And Sketch Five is.... Jerry's Everywhere!
Air Date: December 30, 1951
Skip to 4:51 for the beginning of the sketch.
I love at 1:35 where Jerry messes up his accent and starts laughing!
Dean opens the sketch with the startling pronoucement: everyone he sees is Jerry Lewis! The writing for this sketch is exceptionally brilliant and upon close inspection, I realize it should've placed higher. Number Three maybe? Anyway, this sketch is full of quick-changes, funny gags & mess-ups. Especially the shaving scene! Boy wow. "We have sherry, wine, scotch, bourbon..."
I wish all I saw was Jerry Lewis.... XD "The exquisite one!"
Showing posts with label Best of the Colgate Comedy Hour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best of the Colgate Comedy Hour. Show all posts
3.29.2011
the Best of the Colgate Comedy Hour: Sketch Four
And sketch number four is....the Wedding Detective!
Air Date: September 21, 1952
Skip to 20:52 for the beginning of the sketch.
I love this one because of the many ad-libs! At first glance it might not seem that funny but I found it gets more hilarious the more you watch it, because it takes a few viewings to actually understand! Or at least that was the case for me.
I love Jerry's little detective costume; again with the hats! He should wear them more. ;) Dean looks very handsome in his tux too; he reminds me of Michael Buble. The jokes are fast-flying and you have to catch them quick! Jerry and Dean were on a roll that night; you can tell they were enjoying themselves. Both of them were in Ad-Lib City. "Lemme rest awhile." "All right, it must be the joke." "What, are you happy the joke wasn't funny? You think we gotta come up with them all the time? Ain't we entitled to louse one up here and there?!" "Those writers really put it in place!" "What is this, a puzzle?" They messed up so many times! Jerry even brings up a cue card for Dean to read. And of course the best adlib of the sketch, "I told 'em we shouldn't've opened the season!"
The writing was standard; nothing special but there were some funny bits; I especially loved the "Who's he calling a fink?!" joke for some odd reason. This sketch is full of fast-flying jokes and adlibs but it doesn't strike you as especially funny the first time and it's missing some unexplainable zing...compare it to the Soda Fountain sketch and you'll see what I mean. Still quite funny and the adlibs earn it Place Number Four.
Air Date: September 21, 1952
Skip to 20:52 for the beginning of the sketch.
I love this one because of the many ad-libs! At first glance it might not seem that funny but I found it gets more hilarious the more you watch it, because it takes a few viewings to actually understand! Or at least that was the case for me.
I love Jerry's little detective costume; again with the hats! He should wear them more. ;) Dean looks very handsome in his tux too; he reminds me of Michael Buble. The jokes are fast-flying and you have to catch them quick! Jerry and Dean were on a roll that night; you can tell they were enjoying themselves. Both of them were in Ad-Lib City. "Lemme rest awhile." "All right, it must be the joke." "What, are you happy the joke wasn't funny? You think we gotta come up with them all the time? Ain't we entitled to louse one up here and there?!" "Those writers really put it in place!" "What is this, a puzzle?" They messed up so many times! Jerry even brings up a cue card for Dean to read. And of course the best adlib of the sketch, "I told 'em we shouldn't've opened the season!"
The writing was standard; nothing special but there were some funny bits; I especially loved the "Who's he calling a fink?!" joke for some odd reason. This sketch is full of fast-flying jokes and adlibs but it doesn't strike you as especially funny the first time and it's missing some unexplainable zing...compare it to the Soda Fountain sketch and you'll see what I mean. Still quite funny and the adlibs earn it Place Number Four.
3.15.2011
the Best of the Colgate Comedy Hour: Sketch Three
Sketch Number Three is.....
the Whipping Boy! Air Date: May 3, 1953
(Skip to 5:15 for the beginning of the sketch.)
Dean plays an Arabian prince who must find a whipping boy so that his father can punish him....and of course you know who the whipping boy is. Much hilarious contention ensues. :D
This one takes the 3 purely for Jerry's excruciating adlib, "Oh thank you, father of a new nose!" That was a ROFL moment for me, but definitely. (If you don't understand the significance of all the nose jokes, it goes like this: the first time Jerry met Dean, he noticed a small scar on the bridge of his nose where a plastic surgeon had reshaped it. Jerry forever after teased Dean about it [not that Dean cared] and often worked the jokes into their shows. Pretty much anytime they mention the nose it's a goner for me. I know, I'm weird.)
