A lot of people reading this probably never heard of Mal Z. Lawrence but for about sixty years, he was a popular stand-up comedian in select circles. His main venues were hotels and theaters and anywhere that catered to a largely Jewish audience…preferably one that knew a smattering of Yiddish. He was an opening act for stars in Las Vegas and other gambling meccas but largely, he was what they called a "Catskills Comic."
Back when there were a number of resorts in the Catskills Mountains that catered to a (mostly) Jewish clientele, he was a star in those showrooms. And when that industry declined, he played other places — a lot of them in Florida — that appealed to the same crowd.
For a year or so on Broadway and touring for years after in the eighties, he was a part of Catskills on Broadway, a show that consisted of four comedians who'd either perfected their acts in the Catskills or could have. All the comics in Catskills on Broadway were good but they almost always had Lawrence close the show…because no one could follow him. Like a fine juggler who's been at it so long he's become incapable of missing, Lawrence had done it so long, he was incapable of not pleasing his audience…that is, when he was in front of the right audience.
I met him once when through a series of odd coincidences, I found myself at a table in the New York Friars Club lunching with him, Louise Duart, Freddie Roman, Corbett Monica, Dick Capri, Jackie Gayle and Henny Youngman. It was close to impossible to get a word in edgewise at that table but fortunately, I was seated next to Mr. Lawrence and when our fellow diners were chewing, I was able to tell him how much I enjoyed his act.
He asked me if I was Jewish and I told him I was half-Jewish. He said, "So I guess you just get every other joke."
Here's a video of about 25 minutes of Mal Z. Lawrence…and if you start watching, you may have trouble stopping because he had that kind of machine-gun delivery. But notice the utter professionalism of the man. He takes command of the stage and never lets go. And if one of his lines doesn't land with the audience, he has another already on its way.
As the New York Times obit will tell you, he died last Monday at the age of 88. He was one of the last of his kind…