archer (Trooper Bill Padgett) , Jean Willes (Ethel McConnell) , Bill Kendis (Olmstead) , Jack Elam (Avery) , Barney Phillips (Haley) , John Hoyt (Ross) , Herbert Ellis (Venetian (uncredited)) , Gertrude Flynn (Rose Kramer) , Bill Erwin (Peter Kramer) , Jill Ellis (Connie Prince) , Ron Kipling (George Prince) , Morgan Jones (Trooper Dan Perry)
Troopers follow the tracks from a frozen pond, into a diner. Inside they find a soda jerk, a bus driver and his seven passengers. The bus driver is certain only six people boarded his bus. There's two married couples, a businessman, a dancer and an eccentric old man. The troopers give up the investigation when a call comes through that the bridge is safe now, and the bus may continue on. Later, the businessman returns to the diner. The bridge really wasn't safe, the call was an illusion. He is the Martian, advance scout for an invasion force. He proceeds to drink a cup of coffee and smoke a cigarette, using all three of his arms. The soda jerk tells him that he's a Venusian, and that his invasion force has intercepted the Martian fleet. Grinning, he removes his cap, revealing a third eye.
Barney Phillips appeared in three other episodes: The Purple Testament, A Thing about Machines and Miniature.
Fantasy author Ray Bradbury (one of Serling's favorites) gets another in-joke reference when Avery mentions that the whole thing is like a "Bradbury story." The bus is labeled "Cayuga Bus Co.," the name of Twilight Zone's production company.
Quotes:Counterman: Hey, uh, didn't you, uh, what I mean is... Didn't you go out on that bus?
Businessman: I did indeed. Oh, yes, I went out on that bus. And you know something? That bridge wasn't safe. It collapsed. The state police car, the bus, everything -- kerplunk -- right into the river. It was a terrible scene. No one got out.
Counterman (incredulous): Except you.
Businessman: Except me. Lucky, I guess, huh?
Counterman: Very lucky. But... but...
Businessman: But what?
Counterman: You're not even wet.
Businessman: Wet? What's "wet"?
Counterman: What do you mean "what's wet"? You landed in the river but you're clothes are all dry.
Businessman: An illusion, that's all. Just an illusion. Like that jukebox playing in the corner. That's an illusion, too.
(the jukebox stops playing)
Businessman: Or that telephone ringing.
(the phone rings)
Businessman: That's an illusion. Just a parlor trick.
Counterman: What are ya, some kind of magician?
(a thrid arm emerges from under the businessman's coat. He's uses it to help light a cigarette)
Businessman: Who, me? Oh, hardly. Now, uh, before you, uh, faint dead away, I ought to explain that the name isn't really Ross. And I wasn't really going to Boston. No, I was sent as a kind of advanced scout. You know these, uh, cigarettes, do you call them? They taste wonderful. We haven't got a thing like this on Mars. That's, incidentally, where I come from. We're beginning to colonize. My friends will be arriving very shortly. I think they're going to like it here. Lovely area, so... so remote, so pleasant, so off-the-beaten track. Just the perfect spot for a colony, don't you think, Mr. Haley? While we're waiting, how about a little what you call music?
Counterman: I don't mind. I have to do a little waiting myself. You see, Mr. Ross, my name isn't Haley. And I do agree with you, this is an extraordinary place to colonize. We folks on Venus had the same idea. We got it several years ago. And I think I really ought to tell you now that your friends are not coming. They've been intercepted. Oh, a colony is coming. But it's from Venus. And if you're still alive, I think you'll see how we differ.
(the counterman removes his hat revealing a third eye)
Counterman: And I agree with you about what they call music. Why don't you play some?
(the counterman bursts out laughing)
Closing Narration
Narrator: "Incident on a small island, to be believed or disbelieved. However, if a sour-faced dandy named Ross or a big, good-natured counterman who handles a spatula as if he'd been born with one in his mouth, if either of these two entities walks onto your premises, you'd better hold their hands - all three of them - or check the color of their eyes - all three of them. The gentleman in question might try to pull you into... the Twilight Zone."
Opening Narration
Narrator: "Wintry February night, the present. Order of events: a phone call from a frightened woman notating the arrival of an unidentified flying object, and the check-out you've just witnessed with two state troopers verifying the event, but with nothing more enlightening to add beyond evidence of some tracks leading across the highway to a diner. You've heard of trying to find a needle in a haystack? Well, stay with us now and you'll be a part of an investigating team whose mission is not to find that proverbial needle, no, their task is even harder. They've got to find a Martian in a diner, and in just a moment you'll search with them, because you've just landed in the Twilight Zone."