This one also takes the 3 for good (read: hilarious) writing of a sketch overall, plus several entertaining ad-lib moments. Plus, Jerry looks cute in his little turban and harem pants. :D It didn't place higher because there was a considerable absence of script deviations (read: ad-libs) aside from Jerry's killer remark and a couple of others. Great writing & acting ensures this one's place.
(In case you're wondering, I said "to heck" with the rating system, it was too complicated & I didn't like it--so there!)
the Whipping Boy! Air Date: May 3, 1953
(Skip to 5:15 for the beginning of the sketch.)
Dean plays an Arabian prince who must find a whipping boy so that his father can punish him....and of course you know who the whipping boy is. Much hilarious contention ensues. :D
This one takes the 3 purely for Jerry's excruciating adlib, "Oh thank you, father of a new nose!" That was a ROFL moment for me, but definitely. (If you don't understand the significance of all the nose jokes, it goes like this: the first time Jerry met Dean, he noticed a small scar on the bridge of his nose where a plastic surgeon had reshaped it. Jerry forever after teased Dean about it [not that Dean cared] and often worked the jokes into their shows. Pretty much anytime they mention the nose it's a goner for me. I know, I'm weird.)
This one also takes the 3 for good (read: hilarious) writing of a sketch overall, plus several entertaining ad-lib moments. Plus, Jerry looks cute in his little turban and harem pants. :D It didn't place higher because there was a considerable absence of script deviations (read: ad-libs) aside from Jerry's killer remark and a couple of others. Great writing & acting ensures this one's place.
(In case you're wondering, I said "to heck" with the rating system, it was too complicated & I didn't like it--so there!)
3.04.2011
the Best of the Colgate Comedy Hour: Sketch Two
Sketch Number Two is, naturally, not quite as funny as Sketch Number One (and by quite I mean the eensiest, tiniest bit). But it came in extremely close.
Sketch Number Two: the Photographer
Air Date: March 23, 1952 (almost sixty years ago!)
Again, more hilarious ad-libs, particularly Jerry's, "They spend $300,00 for a program and they couldn't put Coke in here!". The reason this sketch doesn't place first is because it has less mess-ups. However, Jerry breaks the fourth wall ("Look, I'll hit the buildings!") so many times...that really ups the ante. One quibble I have with the writing--the individual gags they have are all great & funny but strung together, they don't exactly hang straight...at least, suffice it to say, the first half of the sketch has better writing. It starts out with a bang but fails to pick back up and the ending feels rather lackluster...at least compared to the Milkshake sketch, which kept building and building to the last hilarious finish.
However, I laughed so hard at the Ovaltone bit, that really redeemed the second half....it's made me really curious though. What exactly were they drinking?
Ad-Libs/Mess-Ups -- 10 out of 10
Fourth-Wall-Breakings -- 8 out of 10
Wittiness (Good Writing) -- 8 out of 10
Overall Rating -- 8.6 out of 10
Sketch Number Two: the Photographer
Air Date: March 23, 1952 (almost sixty years ago!)
Again, more hilarious ad-libs, particularly Jerry's, "They spend $300,00 for a program and they couldn't put Coke in here!". The reason this sketch doesn't place first is because it has less mess-ups. However, Jerry breaks the fourth wall ("Look, I'll hit the buildings!") so many times...that really ups the ante. One quibble I have with the writing--the individual gags they have are all great & funny but strung together, they don't exactly hang straight...at least, suffice it to say, the first half of the sketch has better writing. It starts out with a bang but fails to pick back up and the ending feels rather lackluster...at least compared to the Milkshake sketch, which kept building and building to the last hilarious finish.
However, I laughed so hard at the Ovaltone bit, that really redeemed the second half....it's made me really curious though. What exactly were they drinking?
