FaLaLaLaLa

Have A Jewish Christmas
Ray Brenner and Barry E. Blitzer
Tower ST-5081
1967

SIDE ONE
1.    The Problem   6:54
2.    Christmas Cards   4:22
3.    Christmas Trees    3:07
4.    Tanta and the Tree   5:35

SIDE TWO
1.    Santa Claus   3:32
2.    Christmas Machers   7:25
3.    The Party   5:28
4.    Shut Up, Irving   5:47

LINER NOTES:

Created, Written and Produced by
RAY BRENNER AND BARRY E. BLITZER

Narrated by and Featuring
Lennie Weinrib

With

Naomi Lewis
Christine Nelson
Reginald X. Carlisle

Special Guest Star:
BENNY RUBIN

Music Conducted and Arranged by:
Jimmy Haskell

With the Jackie Ward Singers

Engineers: Pete Abbott, Jack Manchen
Editing: Rex Updergraph
Recorded live in Hollywood
Cover: Roland Young
A CHUTZPAH PRODUCTION

SIDE ONE:
1. THE PROBLEM
Ida Glickman……………Chris
First Rabbi……………Benny
Second Rabbi……………Reggie
Peacemaker……………Benny

2. CHRISTMAS CARDS
Hall Markowitz……………Reggie

3. CHRISTMAS TREES
David……………Naomi
Sharon……………Chris
Harry……………Lennie
Doctor……………Reggie
Salesman……………Benny

4. TANTA AND THE
TREE
Sharon……………Chris
Harry……………Lenny
Tanta
Sophie……………Naomi

SIDE TWO

5. SANTA
CLAUS
Larry……………Naomi
Santa……………Benny

6. CHRISTMAS
MACHERS
Aaron……………Lennie
Hymie……………Benny
Fanny……………Naomi

7. THE PARTY
The
Dispatcher……………Reggie
Goldie……………Chris
Esther……………Naomi
Abe……………Lennie
Sol……………Benny
First
Man……………Lennie
First Woman……………Chris
Second
Man……………Reggie
Second
Woman……………Naomi
Cantor……………Benny
Bernie……………Lennie
Abdul……………Benny

8.
SHUT UP, IRVING
Irving……………Benny
Sadie……………Naomi
Ghost……………Lennie

“I’d love having a Jewish Christmas
but somehow I have difficulty sustaining Jewish friendships”…
Martin Bormann

“Whether you’re celebrating a Jewish
Christmas or a Gentile Christmas, I’ll meet you half way”… Barry
Goldwater

“This year, I’m thinking of asking
all my followers to celebrate the Jewish Christmas…by burning down
a delicatessen”… Rap Brown

“I personally would have preferred a
Gentile Chanukah”… Cardinal Spellman

“Down here at the Ranch, we’re
celebrating the Jewish Christmas by ‘having a Jew to the
barbecue’”… Lady Bird, Lucy Bird and Rabbi Byrd

“All right—have your Jewish
Christmas but we demand a Negro New Years”… Adam Clayton Powell

“Have a Jewish Christmas—but do we
have to have them for neighbors!?”… King Hussein

Disclaimer: These quotes were collected
by the Producers on one of their recent trips…from now on they’re
going TWA instead of LSD.

RAY BRENNER AND BARRY E. BLITZER:

Ray Brenner and Barry E. Blitzer are
one of television’s most active comedy writing teams. Ray, a native
Californian, worked on such shows as The Real McCoys and Dinah Shore;
Barry, a displaced New Yorker, achieved recognition as a writer on
the Sergeant Bilko Show, for which he was awarded an Emmy. The boys
first collaborated on McHale’s Navy and subsequently scripted for
such shows as Donna Reed, Andy Griffith and Get Smart. They’re
currently in their second season as staffers for Gomer Pyle and are
also contributing to the Carol Burnett Show.

LENNIE WEINRIB:

Lennie Weinrib has become one of the
busiest “voices” in radio and television. You hear him regularly
on commercials for Avis, Hunts Tomato Sauce, G.E., Pepsodent and
countless others. In addition to his practically full-time voicing
schedule, Lennie is a director, writer, actor, comedian and
singer—and is currently active in all these fields. He was the
comedy star of the famous Billy Barnes Review which had long runs in
Los Angeles and New York, and was recently featured in such TV shows
as The Man From UNCLE, Laredo, Jericho and others. Lennie narrates
all the tracks on this album.

BENNY RUBIN:

Benny Rubin could easily qualify for
the title of “Mr. Show Biz.” In his more than fifty years as a
performer he’s played everything from Mississippi Riverboats to
Burlesque to Vaudeville where he headlined at the Palace Theater. A
master dialectician, Benny has appeared in numerous movies as well as
being a near-regular on the Jack Benny television show. He recently
finished a picture with Don Knotts and can be seen in guest
appearances on the Joey Bishop Show.

NAOMI LEWIS:

Naomi Lewis is one of radio and
television’s best known voice specialists. Early in her career, she
headed her own TV series, NBC’s famous “Rootie Kazootie Show”
which ran daily for over thirteen hundred performances. Since then
she has been lending her comedic talents to commercials including
those produced by the inimitable Stan Freberg.

CHRISTINE NELSON:

Christine Nelson is regarded as one of
the most versatile comediennes on the scene. She’s appeared on many
of television’s outstanding comedy shows: Ray Bolger, George Gobel,
Danny Kaye and has appeared in several movies including “Send Me No
Flowers” with Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Among her outstanding
successes was the role of “Sarah Jackman” in the Allen Sherman
comedy album.

REGINALD X. CARLISLE:

Reginald X. Carlisle is the pseudonym
for a famous radio, television and screen personality. Since Reggie
has relatives living in both Israel and the Vatican—he prefers to
remain anonymous.

THOUGHTS FROM THE KING:

The first thing that I will have you notice is the full title of this album, most especially the punctuation at the end.  This is a question.  A question that was alive and well in 1967 even before there was a "War on Christmas".  So how do people of the Jewish faith deal with a national holiday that is nominally Christian?  By engaging in skits of Borscht Belt humor, of course.

There is abundant comic talent available here (click the performers names above to see more).  Probably most recognizable to folks of my generation (b. 1965) is Lennie Weinrib’s voice.  He voiced many cartoons throughout my childhood but will forever be heard in my head as the voice of H.R. Pufnstuf.  And not only was he the voice of that giant dragon, he wrote every episode of the series as well.

I’m sure that there are lots of jokes here that a gentile like me is bound to miss.  I mean I’ve seen plenty of Seinfeld/Mel Brooks/Marx Brothers, but I’m not really one of the chosen people.  But you don’t really need to be, do you?  This is humor that is really about being a fish out of water.

Now, if anybody can listen and tell me who the mysterious "Reginald X. Carlisle" I will be forever grateful.

Listen.  Enjoy.  L’chaim.