A clip from the Twilight Zone referred to above
I fondly remember eating many dinners at the Silverstein's and laughing at Sam's dead pan humor. Yetta, Alan and Howie never laughed-guess they heard 'em all before.
Paul
..and Dad always loved a receptive audience, one of the reasons he enjoyed having Paul over the house ...if you got a kick out of, " when I was born I cried like a baby.." and "tell me about yourself .. it won't take long .." , then you were a kibbutzer which was a very good thing in our house.
Howie
Mazel Tov! That's the kind of news we need more of. I'm smiling to myself (no, not aging or mental illness). I'm reminded, very fondly, of periodically running into Sam Silverstein who, well into his 70's and probably 80's, would always offer the wonderful news that "Yetta's pregnant." I loved it, to the point that every once in awhile when an old friend asks me what's new, I comment with enthusiasm that Janie's pregnant. Good stuff!
Bob
If those lines didn't raise a chuckle then "I'm going to get 20 years for talking to myself", was sure to come. I guess living with dad let us know what Henny Youngman's wife must've felt like. No doubt Sam loved those elevators; oh those captive audiences.
Al
Funny you should mention that. My dad's humor was often infectious, much to my mom's chagrin. But she found him funny too. His brother, Uncle Ben who lived to 103, was a humorist, poet, bon vivant and all around great guy till the end. The room lit up when they were together.
Al
Alan - Slib,
I'm sorry to say that I don't remember being part of the audience at any one of your dad's 'stand ups' (or 'sit downs')...although your recollections are a window into the shaping of Howie's great humor.Apparently our dads were the early humor influences in both our families. Their 'comedic styles' differed though...my dad was more of a 'prop comic'. I'll share 2 of my favorite stories (among a wealth of great memories of how much my dad liked to make us laugh):
Early '60s... most of us had a Friday night ritual: watching The Twilight Zone. (the 2nd part of this ritual was Saturday morning, meeting in front of the Normandy on the corner of Catherine and Monroe, where we 'critiqued' the show as we headed to the bowling alley)
...anyhow, on this particular Friday, it was a great episode: A group gets off a bus during a snowstorm --go into a diner -- and are all subjected to disturbing occurances...being manipulated by a 3 arm Martian who is later 'trumped' by a Venusian with a 3rd eye...the ending got a big 'wow' from Joel and I...unnoticed was that my dad had slipped into the bathroom...after a couple of minutes he re-entered the room, with the palm of his hand cupped over his forehead...he stepped in front of us, and with great deadpan delivery said, "I have this real bad headache...(he pauses)...maybe it's eye strain?" ...and with that, he slides his hand up over his head revealing a 3rd eye that he had drawn with my mom's eyelash pencil...I was genuinely startled (hey, I was about 9 at the time...very gullible)...then I cracked up...All these years later, I can still see his expression of glee in having 'got us!
But the single most visual memory of my dad's prop humor was around 1958-59...Joel, Billy and I shared the same bedroom...and it was past our bedtime...in the living room my parents were having a gathering of friends...and from the sound of things, they seemed to be having a laughingly good time. As most of you know, my parents owned a clothing store on Orchard St...we specialized on being purveyors of 'Arrow shirts and good values in odds and ends'....in this 2nd category, we had gotten in a shipment of boxer shorts that were an homage to the cocktail napkins of the 50s that featured cartoon images of men in women in flirtatious banter...these were very funny boxer shorts!...The laughter from the living room caused me to get up out of bed in a feeble attempt to join the good time, if only for a minute...my timing couldn't have been better...as I stood at the entrance to the living room my father proceeded to entertain the 'intoxicated friends' by standing in the middle of the room; setting up his next move by telling the group about these boxers, then, with great style, unfastened his trouser belt, and let his pants drop to the floor, as he proceeded to gracefully turn in a circle, bending from the waist, so that everyone could get a good look of his 'boxers du jour'...Their friends got hysterical with laughter!.....If I was an artist, I could paint a vivid tribute to this memory.
My dad's been gone for over 30 years now...there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him...I have him with me everyday.
Ron
Vividly remember your Dad holding court with his buddies, playing cards Friday nights with his infectious laugh and un-lit cigar at your dining table while we had a junior game going in the other room. Mike and Natalie always made the evening better.
Paul
Posts
All Comments