Ad-Libs/Mess-Ups -- 10 out of 10
Fourth-Wall-Breakings -- 8 out of 10
Wittiness (Good Writing) -- 8 out of 10
Overall Rating -- 8.6 out of 10
3.03.2011
the Best of the Colgate Comedy Hour: Sketch One
The Best of the Colgate Comedy Hour is a series I'll be doing over the next couple of weeks...highlighting (what I feel are) the top ten sketches from Martin & Lewis. The Colgate Comedy Hour was a musical comedy/variety show. It ran from 1950-1956 and featured monthly rotating hosts such as Donald O'Connor, Eddie Cantor, and of course, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis. Martin & Lewis hosted 28 episodes over the course of six years but sadly, a good box set of complete episodes is hard to find. Some have the commericals cut out; a great deal have left out Dean's singing numbers entirely and some have actually cut out a few of the sketches themselves. You can find a variety of DVD sets on Amazon.
Sketches will be rated in three areas: first, the amount of ad-libs and times they get thrown off script. This, to me, is what makes Martin & Lewis so different (aka, better) than the other comedy teams out there: they can work, and work brilliance, without a script. That is one of the most difficult things for a performer to do and they do it with mad hilarity. Every time they mess up, the sketch instantly becomes funnier.
Second, breaking the fourth wall. This is something Jerry (and sometimes Dean) does continuously and is what first attracted me to Martin & Lewis. I had never seen a performer break the fourth wall in this way ("He adlibbed, I don't know where I am now!") and continually find it both hilarious and intriguing.
Third, overall wittness of the sketch (attributed to good writing). I place this last because some real bums of sketches have been noticeably perked up by Nos. 1 and 2 (ad-libs and fourth-wall-breakings). So good writing is, at least for Martin and Lewis, not a necessity. However, it is a contributing factor, obviously, and the most stellar sketches are the ones that have a combination of all three of the above traits.
And now...*drumroll* the number one, all-time, best-ever favorite sketch of mine ISSSSSSSSS:
MILKSHAKE! Air Date: 2-10-52
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This has to be, by far, the funniest sketch those two ever did. They mess up SO many times they don't even get to finish the rest of the show and every time they screw up...well, when they get lost, they get lost! The overall brilliance and insane amount of ad-libs, plus just general silliness rates this sketch as number one.
To go off on a tangent here, it is my personal (deeply felt) opinion that when Dean & Jerry mess up, they're funnier than ever. Those two had ad-lib skilz like nobody's business. And the best part is, they're having so much fun together! An audience is bound to have fun when the performers are enjoying themselves, too.
Ad-Libs/Mess-Ups -- 20 out of 10!
Fourth-Wall-Breakings -- 5 out of 10
Wittiness (Good Writing) -- 7 out of 10
Overall Rating: 10.6 out of 10
Sketches will be rated in three areas: first, the amount of ad-libs and times they get thrown off script. This, to me, is what makes Martin & Lewis so different (aka, better) than the other comedy teams out there: they can work, and work brilliance, without a script. That is one of the most difficult things for a performer to do and they do it with mad hilarity. Every time they mess up, the sketch instantly becomes funnier.
Second, breaking the fourth wall. This is something Jerry (and sometimes Dean) does continuously and is what first attracted me to Martin & Lewis. I had never seen a performer break the fourth wall in this way ("He adlibbed, I don't know where I am now!") and continually find it both hilarious and intriguing.
Third, overall wittness of the sketch (attributed to good writing). I place this last because some real bums of sketches have been noticeably perked up by Nos. 1 and 2 (ad-libs and fourth-wall-breakings). So good writing is, at least for Martin and Lewis, not a necessity. However, it is a contributing factor, obviously, and the most stellar sketches are the ones that have a combination of all three of the above traits.
And now...*drumroll* the number one, all-time, best-ever favorite sketch of mine ISSSSSSSSS:
MILKSHAKE! Air Date: 2-10-52
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This has to be, by far, the funniest sketch those two ever did. They mess up SO many times they don't even get to finish the rest of the show and every time they screw up...well, when they get lost, they get lost! The overall brilliance and insane amount of ad-libs, plus just general silliness rates this sketch as number one.
To go off on a tangent here, it is my personal (deeply felt) opinion that when Dean & Jerry mess up, they're funnier than ever. Those two had ad-lib skilz like nobody's business. And the best part is, they're having so much fun together! An audience is bound to have fun when the performers are enjoying themselves, too.
Ad-Libs/Mess-Ups -- 20 out of 10!
Fourth-Wall-Breakings -- 5 out of 10
Wittiness (Good Writing) -- 7 out of 10
Overall Rating: 10.6 out of 10
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