George Jessel plays the Palace (11/12/66)

Phil Harris introduces George Jessel to the Hollywood Palace on November 12, 1966. Georgie does his famous Hello Mama telephone routing; then he performs a tribute to Al Jolson.

[@govholocaustal4432]

One of the influences for zoidbergs voice in futurama

[@marioescalante4401]

"Hello Mama? It's Georgie. Your son from the money every week?" is one of the best lines ever.

[@howardadamsky2417]

Oh yes. Brilliant.

[@liddyg4109]

Gilbert Gottfried does the best impression of this guy.

[@peshokarivanov5814]

As well as Billy West.

[@emersonlopez-cruz2029]

And he did a helluva Bella Lugosi too😂

[@tchrisou812]

have you heard his Dracula?

[@d2vmusic]

@@tchrisou812"Listen to them, children of the night. What music they make."

[@tchrisou812]

@@d2vmusic 😂🤣😅

[@MrFlamethrower32]

Gilbert gottfrieds random impression on stern brought me here lol

[@Ditka-89]

Me Too! Gilbert sounds just like him

[@elmostong1865]

Me too LOL!

[@patrickwcowley]

me too!! your comment made me happy!!

[@terencemckenna6468]

Momma. Did you get that parrot I sent you?

[@hisroyalhighness8566]

Goo for you

[@natalia6465]

I watched this and now understand why Dean Martin adored Georgie Jessel, what a talent, many thanks for opportunity to see

[@guyrestivo]

.eddy cantor...jessel...burns and allen....jolson...benny....berhl.......the great entertainers and comics that first entertained us in vaudeville..than radio...than tv.....legends...all of them!!!!!

[@LPJack02]

RIP Al Jolson (May 26, 1886 - October 23, 1950), aged 64 RIP George Jessel (April 3, 1898 - May 23, 1981), aged 83 RIP Phil Harris (June 24, 1904 - August 11, 1995), aged 91 You will be remembered as legends.

[@LaptopLarry330]

This was a great performance by George Jessel. The comedy routine was very humorous, and his singing of hit songs from the early-20th Century were very entertaining. Thanks for sharing this TV performance by George Jessel on the ABC variety show, "The Hollywood Palace". 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

[@hchattaway]

Was watching a dean martin roast with Charlie Callas imitating him... hilarious! So had to find out more about him!

[@travs.d.8142]

Thank you for posting this Anthony -- a wonderful bit of history

[@adf3comcast1]

Trav, we have obtained this clip in color which I will send to you.

[@travs.d.8142]

@@adf3comcast1 cool!

[@CarlDuke]

A Jessel only comes along once. What a special performer.

[@CarlDuke]

Wonderful clip. Thanks so much for linking it up on facebook, where I found it.

[@tg213]

i saw him at ubon royal thai air base in 1973. definitely old school. i was to young to appreciate his comedy but give him credit for performing for the troops in a war zone

[@wasteofspace20]

Thank you for your service and comment!

[@jake8855]

Thailand wasn't a war zone

[@tg213]

@@jake8855 correct. though many of us got combat pay flying into vietnam, laos, and cambodia on air missions from thai bases

[@wasteofspace20]

@@jake8855 you obviously haven’t met the calvade of German gays that come down every September to hunt for sex slaves.

[@alteredbeast1974]

Yea Gilbert doing George Jessel , and talking about the Bowery Boys , Huntz Hall Leo Gorcey was friggin hilarious

[@Lunar994]

So apparently, he was one of the two inspirations behind Zoodberg's voice. Yeah, I can hear it

[@StevenTorrey]

Wowsa, quite the entertainer.... I don't think I had ever heard him sing even though he played in Broadway show "The Jazz Singer" as Jakie Rabinowitz. He would have aced the movie.

[@skwisgarskwigelf7191]

Steven Torrey his delivery is pretty good. Too bad his jokes were meh

[@krushfield]

What a legend. This guy makes Jeff Ross look like a lightweight.

[@piesusan17]

Phil Harris sang "Loaded Pistols and Loaded Dice". If you have a moment, listen to it, too.

[@vexinglex4996]

Wait... Dr. Zoidberg!?

[@AlfredHawthornBennyHill]

Georgie Jessel and Lou Jacobi are the the voices Billy West used for Zoiberg.

[@iiWNMii]

Futurama's director's commentary brought me here.

[@Jabberwockybird]

Need an old time comedian? Why not GeorgieBerg?

[@aaqilian5.085]

Awesome clip. Wowee!

[@harrylangdon491]

If you're interested in Georgie, try his memoir The World I Lived In (1975). Great anecdotes about early 20th century show biz.

[@METALITHrevetments]

You're right...it's a very interesting book. Actually it's his 2nd book - the 1st being "So Help Me" from 1946.

[@jeffryflorentine7998]

Phil Harris hosting the show.

