Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Gilda Radner in "The Judy Miller Show"

It's hard to believe that it's been 32 years since the death of Gilda Radner, the brilliant Jewish comedy star of Saturday Night Live. Her hilarious characters made the show a must see every week.

Thanks to the Internet, we still have some of her landmark sketches available to watch and laugh. In recent years we've posted some of her character skits including Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Litella, Lisa Loopner, and Baba Wawa.

Today we're turning the clock back to 1977 for a classic visit to the room of Judy Miller, Gilda's stand-in for every little girl who imagines herself the star of her very own show and acts out every role.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO. 

  

   #Throwback Thursday    #TBT

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Gilda Radner's First Appearance on Johnny Carson Show

In 1983, seven years after Gilda Radner joined Saturday Night Live as a member of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, she made her first appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

In a funny, wide-ranging interview, Gilda reads a hilarious selection from her book, Roseanne Rosanadanna's Hey! Get Back to Work Book. 

She explains how she overcame her shyness by getting lost in the characters that she invented and brought to life in the show.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

 

#Throwback Thursday    #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Gilda Radner and Steve Martin Spoof Original Astaire-Charisse "Dancing in the Dark"

In 1978 Saturday Night Live ran a spoof of the famous Central Park dance scene between Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse in the 1953 movie The Band Wagon. It featured Gilda Radner and Steve Martin attempting to do the same steps as Astaire and Charisse. 

But instead of grace and elegance in the dance, Radner and Martin prance clumsily around the floor and stage of the nightclub set.

If you don't remember the original Astaire-Charisse number, we're including a video clip of the classic dance just below the SNL version.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

 

 

 

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Gilda Radner and Candice Bergen in "Extremely Stupid"

Today we're turning the clock back 44 years to a classic Saturday Night Live comedy sketch featuring Gilda Radner and Candice Bergen. 

It's a great example of what can happen in a live show and how a very talented comedian can save the day. 

The sketch is supposed to be a message from the Right to Extreme Stupidity League. The premise is that all Americans deserve the right to extreme stupidity. And Gilda and Candice don't disappoint.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO. 

  

 

  #Throwback Thursday    #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Gilda Radner as Baba Wawa with Praise from Barbara Walters

One of Gilda Radner's best characters on Saturday Night Live in the 1970s was Baba Wawa, a spot-on impersonation of TV news anchor Barbara Walters. 

In an episode of The View in 2014, 25 years after Radner died, Walters told Yahoo Entertainment that she eventually grew to enjoy Radner's take.

In this video, Walters reflects on their relationship. It also includes one of the most famous impersonations in which Baba Wawa interviews Mawena Doitchwand (Marlene Dietrich impersonated by Madeline Kahn).

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.  

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Gilda Radner and Madeline Kahn in SNL Skit "Not for Ladies Only"

It's another Throwback Thursday, and today we're rolling the clock back 44 years to Season 1 of Saturday Night Live in 1976 for a classic skit featuring Gilda Radner as Barbara Wawa (Barbara Walters) interviewing Madeline Kahn as Wiving Wegend Marwena Deutschwand (Marlene Dietrich).

In the "Not for Wadies Only" skit, both comedians put on their best Elmer Fudd subsitutions of w for l and r as they cawwy out the intewview without bweaking chawacter.

Enjoy!


A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.



#Throwback Thursday    #TBT

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Gilda Radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna on King Tut

Today's throwback skit goes back 40 years to 1979 when the late, great Gilda Radner was riding high on Saturday Night Live with her brilliant cast of invented characters. 

One of our favorites was Roseanne Roseannadanna, a character based on Rose Ann Scamardella, a former anchorwoman on WABC-TV's Eyewitness News in New York City. The character also appeared later in Radner's live one-woman shows.

Let's turn the clock back 40 years to 1979 when Gilda appeared as Roseanne Roseannadanna on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update to report on the King Tut exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Gilda Radner as Emily Litella with an Editorial Response on Violins on TV

Thursdays are special days at Jewish Humor Central because we try to bring you a golden oldie as a throwback to the days when TV comedy skits were creative and funny and clean.
 
Today's throwback skit goes back 43 years to 1976 when the late, great Gilda Radner was riding high on Saturday Night Live with her brilliant cast of invented characters. 

One of our favorites was Emily Litella, an elderly woman with a hearing problem who appeared 26 times on SNL's Weekend Update op-ed segment in the late 1970s.

Attired in a frumpy dress, sweater and Lisa Loopner glasses, Litella was introduced with professional dignity by the news anchors, who could sometimes be seen cringing slightly in anticipation of the malapropisms they knew would follow. These sketches were, in part, a parody of the Fairness Doctrine, which at the time required broadcasters in the United States to present opposing viewpoints on public issues.

In this skit, Radner gives an editorial response about parents objecting to violins on television. Finally, Chevy Chase informs her the story was actually about the "violence" on televisions, not violins. 

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.



#Throwback Thursday       #TBT

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Gilda Radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna on Smoking and Health

Thursdays are special days at Jewish Humor Central because we try to bring you a golden oldie as a throwback to the days when TV comedy skits were creative and funny and clean. Well, kind of clean.

Today's throwback skit goes back 40 years to 1978 when the late, great Gilda Radner was riding high on Saturday Night Live with her brilliant cast of invented characters. One of our favorites was Roseanne Roseannadanna, a character based on Rose Ann Scamardella, a former anchorwoman on WABC-TV's Eyewitness News in New York City. The character also appeared later in Radner's live one-woman shows.

