British Comedy Guide

Jews in British Entertainment exhibition

'Entertaining the Nation' at the Camden based Jewish Museum has to cover a wide range of arts and entertainment and but has a very well represented comedy contingent. Many of the clips are biased towards present day Jewish comedians such as Sacha Baron Cohen and David Baddiel but it was good to see Sid James as the face of the exhibition. I understand Maureen Lipman had a helping hand with the exhibition so no lack of exhibits on Jack Rosenthal either.

I would like to have seen more information on some much underrated comic performers like the recently deceased Miriam Karlin, Fenella Fielding and (as always) Marty Feldman. I might have missed him but didn't see anything on Bob Monkhouse.

On the music industry side there was a lot of prominence to famous names such as Brian Epstein, Mark Bolan and the legendary Peter Green, but you needed an electron microscope to find anything on Simon Cowell. For that alone this exhibition deserves a visit.

No sootyj?

Sid James was Jewish! I didn't know that.

Yeh he was a South African hairdresser called Sollie Cohen.

Bob Monkhouse wasn't a Jew, Youngian, AFAIK.

Did a quick trawl and looks like you're right - it must be all those Jack Benny gags he used to nick. And apparently he did learn Yiddish to get Jewish charity gigs though.

Not infront of the vgoyim

!

Quote: Anorak @ June 13 2011, 12:24 PM BST

No sootyj?

David Baddiel and Maureen Lipman were on BBC London News a couple of weeks ago talking about the exhibition. Looks really quite interesting, and I was surprised by some of the names the report mentioned. Do you recall how long it's on for, youngian?

I hope there was quite a bit about the Grades...?

Quote: youngian @ June 13 2011, 1:30 PM BST

Yeh he was a South African hairdresser called Sollie Cohen.

The most unlikely hairdresser that I can imagine. But back then they weren't all poofters were they? In fact he was a bit notorious for not being one, with his married clients, I believe. Isn't this the main reason he left for England, because so many irate husbands were after him?

Ok if I have to pick my favourite Brit comedy Jew it would be...I quite like Maureen Lipman but you've said her, so I'll go Warren Mitchell. Fab actor and a very entertaining bloke whenever I've heard him. You don't see much of him now.

Quote: Aaron @ June 13 2011, 4:32 PM BST

David Baddiel and Maureen Lipman were on BBC London News a couple of weeks ago talking about the exhibition. Looks really quite interesting, and I was surprised by some of the names the report mentioned. Do you recall how long it's on for, youngian?

I hope there was quite a bit about the Grades...?

I think it's on for a few months yet.
Yes there's a Delfont/Grade who's who.

There is always an Oscar Deutsch who had a vision to build art deco cinemas around the country. He called his business Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation-or Odeon for short.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ June 14 2011, 8:14 AM BST

The most unlikely hairdresser that I can imagine.

But you can see Sid as a 'something for the weekend' barber ('see the match last night sir?').

Quote: youngian @ June 14 2011, 8:53 AM BST

I think it's on for a few months yet.
Yes there's a Delfont/Grade who's who.

Ah good. I'll have to try to find time to go. I wonder what the likelihood of that happening actually is...

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