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

What an entertainer!

[@GizmoFromPizmo]

Excellent!

[@jonathankoziol6573]

Gilbert and the AA show brought me here.

[@jerrydillon1451]

GOOD COMEDY IS GOOD COMEDY.HIS MAMA.Routine is at lest 100years.old.it not only brought a smile to my FACE but a CHUCKLE OR 2 and there was no sex or f word yep funny is FUNNY !!!!👏👏👏👍👍👍😆😆😆

[@METALITHrevetments]

George Jessel was one of the most talented performers of the 20th century. He is not remembered as vividly as George Burns, Jack Benny or Milton Berle because Jessel's career went a bit haywire because he went in too many directions rather than just focusing on one or two things.

[@NoOne-kr4jc]

i see

[@JustAPrayer]

I used to like him until I found out what he did to Shirley Temple

[@METALITHrevetments]

@@JustAPrayer Those are rumors and have never been validated.

[@Mondomeyer]

I could be wrong, but didn't Temple herself say so?@@METALITHrevetments

[@marshallkinjongun5333]

what a talent.

[@aaronbroyles9082]

Billy West brought me here, and I definitely hear Zoidberg.

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

After giving home yet another chance here, I still never "got" Georgie.

[@aaqilian5.085]

Oh well…

[@musicom67]

"Hello Operator... Oh, Myrt, is that you?" So looks like radio-writer Don Quinn saw a Jessel show on the 'circuit'...for the infamous "Fibber McGee & Molly" gag...(also satirized in numerous Bugs Bunny cartoons).

[@markthompson3449]

This was filmed seven months before I was born.

[@apusapus71]

Phil Harris, the host - how many recognise his voice from Disney's Jungle Book?

[@TheBigMclargehuge]

I'm completely stone-faced watching George Jessel. George Burns said he was the funniest comedian ever. I'm going to assume he was funny in private.

[@Lampshade51]

Yes, people said that he was quite funny in private, but I find his act creaky and his ad libs on talk shows pretty lukewarm.

[@rogerrambo4172]

In 1956 The Rank Film Organisation signed Larry Parks to play Jessell in THE GEORGE JESSELL STORY to be directed by Robert Asher a favourite English Director of Norman Wisdom & Morecambe & Wise, wich would have been a black & white almost scene for scene remake of Parks's earlier musical blockbuster THE JOLSON STORY filmed at Londons Pinewood Studios (doubling up as both Broadway & Hollywood) & like in TJS Parks would have mimed to Jessell's singing voice. Columbia Pictures & Sidney Skolsky got ahold of the screenplay & deemed it to be a scene for scene remake of The Jolson Story & threatened to sue & the project was cancelled much to Parks's frustration. He had been blacklisted after the House of UnAmerican Activity trial for being a communist & naming names to spare jail & work had been sparse but he threw himself into preparation & studying to play Jessell with Jessells blessing & was heartbroken by the cancellation

[@debradorfman7940]

He was funny. One has to be able to appreciate different styles.

[@daveleidy5984]

That joke about the bird is still funny

[@harryhagan5937]

It was old even then.

[@vladimirharkonnen458]

Looking for Jessel? Why not Zoidberg?

[@masterfarr8265]

Human Zoidberg

[@Jabberwockybird]

Phil Harris smoking on stage while MCing. Must have been the Lucky Strike era on the Jack Benny show.

[@davemiller4721]

The Lucky Strike "era" on the Benny show ended some time in the mid-50's. People smoked on TV...and everywhere.

[@begs54]

We all grew up with these entertainers.... The question is what do they grow up with today?😳😳😳😳😳😳

[@skwisgarskwigelf7191]

He reminds me of Zoidberg

[@yournamehere6002]

Zoidberg is based on him

[@aaqilian5.085]

And you knew that.

[@notsureiL]

The only reason I am here. Vanity Fair interview, Billy West talks about the two who he fused together and created Zoidbergs voice Jessel and Lou Jacobi.

[@NoOne-kr4jc]

This man was and is charming to watch. I think he was well loved by many of his contemporaries. Its a shame due to him being lesser known today than George Burns or Jack Benny, he was an abuser of power, and preyed on Shirley Temple. I am going to paraphrase something Don Rickles said. When you are doing a comedic act on stage, you are out there naked selling yourself, and the audience decides whether they like you or not. Unfortunately, knowing that side of him, it makes me not like who he is. He's left with a lacking legacy on KZbin in comparison to many others, but there are a lot of articles about Shirley Temple and the abuse she went through.