In this skit, Radner starts off talking about smoking and health, but wanders off into uncharted waters and has the Saturday Night Live audience laughing out loud.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.


#Throwback Thursday  #TBT

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Gilda Radner as Emily Litella in "Saving Soviet Jewelry"

Today's Throwback Thursday special takes us back 40 years to the days when Saturday Night Live could be counted on to have an Emily Litella segment featuring Gilda Radner.

Emily Litella was portrayed as an elderly woman with a hearing problem who appeared 26 times on SNL's Weekend Update op-ed segment in the late 1970s. Attired in a frumpy dress, sweater and Lisa Loopner glasses, Litella was introduced with professional dignity by the news anchors, who could sometimes be seen cringing slightly in anticipation of the malapropisms they knew would follow.

Gilda Radner (as Litella) would peer through her reading glasses and, in the character's trademark high-pitched, warbly voice, would read a prepared statement in opposition to an editorial that the TV station had supposedly broadcast. These sketches were, in part, a parody of the Fairness Doctrine, which at the time required broadcasters in the United States to present opposing viewpoints on public issues.

Litella would become increasingly agitated as her statement progressed. Midway in her commentary, it became apparent that she had misheard and/or misunderstood the subject of the editorial to which she was responding.

In this video clip, Weekend Update news anchor Chevy Chase introduces Litella to respond to an editorial about saving Soviet Jewry. 

Enjoy...and never mind!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.




#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

Throwback Thursday: Gilda Radner as Rhonda Weiss in an Ode to Saccharine

Today we're going back 39 years to a Saturday Night Live episode that was shown on March 19, 1977. Rhonda Weiss and the Rhondettes were a sixties-looking girl group of Jewish American princesses who sang "Goodbye Saccharin," an ode to their favorite low-calorie sugar substitute

Saccharin was briefly under suspicion at the time of causing cancer in lab rats. Now we know that you can safely eat up to 12 pounds of it a day. Gilda Radner was Rhonda Weiss. The Rhondettes were Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman and that week's musical guest, Linda Ronstadt. 

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.) 



#Throwback Thursday, #TBT

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: SNL Commercial for Car Smooth Enough for a Bris

On this Throwback Thursday we're sharing one of our favorite Saturday Night Live commercial parodies, the one for the 1978 Royal Deluxe II luxury car with a ride so smooth, a rabbi could perform a circumcision in the back seat. 

Well, we found the video, featuring Dan Ackroyd and Gilda Radner, with Garret Morris as the driver, and you'll see it below.

Enjoy, and Mazal Tov to all!

(We apologize for the short commercial that precedes the fake SNL commercial, but that's the only way we could show you the video.)

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)

#Throwback Thursday  #TBT

Throwback Thursday: Gilda Radner (as Lisa Loopner) Sings "The Way We Were"

One of comedian Gilda Radner's memorable characters on Saturday Night Live was nerdy Lisa Loopner, who did a lot of skits with Bill Murray as her nerdy boyfriend Todd.

In 1980 Radner starred in Gilda Live!, a Broadway show in which she portrayed the characters she made famous on the show.

In this segment, Radner performed alone as Lisa, taking to the piano to play and sing The Way We Were, the song written by her idol, Marvin Hamlisch.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)

Comedy Flashback: Gilda Radner as Miss Emily Litella

The late great comedian Gilda Radner would have been 69 years old this week. We've been running video clips of some of her best routines and portrayals of characters such as Roseanne Roseannadanna and Judy Miller.

We found a clip of an on-stage performance where Gilda used her Emily Litella character in a classroom sketch directed in 1980 by Mike Nichols. We thought you'd like to reminisce with us as she becomes the character and delivers her funny lines with impeccable timing. 

Unlike the Saturday Night Live skits, this one gets close to being R-rated, but she saves the day with her classic line "Never mind."

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)\

Comedy Flashback: Gilda Radner Gives Graduation Address as Roseanne Roseannadanna

One of Gilda Radner's most memorable characters was Roseanne Roseannadanna, who appeared on "Weekend Update" in the early seasons of Saturday Night Live, which aired on the NBC network. 

She was the segment's consumer affairs reporter who, like an earlier Radner character Emily Litella, editorialized on current issues. 

Unlike Litella's meek and apologetic character, Roseannadanna was brash and tactless. The character was based on Rose Ann Scamardella, a former anchorwoman on WABC-TV's Eyewitness News in New York City. The character also appeared later in Radner's live one-woman shows.

Today's video clip is a hilarious commencement speech Roseanne gave to the graduates of the Columbia School of Journalism.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.) 

A Gilda Radner Flashback: It's the Judy Miller Show!

It's hard to believe that it's been 26 years since the death of Gilda Radner, the brilliant Jewish comedy star of Saturday Night Live. Her hilarious characters made the show a must see every week.

Thanks to the Internet, we still have some of her landmark sketches available to watch and laugh. In the coming weeks we'll post some of her other character skits including Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Litella, Lisa Loopner, and Baba Wawa.

Here's a classic visit to the room of Judy Miller, Gilda's stand-in for every little girl who imagines herself the star of her very own show and acts out every role.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)




(A tip of the kippah to Esther Kustanowitz for bringing this video to our attention.)