With his violin in hand – and a storehouse of one liners – he could get more laughs from an audience in just a few minutes than an entire line up of other comedians. Youngman came to be called the King of the One Liners, because he mastered the short jokes that pared down timing, surprise, and other core elements of comedy. Some examples: “The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret.” “I've got all the money I'll ever need. If I die by 4:00.” “My wife dresses to kill. She cooks the same way.”
Throughout his nearly 75-year career as a stand up comedian – in addition to his regular performances – he would seek out events like weddings and bar mitzvahs and ask if they’d like him to perform. The film critic Roger Ebert wrote about sharing an elevator with Youngman, when their car stopped on the floor of a night club that was hosting a wedding. Ebert said “Youngman got off the elevator, asked to meet the father of the bride and said, ‘I'm Henny Youngman. I'll do 10 minutes for $100.’”
Youngman didn’t really retire from comedy. After his last gig – at the Kung Pao Kosher Comedy show in San Francisco – he contracted pneumonia on his flight home to New York and died a short time later.
A b/w photo of wife and husband Sadie Cohen (left) and Henny Youngman at Jacqueline’s Restaurant, New York City, 1982. Many of Youngman's jokes included references to his wife. He is remembered for the one liner "Women nowadays are crazy! Take my wife, please!" The joke came into existence when Youngman asked an usher to help his wife to a seat in a theater. He said, "Take my wife, please," and the usher burst out laughing. He incorporated it into his routine soon after. Image from anothereyeopens.com.
It is also the birthday of the comedian who said,
“Most women are attracted to simple things in life. Like men.”
Henny Youngman was born on this day in 1906.
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