One of the unexpected perks of life in the Yiddish lane was ending up on a show with Herb Gardner, author of A Thousand Clowns and I’m Not Rappaport, and being able to let him know that the routine I did–it was called “I Was A Yeshiva Beatnik”–was entirely his fault. I saw A Thousand Clowns over the Xmas holidays in 1965 and was never the same again. In this quotation, Murray (played by Jason Robards) explains his ward’s name to a couple of social workers:
“I made a deal with him when he was six, up to which time he was known rather casually as Chubby, that he could use whatever name he wished, for however long he wished, until his thirteenth birthday, at which time he’d have to pick a name he liked permanently. Now, he went through a long period of dogs’ names when he was little, King and Rover having a real vogue there for a while. For three months, he referred to himself as Big Sam. Then there was Little Max, Snoopy, Chip, Rock, Rex, Mike, Marty, Lamont, Chevrolet, Woodrow, Lefty, The Phantom. He received his library card last year in the name of Raphael Sabatini. His Cub Scout membership lists him as Dr. Morris Fishbein. Nick seems to be the one that’ll stick, though.”
Here’s Jason Robards and Barry Gordon singing “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” to social worker Barbara Harris.
