Why so many Jewish comedians? Perhaps Mel Brooks can help us understand...
# 1 Woody Allen
"Organized crime in America takes in over forty billion dollars a year and spends very little on office supplies"
Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Konigsberg; December 1, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, comedian, musician and playwright.Allen's distinctive films, which run the gamut from dramas to screwball sex comedies, have made him one of the most respected living American directors. He is also distinguished by his rapid rate of production and his very large body of work. Allen writes and directs his movies and has also acted in the majority of them. For inspiration, Allen draws heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, European cinema and New York City, where he was born and has lived his entire life.
"I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland.
Woody Allen"
What's your favorite Woody Allen movie?
"The government is unresponsive to the needs of the little man. Under 5'7", it is impossible to get your congressman on the phone." Woody Allen
Hannah and Her Sisters
Brimming with laughter, tears and subtle beauty, H more...0 points
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Farrow is a depression-era waitress whose fantasy more...0 points
The latest work of Woody Allen
Scoop
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/05/2009) 
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
...his latest film. Woody is back at high levels!
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 12/05/2009)
Match Point
Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 12/05/2009)
# 2 Groucho Marx
"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book." Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (October 2, 1890 - August 19, 1977), was a comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers and also had a successful solo career, most notably as the host of the radio and television game shows You Bet Your Life and Tell it to Groucho.[1] His distinctive appearance, carried over from his days in vaudeville, included quirks such as glasses, cigars, and a thick greasepaint mustache and eyebrows. "A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere."
If only Groucho had known he was going to be on youtube....
Incredible quotes from Groucho!!
"Money frees you from doing things you dislike. Since I dislike doing nearly everything, money is handy"
"She got her looks from her father. He's a plastic surgeon"
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.
I don't have a photograph, but you can have my footprints. They're upstairs in my socks.
Groucho Marx, In the film A Day at the Races
A Day at the Races
Amazon Price: $17.99 (as of 12/05/2009)
Groucho And Me
With impeccable timing, outrageous humor, irreverent wit, and a superb sense of the ridiculous, Groucho tells the saga of the Marx Brothers: the poverty of their childhood in New York's Upper East Side; the crooked world of small-time vaudeville (where they learned to carry blackjacks); how a pretzel magnate and the graceless dancer of his dreams led to the Marx Brothers' first Broadway hit, I'll Say She Is!; how the stock market crash in 1929 proved a godsend for Groucho (even though he lost nearly a quarter of a million dollars); the adventures of the Marx Brothers in Hollywood, the making of their hilarious films, and Groucho's triumphant television series,You Bet Your Life! Here is the life and lunatic times of the great eccentric genius, Groucho, a.k.a. Julius Henry Marx.
Amazon Price: $12.96 (as of 12/05/2009)
"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.
Groucho Marx"
# 3 Jerry Lewis
"The Doc told me I had a dual personality. Then he lays an 82 dollar bill on me, so I give him 41 bucks and say, 'Get the other 41 bucks from the other guy
He is best-known for his slapstick humor on stage, screen and television, his singing ability in a string of music album recordings and his charity fund-raising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
Lewis has won several awards for lifetime achievements from The American Comedy Awards, The Golden Camera, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and The Venice Film Festival, and he has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2005, he received the Governors Award of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Board of Governors, which is the highest Emmy Award presented.[1] On February 22, 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Lewis the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. As a film innovator, Lewis is credited with inventing the video assist system.
Jerry Lewis Quotes!!!
- "I've had great success being a total idiot."
- "People hate me because I am a multifaceted, talented, wealthy, internationally famous genius."
- "I get paid for what most kids get punished for."
- A woman doing comedy doesn't offend me, but sets me back a bit, ... I, as a viewer, have trouble with it. I think of her as a producing machine that brings babies in the world."
