Jackie Mason

Jackie Mason

So...it turns out there are Jews in show business. Who knew? Jackie Mason, that's who. And how does he know this? Mister? Can you hear me? How does he know this? Because Jackie Mason is the Ultimate Jew. Just ask him.

Jackie Mason was born in Sheboygan, WI, in 1936 and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, NY. He was ordained as a Rabbi but by age 28 had given up the Bar Mitzvahs for the Borscht Belt.

In 1962 Jackie's big break was a regular spot on the Ed Sullivan Show. One night he allegedly gave Sullivan the finger and was fired. Jackie sued. It did not end well. Here's Mason's take on the event a couple of weeks afterward. G'head. I'll wait.

According to Jackie, the shadow of Sullivan followed him until 1984 when his one-man-show in LA took off. "The World According to Me" moved to New York in '86. He stayed on Broadway, writing a new show every couple of years. He also starred in Caddyshack II and even had a short-lived TV sitcom in 1989 called "Chicken Soup". Here he is on Arsenio Hall after the show's premiere where he again runs afoul of a powerful showbiz figure. The show lasted only 9 more episodes.

He still tours, does occasional TV spots (Krusty's dad on the Simpsons, f'rinstance), produces a weekly vlog for World Net Daily, and has a feature film called "One Angry Man" slated for release in 2009.

On stage, Jackie has two favorite subjects: Judaism and politics.

Off stage, they become the same subject.

To show solidarity during the First Gulf War, Jackie took his Broadway show to Israel. This, geographically speaking, is like showing solidarity with New Orleans by taking his show to Chicago. He was also recently accused of racism for referring to President Obama as a "schwartzer". Jackie says it's not racist, it's Yiddish. I've asked Ray Romano to publicly call the President a "moolie" so that we could compare notes; I'll let you know how it goes.

Mason's successes stand as a testament to one of the great pillars of comedy: If your material comes from your heart the audience can't help but love you. His failures stand equally as a warning: Blessed are the Kingmakers; don't piss off the guy who can cut your mic. Jackie offers a third lesson, this one more about life in general: Talking about politics is like looking at fabric; when you change your position, you reveal your bias.

So why is Jackie Mason still important in comedy? This is what I'm asking! Anyone? Mister? Next.....