Veteran comic talks about Love at First Bite
5-19-79
Dick Shawn's name keeps cropping up these days. The last time he made a big splash in New York was two years ago, when his one-man show, Dick Shawn is the Second Greatest Entertainer in the Whole Wide World, played at the Promenade1 Theatre for 14 weeks. But last fall, he gained millions of new fans with his sparkling appearances on the ill-fated network variety show starring Mary Tyler Moore, which folded after the third week. A commonly heard criticism of the show was: less Mary and more Shawn.
In George Hamilton's recently released film, Love At First Bite, Shawn plays the role of Lieutenant2 Ferguson, who teams up with a psychiatrist3 in order to make war on Dracula. Also he recently played the lead in the new Russell Baker/Cy Coleman musical, Home Again. But these are only a few of the highlights of Shawn's career, as I discover in an interview with the 51-year-old comedian4 at his plush Upper East Side apartment.
The word "comedian," he quickly points out, is not quite accurate. "I think of myself as a comedy character," he explains, relaxing on his couch with a plate of croissants and bacon that his pretty assistant has just brought him. "In Home Again, I played seven characters. … They ran out of money; it just closed out of town. It needs another four or five weeks of work. They plan to bring it back around September."
With his middle-age paunch and full head of tousled grey hair that resembles a bird's nest, Shawn has a definite comedic look about him, but he seldom smiles and never laughs during our long conversation. Still, his answers are both entertaining and revealing.
On Mary Tyler Moore's variety show: "That was a total mistake. They didn't know what they were doing there. I thought she was going to get the best writers and the best producers. But it was totally inadequate6. I knew from the very first day that it wasn't going to work. … The whole concept was wrong. Variety isn't Mary's forte7. You have to get yourself rolling around on the ground a little bit. She's such a nice, sweet girl that she doesn't come off as a clown."
The basis of all humor, believes Shawn, "is hostility8. But it has to be sweet hostility. … I think people become comedians9 because they poke10 fun at pretentiousness11. They usually come from meager12 backgrounds, and then they can look up and see the pomposity13 and the hypocrisy14 of many human beings. That's why there are no rich comics. A great many of them are Jewish or black — because as a kid they were told they were part of a minority group. They learned to have a sense of humor about themselves: they had to, in order to survive. Humor is their way of getting even with mankind."
Shawn's own background lends credence15 to his theory. Born Richard Schulefand in the steel town of Lackawanna, New York, he grew up in a family that was hard-hit by the Depression. While serving with the Army following World War II, he ended up in an entertainment troupe16. "I was delighted," he recalls, "and when I got out, I decided17 to pursue it." In the early 1950s, he secured his first professional engagement as a stand-up comic in Bayonne, New Jersey18, and was paid $25 a night. Since then, he has never been out of work, and has constantly used only his own material for his solo act — songs as well as sketches19.
"I don't really do jokes," he explains. "I do situation characters. Although the thrust of my humor is serious, I have always taken chances. In my club act, for example, I always ended up pretending to die on stage, rather than taking bows. Two guys would come with a stretcher and carry me out."
Among his more memorable20 performances over the years: the successor to Zero Mostel in Broadway's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum21, the freakishly funny beach bum22 in the Stanley Kramer film It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and a cavorting23 Adolph Hitler in Mel Brooks24' zany 1968 movie, The Producers.
Still, no project has gained him as much personal satisfaction as The
Second Greatest Entertainer in the Whole Wide World. After the New
York run, the show played to enthusiastic audiences in San Francisco and
Los Angeles, and earned Shawn awards for both Best Performer and Best
Playwright25 of the Year.
An Eastsider for the past seven years, he names Elaine's as his favorite local restaurant because "the food is good, and there's a simplicity26 about the place the attracts me."
Shawn describes himself as "disciplined, but not as disciplined as I should be. Because my work is loose, I'm always adding or changing. Nothing ever stays the same. But comedy is a very rewarding profession. It's nice to know that something that pops into your head can cause a reaction from total strangers who are paying you money to be entertained. I think that's the ultimate."
Probably best-known for The Prod5 ucers.
EASTSIDER GEORGE SHEARING27
Famed jazz pianist returns to New York
2-3-79
The scene was a Boston nightclub in the early 1950s. George Shearing and his quintet were scheduled to play the second set of the evening; the opening act was a piano/bass28/drums trio. But as soon as the first group's pianist hit the keys, a groan29 went up from the audience. It was a bad box, as they said in those days. The management's promise of a tuning30 had not been kept.
The trio retired31 in defeat 15 minutes later, and the audience called for Shearing. When the blind pianist was led on stage, he announced, to everyone's astonishment32, that he would open with a solo. But when he sat down at the instruments, a small miracle took place. The notes rang out with the clarity of crystal; Shearing's acute ear had told him which keys to avoid, and the precise amount of pressure to apply to the others so that the poor tuning would be camouflaged33. Those who were present to witness Shearing's uncanny musicianship may never forget the experience. But attending any of his performances is hardly less forgettable.
He's now playing each Tuesday through Saturday evening at the Cafe Carlyle, 76th Street and Madison Avenue, and will remain there until March 3rd. His famous quintet is no more — the group was disbanded in 1978 after 29 years — but Shearing, accompanied only by bass player Brian Torff, proves himself a master showman as he performs his unique brand of jazz, tells funny stories between numbers, and sings in his lilting, playful manner.
