So far, no one has come up with any convincing explanation of the phrase, "It's genius! Genius, I tells ya!" But half the Internet has written to tell me the same theories I found when I Googled the phrase before asking here.
Yes, yes. There are people out there who theorize it was uttered by Jackie (Ralph Kramden) Gleason on The Honeymooners. Has anyone ever pointed to an actual episode where he said it? It sounds more like Ed Norton, anyway…
The report on Saturday night's CAPS Banquet honoring Gene Colan will have to wait until later today. But it will be along. Good night, Internet! Sleep tight.
A letter from John F. Kennedy. Really.
I was going to embed this but L.A. Times video embeds are a little screwy and the last one made this page difficult for some to load. So instead I'm going to send you to this page to watch a little 12-minute interview with Dick Jones. Dick had a nice career in movies but everything is kinda anti-climactic after you've furnished the voice for the title role in Walt Disney's Pinocchio. I've enjoyed talking with Dick at various parties and animation fests, and this little chat will show you why.
Big deal. I did this the first time I ever played pool…
Shelly Goldstein recognized the second bit I just asked about and it wasn't from Monty Python. It was in the first Rutles movie — a lawyer who said…
Suddenly, everyone became amazingly litigious. I remember I'd get up in the morning. Sue someone. Check in the papers that I hadn't been fired. Go to the office. Sue someone. Pick up the morning's writs. Sue the bank. Go out for lunch. Sue the restaurant. Get back in, collect the writs that had been received that afternoon. Read the papers. Phone the papers. Sue the papers. Then go home. Sue the wife.
I said it felt to me like Michael Palin or maybe Eric Idle. Actually, it was Michael Palin reading lines that were probably written by Eric Idle.
Okay. One down, one to go…
Okay, let's see if anyone out there can help with this. I've been asked about two phrases that are very familiar but which we ("we" being myself and a friend or two) cannot place.
One is an expression that Keith Olbermann uses a lot: "It's genius! Genius, I tells ya!" Where the heck is that from?
Another is a routine in which a lawyer ticks off a list of things he intends to do that afternoon, and it goes something like this: "Go to the barber…sue the barber…go to the bank…sue the bank…" On this one, I'm thinking Monty Python and hearing Michael Palin or maybe Eric Idle, but I can't precisely identity the routine.
Anyone know for sure about either one? If you can, the e-mail link is over on the right to let me know. Thanks.
Roger Ebert remembers the very funny Lou Jacobi. Everything Ebert says about Lou is correct except that he gets the name of one of Lou's records wrong. It was Al Tijuana and His Jewish Brass…a cute album but not one that shows much of what Lou could do. It's pop music arranged as an amalgam of Herb Albert and a klezmer band…and they have Lou talking over some of it, sounding very Jewish. Downloads (unauthorized, I suspect) are easily found on the Internet but it's not worth seeking out.
Frank Rich discusses Sondheim, gay rights, Barack Obama and other topics of interest.
Now available on DVD! The Warner Video Archive project (or whatever they call it) is offering a 3-DVD set of all the classic Robert Benchley shorts. There were thirty of 'em and you can get 'em all for $25.00 in this new, no-frills collection. If you're not familiar with Mr. Benchley's wit, you're in for a delightful surprise. Here's the link. And here's a sample…
Here's hoping things will be funny again…
This morning, the moment where nothing is funny came a little later than it usually does…at 6:10 AM. Good night, Internet!
I agree with Frank Rich about the whole "balloon boy" meshagus. The odd part wasn't that the news media was hoaxed. It gets hoaxed all the time. It's just kinda nice to see one instance blow up so totally that they have to admit they got snookered.
Impressionist Rick Miller has a go at "Bohemian Rhapsody." Thanks to Dave Cook for suggesting this linkage…
Last night, I was among the speakers at a dinner in honor of the great comic book artist, Gene Colan. It was thrown by CAPS, the Comic Art Professional Society and everyone had a great time…especially Gene, even though he was 3000 miles away. I'll tell you all about it in the morning or whenever I'm not battling a deadline.