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Comedian Hal Roach, ‘King of Blarney,' 84
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Scott Brady
Feb 29, 2012, 1:41:16 PM2/29/12
to
Comedian Hal Roach has died at age 84 in Florida. The Waterford-born
entertainer was a fixture in Irish American circles and spent 26 years
as comedian in residence at Jurys Cabaret in Dublin where millions of
Irish Americans laughed at his jokes.
His catch phrase was ‘write it down’ and Roach published several books
aimed at the Irish American market which were very popular.
Roach was over 60 years in show business and first came to attention
as a boy soprano.
Upon hearing the news, fellow comedian and good friend Brendan Grace
stated: "Roach was a prime influence throughout my career and has
inspired me and many others to walk in the shadow of his greatness."
The Irish Times printed five of Hal’s funniest jokes;
The teacher said, “Seán, what is a cannibal?” He said, “I don’t know.”
The teacher said, “Well, if you were to eat your mother and father,
what would you be?” He said, “An orphan”.
Murphy found himself very late one night in London in the underground
subway station, at four o’clock in the morning. He walked along to the
escalator. And on the escalator it is written, “Dogs must be carried
on the escalator.”
And he thought, “God, where am I going to find a dog at this hour of
the night?”
A man buys a jigsaw puzzle with eight pieces. Nine months later he has
managed to put it all together and is delighted with himself. He
thinks he has done well because on the box it says “four to six
years”.
The teacher said to this boy, “What’s Gandhi’s first name?” He said,
“Goosey Goosey”.
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/King-of-Blarney-comedian-Hal-Roach-dies-at-84-140847703.html
entertainer was a fixture in Irish American circles and spent 26 years
as comedian in residence at Jurys Cabaret in Dublin where millions of
Irish Americans laughed at his jokes.
His catch phrase was ‘write it down’ and Roach published several books
aimed at the Irish American market which were very popular.
Roach was over 60 years in show business and first came to attention
as a boy soprano.
Upon hearing the news, fellow comedian and good friend Brendan Grace
stated: "Roach was a prime influence throughout my career and has
inspired me and many others to walk in the shadow of his greatness."
The Irish Times printed five of Hal’s funniest jokes;
The teacher said, “Seán, what is a cannibal?” He said, “I don’t know.”
The teacher said, “Well, if you were to eat your mother and father,
what would you be?” He said, “An orphan”.
Murphy found himself very late one night in London in the underground
subway station, at four o’clock in the morning. He walked along to the
escalator. And on the escalator it is written, “Dogs must be carried
on the escalator.”
And he thought, “God, where am I going to find a dog at this hour of
the night?”
A man buys a jigsaw puzzle with eight pieces. Nine months later he has
managed to put it all together and is delighted with himself. He
thinks he has done well because on the box it says “four to six
years”.
The teacher said to this boy, “What’s Gandhi’s first name?” He said,
“Goosey Goosey”.
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/King-of-Blarney-comedian-Hal-Roach-dies-at-84-140847703.html
Diner
Feb 29, 2012, 2:36:30 PM2/29/12
to
On Wednesday, February 29, 2012 1:41:16 PM UTC-5, Scott Brady wrote:
> Comedian Hal Roach has died at age 84 in Florida. The Waterford-born
> entertainer was a fixture in Irish American circles and spent 26 years
> as comedian in residence at Jurys Cabaret in Dublin where millions of
> Irish Americans laughed at his jokes.
Not to be confused with the American comedy film producer of the same name, who died in 1992 at age 100.
> Comedian Hal Roach has died at age 84 in Florida. The Waterford-born
> entertainer was a fixture in Irish American circles and spent 26 years
> as comedian in residence at Jurys Cabaret in Dublin where millions of
> Irish Americans laughed at his jokes.
I hadn't thought of Hal Roach (the comedian) in years. I actually saw him once, when I was a kid, circa 1977. My dad took the whole family to see The Clancy Brothers, and Roach was the opening act. The venue was the Villanova University fieldhouse (then the home of the school's basketball team), which was packed.
I'm sure the Clancys were great, but I was too young to appreciate them at the time. As for Roach, he told one-liners for half an hour or so, each one sillier than the next. I only remember one joke he told: He was sitting on a subway, and a man walked up to him and asked "Are you reading that newspaper you're sitting on?" Even at age 12 or so, I immediately thought "He stole that joke from David Brenner!" Brenner told the joke better (as a story, saying he had been repeatedly asked the question on subway rides), and gave it a punch line (he said "Yes," got up, turned the page, and sat down again). Roach did it quicker - he just said the one line, then plowed on to the next joke. He kept it simple, for an audience that wanted it simple. That was his style, and it made him popular with a dedicated, if limited, audience for decades.
> The teacher said to this boy, “What’s Gandhi’s first name?” He said,
> “Goosey Goosey”.
-Tim
Scott Brady
Feb 29, 2012, 3:35:18 PM2/29/12
to
On Feb 29, 1:36 pm, Diner <bwayst...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Not to be confused with the American comedy film producer of the same name, who died in 1992 at age 100.