"I'm on the road about 10 months a year," he told the Carlyle crowd the previous night, when I went there to catch his show. "And one thing I cannot tolerate is the mediocrity of hotels and motels in this country. Once, on my second morning in a hotel, I called up the room service and said, 'Could you please bring me some breakfast? I'd like two eggs, one of them poached and the other scrambled34; two pieces of toast, one barely warm and the other burned almost to a crisp; and a pot of half coffee and half tea.' The person on the other end said, 'I'm sorry sir, I don't think we can fill that order.' I said, 'Why not? That's what you brought me yesterday.'"
The next afternoon I paid Shearing a visit at his new Eastside apartment, where he recently moved from San Francisco. An extremely amiable35, witty36, and knowledgeable37 man who speaks with a soft British accent, he guided me around the large, tastefully furnished apartment with great ease, showing me his braille-marked tape collection, his audio calculator and his braille library. He described everything, from the drapes to the furniture, as if he had perfect vision. Blind since birth, he is an expert bridge player and a fine cook.
"I've just started to take cooking lessons," said Shearing, stretched out n the sofa with a smile hovering38 constantly on his face. "My wife and I are taking the same course. It's at the Jewish Guild39 for the Blind. Naturally it's better for me to take lessons from someone who knows the idiosyncracies of cooking without looking. … I'm very interested in taste. If I were to cook some peas, for example, I would be inclined to line the saucepan with lettuce40 and add a little sugar and mint."
Born 59 years ago in London, the ninth child of a coalman, he began plucking out radio tunes41 on the piano at the age of 6, and by his early 20s was considered one of England's finest jazz pianists. He moved to the U.S. in 1947, and two years later became an overnight sensation when his newly formed quintet recorded "September in the Rain," which sold 900,000 copies. To date, Shearing has recorded more than 50 albums. When he finally broke up his quintet, it was to allow himself more musical freedom. His playing is a combination of jazz, classical and pop that calls for much improvisation42.
His most famous original composition, "Lullaby of Birdland," came to him "when I was sitting in my dining room in New Jersey, eating a steak. It took me only 10 minutes to write it. I went back to that butcher several times afterwards, but I never got the same steak."
A popular television personality, Shearing has appeared on all the major TV talk shows. In the past 15 years or so, he has also become a frequent performer with symphony orchestras, usually playing a piano concerto43 in the first half of the program and a jazz piece in the second half. Lionized in England, he returned to London last December and played a sellout concert at the 6500-seat Royal Albert Hall.
New York is where his American career began, and he decided to move back after spending 16 years on the West Coast, primarily because New York is far more centrally located for his extensive travelling. He chose the Upper East Side because "it would be difficult to realize we're in the heart of Manhattan, it's so quiet here." No sooner did he speak the words than, as if on cue, a baby in a downstairs apartment began to cry loudly. "Does somebody have a plastic bag?" he deadpanned.
One of Shearing's main interests — besides music, bridge and cooking — is business law. He once took a course on the subject "because I wanted to know what the other guy's rights are. If I know what his rights are, I know what mine are." Speaking of his many disappointments in hotels and motels, he said, "Misrepresentation and false advertising44 can be beaten at any time anyone wants to fight it. I have never lost a battle on this score yet."
He might have added, had modesty45 not prevented it, that he has also lost no battles in the game of life.
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1
promenade
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| n./v.散步 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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psychiatrist
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| n.精神病专家；精神病医师 | |
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comedian
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| n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员 | |
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prod
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| vt.戳，刺；刺激，激励 | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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forte
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| n.长处，擅长；adj.(音乐)强音的 | |
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hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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comedians
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| n.喜剧演员，丑角( comedian的名词复数 ) | |
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poke
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| n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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pretentiousness
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| n.矫饰；炫耀；自负；狂妄 | |
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meager
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| adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的 | |
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pomposity
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| n.浮华；虚夸；炫耀；自负 | |
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hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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credence
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| n.信用，祭器台，供桌，凭证 | |
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troupe
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| n.剧团，戏班；杂技团；马戏团 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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jersey
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| n.运动衫 | |
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sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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forum
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| n.论坛，讨论会 | |
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bum
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| n.臀部；流浪汉，乞丐；vt.乞求，乞讨 | |
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cavorting
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| v.跳跃( cavort的现在分词 ) | |
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brooks
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| n.小溪( brook的名词复数 ) | |
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playwright
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| n.剧作家，编写剧本的人 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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27
shearing
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| n.剪羊毛，剪取的羊毛v.剪羊毛( shear的现在分词 )；切断；剪切 | |
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bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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tuning
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| n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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camouflaged
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| v.隐蔽( camouflage的过去式和过去分词 )；掩盖；伪装，掩饰 | |
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34
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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knowledgeable
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| adj.知识渊博的；有见识的 | |
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hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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guild
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| n.行会，同业公会，协会 | |
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lettuce
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| n.莴苣；生菜 | |
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tunes
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| n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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42
improvisation
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| n.即席演奏(或演唱)；即兴创作 | |
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concerto
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| n.协奏曲 | |
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advertising
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| n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的 | |
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modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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