Henny Youngman was one of the most influential comedians of all time. He paved the way for generations of comics who followed him, from Rodney Dangerfield to Steven Wright to Mitch Hedberg. His style of humor was simple, inoffensive, and friendly, but also sharp, witty, and hilarious. He could deliver up to 200 jokes in a 15-minute set, each one ending with a punchline that left the audience in stitches.
Youngman was born in Liverpool, England in 1906, but moved to New York City with his family when he was a child. He started his career as a printer, but switched to comedy after winning an amateur contest at a local theater. He soon became a regular performer at clubs and theaters, where he met his wife Sadie Cohen, who would become the subject of many of his jokes.
Youngman’s signature joke “Take my wife, please” originated from a misunderstanding with a stagehand at a radio show in the mid-1930s. Youngman took his wife to the show and asked the stagehand to escort her to a seat. The stagehand thought it was a joke and laughed, so Youngman decided to use it in his stand-up routine. The joke became so popular that it became synonymous with Youngman’s name.
Youngman was not only famous for his jokes about his wife, but also for his jokes about marriage, family, money, doctors, and life in general. Some of his classic one-liners are:
– “My wife and I have the secret to making a marriage last. Two times a week, we go to a nice restaurant, a little wine, good food. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays.”
– “I’ve been in love with the same woman for 49 years. If my wife ever finds out, she’ll kill me.”
– “When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.”
– “A doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn’t pay his bill, so he gave him another six months.”
Youngman was friends with Milton Berle, who encouraged him to pursue comedy and gave him advice on timing and delivery. Youngman also appeared on television shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, and Laugh-In. He continued to perform until his death in 1998 at the age of 91.
Youngman’s legacy lives on in the comedy world, where his jokes are still quoted and admired by fans and comedians alike. He is widely regarded as the King of the One-Liners, and his legendary joke “Take my wife, please” is still one of the most recognizable and iconic jokes in history.
Relevant articles:
– Comedy Classics: Henny Youngman – “Take My Wife. Please.”, Jewish Humor Central, June 12, 2012.
– The 10 best one-liners in comedy, from Henny Youngman to Tina Fey, The Washington Post, August 11, 2023
– Henny Youngman: The King of the One-Liners, The Jewish Voice, August 10, 2023
– How Henny Youngman’s ‘Take my wife, please’ joke became a classic, The Conversation, August 9, 2023