reed (12/06/82)
When the topic of questionable (humourous) Christmas records came up, I mentioned the record "Have a Jewish Christmas...?", dealing with how Jewish people deal with Christmas. Sufficient response warrants my posting of the liner notes to the net. Have a Jewish Christmas? 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 byL Jimmy Haskell With the Jackie Ward Singers SIDE ONE 1. The Problem 2. Christmas Cards ....with Hall Markowitz 3. Christmas Trees 4. Tanta and the Tree SIDE TWO 5. Santa Claus 6. Christmas Machers 7. The Party 8. Shut up, Irving! 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 collabourated 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 U.N.C.L.E., 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 that fifty years as a performer, he's played everything from Mississippi Riverboats 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 Kaszootie 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 Allan Sherman comedy album. Reginald X Carlisle: (The only one not pictured) 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. Engineers: Pete Abbott, Jack Manchen Editing: Rex Updergraph Recorded Live in Hollywood A CHUTZPAH PRODUCTION Manufactured and Distributed by Capitol Records (CANADA) Ltd. T-6247 ===== Well, that's it. There's no date on the album, so I'd hazard a guess at about 1968-69. Dave Reed, UTCS utcsstat!reed