# 4 Lenny Bruce
"A lot of people say to me, 'Why did you kill Christ?' I dunno, it was one of those parties, got out of hand, you know. "
Lenny Bruce (October 13, 1925 - August 3, 1966), born Leonard Alfred Schneider, was an American stand-up comedian, writer, social critic and satirist of the 1950s and 1960s. His 1964 conviction in an obscenity trial led to the first posthumous pardon in New York history.His growing fame led to appearances on the nationally televised Steve Allen Show, where he made his debut with an unscripted comment on the recent marriage of Elizabeth Taylor to Eddie Fisher, wondering, "will Elizabeth Taylor become bar mitzvahed?" He also began receiving mainstream press, both favorable and derogatory. Syndicated Broadway columnist Hy Gardner called Bruce a "fad" and "a one-time-around freak attraction," while Variety declared him "undisciplined and unfunny." Influential San Francisco columnist Herb Caen, however, was an early and enthusiastic supporter, writing in 1959:
They call Lenny Bruce a sick comic, and sick he is. Sick of all the pretentious phoniness of a generation that makes his vicious humor meaningful. He is a rebel, but not without a cause, for there are shirts that need un-stuffing, egos that need deflating. Sometimes you feel guilty laughing at some of Lenny's mordant jabs, but that disappears a second later when your inner voice tells you with pleased surprise, 'but that's true.'
New YouTube vids
Lenny Bruce on MP3
# 5 Mel Brooks
"I cut my finger. That's tragedy. A man walks into an open sewer and dies. That's comedy."
Mel Brooks (born Melvin Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American director, writer, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer, best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. Brooks is a member of the short list of entertainers with the distinction of having won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award. Three of his films (Blazing Saddles, The Producers and Young Frankenstein) ranked in the Top 20 on the American Film Institute's list of the Top 100 comedy films of all-time. What's your favorite Mel Brooks' movie
History of the World Part I
Mel Brooks' uproarious version of history proves n more...1 point
Producers, The by Mel Brooks
This is the laugh-out-loud story of two scheming m more...0 points
Young Frankenstein
If you were to argue that Mel Brooks's Young Frank more...0 points
To be or not to be...
Moses - Ten Commandments - Mel Brooks
# 6 Larry David
Yidish words for the biz!
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Yidish words you need to know to impress your Jewish friend
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Have you ever felt left out of a conversation because you didn't know certain words...that sounded a little too Jewish? Well, here I will provide you with some tools to impress a Jew. Use them as needed but remember..with great chutzpah comes great r...
Did you know that....
Curb your enthusiasm...a must have!
![Curb Your Enthusiasm: Complete First Season [VHS]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517J0FD1VSL._SL75_.jpg)
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Complete First Season [VHS]
Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Sixth Season
Amazon Price: $15.99 (as of 12/05/2009)
# 7 Jerry Seinfeld
We all know this guy...let's remember some great quotes..."I was the best man at the wedding. If I'm the best man, why is she marrying him? "
"It's amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every day always just exactly fits the newspaper. "
"What is a date really, but a job interview that lasts all night? The only difference is that in not many job interviews is there a chance you'll wind up naked. "
"You know you're getting old when you get that one candle on the cake. It's ", "See if you can blow this out."
"Men want the same thing from their underwear that they want from women: a little bit of support, and a little bit of freedom.
Not that there's anything wrong with Seinfeld...
Seinfeld on Amazon
Seinfeld - The Complete Series
Amazon Price: $135.99 (as of 12/05/2009)
Seinfeld - Seasons 1 & 2
Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 12/05/2009)
# 8 Andy Kaufman
"Sometimes, when you look Andy in the eyes, you get a feeling someone else is driving." --David Letterman
Referred to by some as a dadaistic comedian, Andy Kaufman took comedy and performance art to the edges of irrationality and blurred the dividing line between reality and imagination. Born in New York City on January 17, 1949, the first son of Stanley and Janice Kaufman, Andy grew up on New York in the town of Great Neck. He began performing for family and friends at the age of 7, and by the time He was 9 was being hired to entertain at children's parties. After a year at a Boston junior college, Andy began performing his unique brand of stand-up comedy at coffee shops and nightclubs on the east coast. Discovered by Improvisation comedy club owner Bud Friedman, Andy quickly earned a reputation as a talented, yet eccentric performer. Impressed by his abilities, Lorne Michaels asked Kaufman to appear on the inaugural broadcast of Saturday Night Live (October 11, 1975). Best known for his work as Latka Gravas on the TV sitcom Taxi, Andy appeared in several TV shows and movies, on Broadway, did a one man show at Carnegie Hall, enjoyed a brief professional wrestling career and performed in concerts nation-wide. ( from IMDB) # 9 Jon Stewart
Jonathan "Jon" Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, television host, and political satirist. He is best known as host of The Daily Show, a satirical news program airing on Comedy Central.Stewart started as a stand-up comedian, but later branched out to television, hosting Short Attention Span Theater for Comedy Central. He went on to host his own show on MTV, called The Jon Stewart Show, and then hosted another show on MTV called You Wrote It, You Watch It. He has also had several film roles as an actor.
