AVI HOFFMAN'S TOO JEWISH? (TV)
Summary
A broadcast of the one-man show by Jewish comedian and actor Avi Hoffman, recorded before a live audience at the Westside Theater in New York City. The show begins with a timeline of photographs depicting Hoffman's early years. Hoffman takes the stage, talking extensively about growing up in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx, New York, speaking only Yiddish. He sings portions of several well-known English songs -- but in Yiddish -- and several Yiddish songs that he remembers from his childhood, including "By the Side of the Road There Stands a Tree." Next, Hoffman talks about his grandparents who immigrated to the United States from Poland. The comedian talks about the ridicule he endured as a child because of his name, and he lists Jewish celebrities who changed their names because they sounded "too Jewish." Hoffman sings a medley of Yiddish songs, accompanied by flashcards with English translations of the lyrics, and talks about "Yinglish" words -- words in the American vernacular that came from Yiddish -- like schlep, schmaltz, and shtick. Hoffman talks about famous Jewish comedians such as Fivush Finkel, Lenny Bruce, and Woody Allen. Then, Hoffman repeats a story by Jewish poet Itzik Manger. He speaks about the frequent labeling of things as "too Jewish," and contrasts that with the lack of similar labels for other cultures. Hoffman closes the program by singing "When Messiah Comes," a song written for "Fiddler on the Roof" that never made it into the show -- because it was considered "too Jewish."
Cataloging of this program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 2001/2002.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WXEL-TV
- DATE: November 18, 2001 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:19:29
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:74784
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Jews
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 2001-2003
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Judith Resnick … Producer
- Ray Greenwald … Producer
- Pearl Resnick … Producer
- Bruce Slovin … Producer
- Mel Dubin … Producer
- Getty Myerburg … Producer
- Charles Kelman … Producer
- Marilyn Katz … Producer
- Al Freedman … Producer
- Jesse Weiner … Producer
- Jack Polansky … Producer
- Peter Librack … Associate Producer
- Avi Hoffman … Director
- Avi Hoffman … Performer
- Woody Allen
- Lenny Bruce
- Fivush Finkel
- Itzik Manger