According to the Irish Times, his given name was John, but he was
> Not to be confused with the American comedy film producer of the same name, who died in 1992 at age 100.
nicknamed after the producer. Kinda like how anyone with the last name
Gordon is called Flash.
> I'm sure the Clancys were great, but I was too young to appreciate them at the time. As for Roach, he told one-liners for half an hour or so, each one sillier than the next. I only remember one joke he told: He was sitting on a subway, and a man walked up to him and asked "Are you reading that newspaper you're sitting on?" Even at age 12 or so, I immediately thought "He stole that joke from David Brenner!" Brenner told the joke better (as a story, saying he had been repeatedly asked the question on subway rides), and gave it a punch line (he said "Yes," got up, turned the page, and sat down again). Roach did it quicker - he just said the one line, then plowed on to the next joke. He kept it simple, for an audience that wanted it simple. That was his style, and it made him popular with a dedicated, if limited, audience for decades.
for no other reason than its audacious corniness. It's safe to say he
relied more on style more than originality.
Brenner's approach is somewhat similar. He's thought of as the
godfather of observational comedy, but much of his act is based on
disguising the most contrived of premises as actual news stories or
first-person experiences. Crediting him with originating the newspaper
bit is something of a leap of faith.
R H Draney
Feb 29, 2012, 4:49:39 PM2/29/12
to
Scott Brady filted:
>
>On Feb 29, 1:36=A0pm, Diner <bwayst...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Not to be confused with the American comedy film producer of the same nam=
When putting together a list of people with names that pretty much forced them
to become country singers (Merle Haggard, Narvel Felts, Ferlin Husky), I was
surprised to find that Conway Twitty was named after Harold Lloyd....r
--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.
>
>On Feb 29, 1:36=A0pm, Diner <bwayst...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Not to be confused with the American comedy film producer of the same nam=
>e, who died in 1992 at age 100.
>
>According to the Irish Times, his given name was John, but he was
>nicknamed after the producer. Kinda like how anyone with the last name
>Gordon is called Flash.
Or anyone named Rhodes becomes "Dusty"....
>
>According to the Irish Times, his given name was John, but he was
>nicknamed after the producer. Kinda like how anyone with the last name
>Gordon is called Flash.
When putting together a list of people with names that pretty much forced them
to become country singers (Merle Haggard, Narvel Felts, Ferlin Husky), I was
surprised to find that Conway Twitty was named after Harold Lloyd....r
--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.
Scott Brady
Feb 29, 2012, 5:11:01 PM2/29/12
to
On Feb 29, 3:49 pm, R H Draney <dadoc...@spamcop.net> wrote:
> >On Feb 29, 1:36=A0pm, Diner <bwayst...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> Not to be confused with the American comedy film producer of the same nam=
> >e, who died in 1992 at age 100.
>
> >According to the Irish Times, his given name was John, but he was
> >nicknamed after the producer. Kinda like how anyone with the last name
> >Gordon is called Flash.
>
> Or anyone named Rhodes becomes "Dusty"....
Then there's my friend Hopalong Cassidy. She hates that name.
> >On Feb 29, 1:36=A0pm, Diner <bwayst...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> Not to be confused with the American comedy film producer of the same nam=
> >e, who died in 1992 at age 100.
>
> >According to the Irish Times, his given name was John, but he was
> >nicknamed after the producer. Kinda like how anyone with the last name
> >Gordon is called Flash.
>
> Or anyone named Rhodes becomes "Dusty"....
David Carson
Mar 4, 2012, 9:16:35 PM3/4/12
to
On 29 Feb 2012 13:49:39 -0800, R H Draney <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote:
>Scott Brady filted:
>>
>>On Feb 29, 1:36=A0pm, Diner <bwayst...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Not to be confused with the American comedy film producer of the same nam=
>>e, who died in 1992 at age 100.
>>
>>According to the Irish Times, his given name was John, but he was
>>nicknamed after the producer. Kinda like how anyone with the last name
>>Gordon is called Flash.
>
>Or anyone named Rhodes becomes "Dusty"....
There was a time when any man named Gibson was nicknamed "Hoot". Probably
>Scott Brady filted:
>>
>>On Feb 29, 1:36=A0pm, Diner <bwayst...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Not to be confused with the American comedy film producer of the same nam=
>>e, who died in 1992 at age 100.
>>
>>According to the Irish Times, his given name was John, but he was
>>nicknamed after the producer. Kinda like how anyone with the last name
>>Gordon is called Flash.
>
>Or anyone named Rhodes becomes "Dusty"....
not anymore.
David Carson
--
Why do you seek the living among the dead? -- Luke 24:5
Who's Alive and Who's Dead
http://www.whosaliveandwhosdead.com
Scott Brady
Mar 4, 2012, 10:21:24 PM3/4/12
to
On Mar 4, 8:16 pm, David Carson <d...@neosoft.com> wrote:
> There was a time when any man named Gibson was nicknamed "Hoot". Probably
> not anymore.
>
> David Carson
And you'd have been "Kit."
> There was a time when any man named Gibson was nicknamed "Hoot". Probably
> not anymore.
>
> David Carson
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