Stewart became the host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central in early 1999. He is also a writer and co-producer of the show. After Stewart joined, The Daily Show steadily gained popularity and critical acclaim leading to his first Emmy Award in 2001.
# 10 Sasha Baron Cohen
wawawewa....
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is a British comedian, writer and Golden Globe-winning actor most noted for his comic characters Ali G (an inner city youth chav from suburban Staines), Borat (a Kazakh reporter), and Bruno (a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion reporter). In his routine, he typically conducts interviews with respected figures while posing as one of his characters for comedic effect. Those he interviews mistakenly believe that the interviews are sincere and legitimate. Sacha Baron Cohen's work has been recognized with several Emmy nominations, an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, a BAFTA award and a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his work in the feature film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. 
Borat
It debuted at the #1 spot in the US, taking in an estimated $26.4 million in just 837 theatres averaging $31,600 per theatre, the fourth highest per-theatre average of all time for movies opening wide (500 screens or more), behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Spider-Man. It easily outdistanced the expected #1 movie of the weekend, Disney's The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, which earned an estimated $20 million in 3,458 cinemas. Great Stuff on Amazon
Borat - Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Widescreen Edition)
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 12/05/2009)
BORAT: Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A. and Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
Da Ali G Show - The Complete Second Season
Amazon Price: $11.99 (as of 12/05/2009)
Da Ali G Show - The Complete First Season
Amazon Price: $12.49 (as of 12/05/2009)
Do you want to nominate a comedian for the Top 10?
Please send us your suggestions!
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Reply
- ChapelHillFiddler ChapelHillFiddler Nov 28, 2009 @ 6:52 am
- I agree with your choices though I'm sure I'd think of more, too. Just added this to my "Best Jewish Lenses at Squidoo" plexo. Thanks for making it!
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Reply
- gerahdz gerahdz Mar 5, 2009 @ 8:59 pm
- great work!!!
and great Jewish music...
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Klezmer Hits
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Klezmer (from Yiddish Klei - instrument and zemer - song; etymologically from Hebrew k'li zemer, "musical instrument") is a musical tradition which parallels Hasidic and Ashkenazic Judaism. Around the 15th century, a tradition of secular (non-liturgi...
mmm...so perhaps you disagree with this lens!
# 10 1/2 Krusty the clown!
the son of a rabbi...
Krusty the Clown is Jewish, born Herschel Krustofski, is the son of Rabbi Hyman Krustofski. Hyman strongly opposed Krusty's wish to become a clown and make people laugh, wanting the boy to go to yeshiva instead. However, Krusty performed slapstick comedy behind his father's back. One day, he was performing at a rabbi's convention when one joking rabbi squirted seltzer on him, washing off his clown makeup. When Rabbi Krustofski found out, he disowned his son, and didn't speak to him for 25 years. Krusty later reconciled with his father with the assistance of Bart and Lisa.[2] It was later revealed that Krusty did not have a Bar Mitzvah service, because Hyman feared he would violate the sanctity of the rites by "acting up." Krusty had two adult Bar Mitzvah ceremonies: a Hollywood gala, then a simple ceremony intended to reconnect with his father Explore related pages
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