The World Says Goodbye To Jackie Mason

CREDIT: Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Sad news as the mourns the death of comedian, one-time rabbi, and actor Jackie Mason. 

Known for his blunt punchlines and Yiddish lilt, the stand-up comic began by swapping synagogues for nightclubs in the 1950s. From there, he became a centrepiece on TV in the 1960s, his Tony-winning sensation The World According To Me in the late 1980s, and his voice-over for The Simpsons, in which he played Krusty the Clown's father.

He won a Primetime Emmy for his voice-over.

Sadly, he was 93 when he passed away last Saturday.

CREDIT: Postmedia Network/torontosun.com

Jackie Mason was born, Yacov Moshe Maza in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1928. He parents were Jewish immigrants, coming from Minsk. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all rabbis.

When Jackie was five-years-old, his family moved to Henry Street in New York's Lower East Side. He trained to become a rabbi alongside his three brothers.

He has previously described his transition to comedy as "a way being more honest to myself." When delivering sermons, he would slip and start "to tell a few jokes here and there." He said he did it "to make it more palatable for myself, and as the jokes were getting better and better, I started to charge a cover and a minimum."

He happened to wait until his father passed before heading to Catskill Mountains. This is where Jewish audiences from New York would spend their summers in bungalow colonies.

In the 1960s he began bringing his comedy to TV, being featured on The Steve Allen Show and The Perry Como Show. He also had a recurring spot on The Ed Sullivan Show.  

CREDIT: PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images/JTA

In 1964, Ed Sullivan held up two fingers behind camera as a sign to "wrap it up in two minutes." Instead, Jackie turned this into a bit. "I'm getting a lot of fingers tonight." He then pointed fingers back saying, "Here's a finger for you, and a finger for you." Sullivan took this as an "obscene gesture" and proceeded to fire Jackie.

This led to Jackie filing a defamation lawsuit. The two eventually mended fences and Jackie proceeded to appear on the show five more times. He then would pop up randomly as his career had been tarnished.

He voiced a robot tailor alongside Myron Cohen in Sleeper by Woody Allen, the gas-station manager in The Jerk by Steve Martin and Carl Reiner, and a persecuted Jew in The History of the World - Part I by Mel Brooks. He then proceeded to play clubs for around two decades.

In 1986, he found his way to Broadway. The World According To Me, was basically a long rant, where Jackie leaned into his Yiddish accent. He would pull certain acts, one being to ask a heavy philosophical question such as, "why is there hatred in the world?" He would let that sit with the audience for a moment, then point to someone in the audience and say, "I'm asking you."

The show became a phenomenon, winning Jackie a Tony Award, a Grammy nomination, and an Emmy for writing when the show became a HBO special. He also appeared in a short-lived sitcom alongside Lynn Redgrave, Chicken Soup in 1989.

CREDIT: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian

In 1991, he appeared 11 times as Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky, Krusty the Clown's father on The Simpsons. The episode 'Like Father, Like Clown' won Jackie an Emmy and was based off The Jazz Singer. Jackie also continued stand-up in rooms around the world and continued to have four more Broadway runs. His most recent run was Jackie Mason: Freshly Squeezed in 2005.

During the end of his life, Jackie would appear on Fox News, championing Donald Trump.

For years, Jackie lived with his wife Jyll Rosenfeld in Metropolitan Tower on West 57th Street near Carnegie Hall. In 2012, Kaoru Suzuki-McMullen attacked Jackie outside his home in what was labeled a "jealous rage."

Later it was revealed the two both lived in the building, and were dating, Jackie (83) and Kaoru (48). At this time, Ginger Reiter, a former girlfriend of Jackie's was quoted. She had previously claimed to be the mother of Jackie's "love child" which he denied. At this time, Ginger labeled Jackie a "sexual dynamo" and said, "he's no Robert Redford."

Afterwards, Jackie moved to a $4.1 million unit on Central Park South in 2017.

Since his passing, Jackie has been remembered by Jason Alexander, Gilbert Gottfried, Michael McKean, Al Jean, Harvey Fierstein, Judy Tenuta, and Henry Winkler.

"I took my folks to see Jackie Mason on Broadway twice. I have never seen them laugh harder. A comic from a different time but one of the best. Mister I'm talking to you." - Jason Alexander.

"One of the best. RIP Jackie Mason" - Gilbert Gottfried.

"I was doing a show at CBS in 1989. Next door, Jackie Mason was doing his Chicken Soup sitcom, and I encountered him just once. I admitted to using one of his jokes on my friends when I was a teenager. He was very forgiving once I assured him it got laughs." - Michael McKean.

CREDIT: Ken McKay/Rex/Shutterstock

@TheSimpsons I feel like Krusty. We will very much miss Jackie Mason." - Al Jean alongside a photo of Krusty the Clown holding his heart.

"A comic genius and a pain in the ass. This man could get a laugh reading the weather. His rhythms and delivery were master classes in comedy. Farewell, Jackie. Farewell." - Harvey Fierstein.

"Truly one of the funniest shows I have ever seen...ever...thank you Jackie and now you get to make heaven laugh." - Henry Winkler

"I love Jackie Mason! Not only were his jokes hilarious, I especially loved his lilting speech pattern. I was so excited to meet him at Carnegie Deli back in the 90's. God bless the King of Kvetch! #RIPJackieMason" - Judy Tenuta. 

CREDIT: Photofest