| Jackie
Mason |
| Birth name |
Yacov Moshe Maza |
| Born |
June 9 1935 (1935--) (age 72)
Sheboygan, Wisconsin, United States |
| Medium |
stand-up, television, film, books, radio |
| Nationality |
American |
| Years active |
1961-present |
| Genres |
Satire/Political satire, Observational comedy, Improvisational comedy |
| Subject(s) |
American politics, International relations, Current events,
race relations, Antisemitism, Jewish culture, American culture |
| Spouse |
Jyll Rosenfeld (August 14, 1991 - present) |
| Notable works and roles |
The World According to Me!
Hyman Krustofski in "Like Father, Like Clown" and "Today I am A
Klown" |
| Website |
jackiemason.com |
| Emmy
Awards |
Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
1992 "Like Father, Like Clown" |
Jackie Mason (born Yacov Moshe Maza on June 9, 1931, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin) is
an American stand-up comedian. His
"politically incorrect" routines and opinionated observations on Jewish and American life have often provoked controversy.
Mason graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from City College of New York and (at the age of 25) was ordained as a rabbi in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.[1] Three years
later he resigned the post to become a comedian.
In 1992 , Mason won an Emmy for his voice-over of
Rabbi Hyman Krustofski in The Simpsons episode, "Like Father, Like
Clown"[2] making him the
first guest star to win an Emmy for his role. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, Mason was voted amongst the
top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. He was also ranked #63 in
Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-Up
Comedians.[citation needed]John Byner impersonated Mason for the
Aardvark cartoon character in the cartoon series The Ant and the Aardvark.
Career
Mason had several one-man comedy stage shows over the years. His first
Broadway show was called The World According to
Me, which was well-received. Later, he had a show at the John Golden
Theatre, called Politically Incorrect, which ran into copyright problems as it
was performed at the same time that Bill Maher's TV show
of the same name was on the air. Mason eventually changed the name of the show to
Jackie Mason: Politically Correct to settle the situation. Between these shows, Mason played the lead in a short-lived
television show, Chicken Soup.
In November of 2005, Mason started a daily talk show, The Jackie Mason Show. The
show airs nightly on the CN8 television
network on Comcast cable television. He is
currently also the host of a nationally syndicated radio program (as of July 2006).
Controversy
Mason has been involved in several controversial situations over the course of his career.
Mason/Sullivan
In 1962, Mason allegedly gave Ed Sullivan the
finger on a live telecast of Sullivan's weekly variety
show. Sullivan terminated Mason's $45,000.00 contract on the spot. Mason denied that he made the obscene gesture,
insisting that he flashed numerous fingers and that the gesture was misinterpreted. He later
retaliated against Sullivan by filing (but later dropping) a libel suit. A year and a half
later, Mason again appeared on Sullivan's show, where Sullivan publicly apologized to Mason. Mason dropped the lawsuit shortly
after. That was Mason's last appearance on Sullivan's show.
A video recording of the incident shows Mason talking through his comedy set and then looking
to his right (viewers' left), toward Sullivan, commenting on the fact that Sullivan was giving him finger-signals.[3] Sullivan may have been trying to tell Mason to wrap up his
segment; regardless, Mason continued commenting, talking toward Sullivan instead of the audience and thumbed
his nose at him with his middle finger slightly separated from the others. The action
left Sullivan with the impression that Mason had given him the finger on
live TV.
After Mason left the stage, the TV camera then cut to Sullivan, who was
looking agitated over what had just transpired; his arms were folded tightly and he was staring downward.
Allegations of racism
In 1991 , he was criticized by African-American organizations such as the
NAACP when he called New York mayor David
Dinkins "a fancy schvartze with a
moustache".[4] He later apologized. He was later accused of racism when the
American comic Ray Hanania, of Palestinian descent, was
axed from opening for him at a Chicago club.[4]
Jews for Jesus lawsuit
On August 28, 2006, Mason filed a lawsuit against the group Jews for Jesus for using his likeness in a pamphlet.[5] His image was used next to the tag line - "Jackie Mason...a Jew for
Jesus!?." Mason said in court papers filed in New York:
| “ |
While I have the utmost respect for people who practice the Christian faith, the fact is, as everyone knows, I am as Jewish as a
matzo ball or kosher salami. |
” |
Mason has claimed that the group was using his image and fame to gain attention and converts. The group responded to the suit
by saying, "Shame on him for getting so upset about this."[5] The lawsuit was recently settled, and Jews for Jesus apologized.[6]
Meyer Lansky
Jackie Mason has also been linked to organized crime boss, Meyer Lansky. They allegedly
became friends in the 1960s while Mason was performing in Miami. Lansky, a sarcastic Jew himself, loved his comedy and frequented
his shows. Mason would often join Lansky at his table.
One Jerusalem
Mason also cofounded the organization One Jerusalem in response to the Oslo peace agreement. Its stated cause is "saving a united Jerusalem as the un-divided capital of
Israel."[7]
Works
Selected TV, Film and Radio Roles
Television specials
- Jackie Mason's The World According to Me! (1988)
- An Audience with Jackie Mason (1990)
- Jackie Mason on Campus (1992)
- Jackie Mason at the London Palladium (1996)
- Jackie Mason: A Night at the Opera (2002)
Discography
- I'm the Greatest Comedian in the World Only Nobody Knows it Yet! (1962)
- I Want to Leave You with the Words of a Great Comedian (1963)
- The World According to Me (1987)
- Brand New (1991)
- Jackie Mason in Concert (1997)
- All New! Much Ado About Everything (2003)
One man shows
- Jackie Mason's The World According to Me! (1986-1988)
- Jackie Mason: Brand New (1990-1991)
- Jackie Mason: Politically Incorrect (1994-1995)
- Love Thy Neighbor (1996-1997)
- Much Ado About Everything (1999-2000)
- Jackie Mason: Prune Danish (2002-2003)
- Jackie Mason: Freshly Squeezed (2005-2006)
Video Blogging
Mason has appeared in over 60 self-written video blog entries on the popular YouTube website where he gives his opinions on
current events and politics.[8]
References
Footnotes
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
