“You are who you are! From the time you were born, and I don’t think it changes. It never did for me.”
“I don’t know what it is..
I don’t know..”
Yes, Larry, I know you don’t know: it’s called Temperament
“When you are working hard, and focused. You don’t think about it. You just do it.” — Larry
“If it is funny to me…”
yada, yada, yada…
She sure could.
“I hate housework! You make the beds, you do the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again.”
“People say that money is not the key to happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made.”
“I’ve had so much plastic surgery, when I die they will donate my body to Tupperware.”
And her friend Barbara Walters accused her of “Frankly, she did almost anything for a laugh” — but Joan would definitely disagree, for she said of herself “I will do Anything for a laugh.”
He was the King: A Natural Caesar. Sid Caesar.
And he was a natural Entertainer from the start:
Max and Ida Caesar ran a restaurant, a 24-hour luncheonette. By waiting on tables, their son learned to mimic the patois, rhythm and accents of the diverse clientele, a technique he termed “double-talk,” which he would famously use throughout his career. He first tried his “double-talk” with a group of Italians, his head barely reaching above the table. They enjoyed it so much that they sent him over to a group of Poles to repeat his native-sounding patter in Polish, and so on with Russians, Hungarians, Frenchmen, Spaniards, Lithuanians and Bulgarians.
He was the King. Hail to King. Long Live the King. The King of early television comedy.
I was alone with him the bedroom; his mind was alert but his body was failing. He said, almost buoyantly, “I’m ready now.” I sat on the edge of the bed, and another silence fell over us. Then he said, “I wish I could cry. I wish I could cry.”
At first I took this as a comment on his condition, but I am forever thankful that I pushed on. “What do you want to cry about?” I said.
“For all the love I received and couldn’t return.”
I felt a chill of familiarity. There was another lengthy silence as we looked into each other’s eyes. At last he said, “You did everything I wanted to do.”
“I did it for you.” I said. Then we wept for the lost years. I was glad I didn’t say the more complicated truth. “I did it because of you.” [Editor’s emphasis]
You know Steve, actually, you are not exactly correct. It’s even more complicated. You did it because of your father — and you. It’s called Character and Temperament.
I still remember it.
You bet your life, I do.
All though it might have been a rerun couple of years later, it was — that long ago, and I was definitely young at the time (sigh).
I remember it, even though, she didn’t have the crazy hair.
But you could see Groucho was impressed. He even said so at the time.
It takes talent to know talent. Natural talent, that is — it’s called Temperament
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