[@TheDoctor1225]

Ah yes, this again. Well, here you go. Strange that this story is trotted out (again) on this video. Shirley Temple, to my knowledge, named "a director" as the one who did that and never named anyone specifically in her book. (In point of fact, articles about her life name Arthur Freed, a film producer, at the time but she did not) She also wrote her book some 8 years after George Jessel had died, so even if she HAD named him, it would have been at a time when he conveniently could not defend himself. I have no particular dog in this fight save for remembering, as was once said, that it's very easy to throw mud on a man's name when he can't defend himself. The only story that makes the claim about Jessel comes from a website called "thelifeandtimesofhollywood.com" (a Wordpress blog and site) and only gives this link as a reference - and it's from the National Enquirer. Yeah. Definitely hardcore reporting there. www.nationalenquirer.com/photos/shirley-temple-child-labor-sexual-abuse/

[@NoOne-kr4jc]

@@TheDoctor1225 Thanks.

[@oliviaalmonds2255]

Due to you bringing this up.. I just read about him in wikipedia.. And it says he had divorces with wives and they had reported on accounts of "cruelty"... Plus it also says he caused scandal after shooting his second ex wife's lover.... Then he grabbed shirley.. This is awful.. I mean even if the shirley case isn't true.. The way he treated his wives wasn't nice either

[@TheDoctor1225]

@@oliviaalmonds2255 That I can't speak on, as I don't know - but if we start not liking entertainers, actors, singers, and others because of what they act like personally, we are going to have a VERY small number of people - if any - that any of us will be able to enjoy. It's something to consider.

[@oliviaalmonds2255]

@@TheDoctor1225 even a murderer can have talents.. But despise him, appreciate his talent.. It's still not right to keep these kind of people in the industry who kill or sexually harass others. Don't tell me you seriously support keeping these kind of people in the industry

[@checkle1]

It's interesting that this was the style back then. I appreciate the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel a bit more because it's very similar.

[@peterwilson2080]

Jessel was one of the biggest perverts in Hollywood. In her autobiography, Shirley Temple wrote about an encounter when she was a teenager. As a producer at Fox, Jessel invited Shirley to his office to discuss a film project. Shirley wrote: "In one sudden movement, he opened his trousers and tried to lift my skirt." Shirley kneed him right in the groin. Bravo!

[@TheDoctor1225]

Strange that this story is trotted out (again) on this video. Shirley Temple, to my knowledge, named "a director" as the one who did that and never named anyone specifically in her book. (In point of fact, articles about her life name Arthur Freed, a film producer, at the time but she did not) She also wrote her book some 8 years after George Jessel had died, so even if she HAD named him, it would have been at a time when he conveniently could not defend himself. I have no particular dog in this fight save for remembering, as was once said, that it's very easy to throw mud on a man's name when he can't defend himself. The only story that makes the claim about Jessel comes from a website called "thelifeandtimesofhollywood.com" (a Wordpress blog and site) and only gives this link as a reference - and it's from the National Enquirer. Yeah. Definitely hardcore reporting there. www.nationalenquirer.com/photos/shirley-temple-child-labor-sexual-abuse/

[@montgomerywolf3434]

OMG!!! A CIGARETTE!!! /sarc. off

[@notsureiL]

Phil Harris. Papa Baloo and Thomas O'Malley?

[@Jabberwockybird]

And Little John

[@harryhagan5937]

Harris was a REAL talent. Started out as a drummer. From Australia, I think. Not sure.

[@davemiller4721]

@@harryhagan5937 So what did he like about the south...New South Wales?

[@annereilley4892]

He's so short...and that hair!

[@lynnb.6722]

Baloo!

[@smoothoperator7023]

🥱😴😴😴😴😴😵‍💫

[@erichvonmolder9310]

Gilbert does a better job than Jessel.

[@spinandmarty]

real show business- not the plastic no longevity no talent manufactured zero work ethic c_=p of today

[@chilloutlawolf8622]

boom boom BOOMER! 😋

[@JustAPrayer]

Yeah real talented but a real mess behind the scenes. Just ask Shirley Temple.

[@TheDoctor1225]

@@chilloutlawolf8622 Mor mor mor MORON. What a lame, tired insult to trot out becuase someone has a different opinion than you.

[@Martyisruling]

He was awful. But Gilbert Gottfried's imitation of him is genius. "Hello Mama?"

[@checkle1]

well, Gilbert imitated him for a reason. He was a product of his time and was popular for a reason.

[@John-wg1jh]

This is funny?

[@kevinthomas4074]

How is this funny?

[@alvinjamesjonesjr5626]

Cause of Gilbert and Howard stern

[@db44gs]

And Charlie Callas. Check out his impression of him on the Don Rickles roast if you haven't already.

[@METALITHrevetments]

@@db44gs And Rob Reiner.

[@notquitedone51]

John Byner's impression was great too.

[@skwisgarskwigelf7191]

Because it Dr. Zoidberg (V) ;,,; (V)

[@furerorban1488]

shame on you Phil Harris! cigarett is illegal this should be banned from the American and European KZbin!