''You Don't Have to be Jewish'' is a 1965

comedy album A comedy album is an audio recording of comedic material from a comedian or group of comedians, usually performed either live or in a studio. Comedy albums may feature skits, humorous songs, and/or live recording of stand-up comedy performan ...

written by Bob Booker and George Foster, the team behind the 1962 comedy album '' The First Family''.William D. Laffler. "What's new in records: famed Tijuana Brass given 'Jewish' takeoff" (review of ''Al Tijuana and His Jewish Brass''), ''Simpson's Leader-Times'', October 8, 1966, page 1, 4 TV section: ''under the direction of Bob Booker and George Foster, the pair responsible for the success of the phenomenal "First Family" and "You Don't have to be Jewish" albums.''

Production

The album features Lou Jacobi,

Betty Walker Betty Walker (August 7, 1928 – July 26, 1982) was a Jewish-American actress and comedian who performed primarily during the 1950s and 1960s. Life and career Walker was born Edith Seeman in Elizabeth, New Jersey to Latvians, Latvian Jewi ...

Jack Gilford Jack Gilford (born Jacob Aaron Gellman; July 25, 1908 – June 4, 1990) was an American Broadway, film, and television actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Save the Tiger'' (1973). Early life and ...

, Joe Silver, Jackie Kannon,

Bob McFadden Robert McFadden (January 19, 1923 – January 7, 2000) was an American singer, impressionist, and voice-over actor perhaps best known for his many contributions to animated cartoons. His most popular television cartoon characters included M ...

, Frank Gallop, and

Arlene Golonka Arlene Leanore Golonka (January 23, 1936 – May 31, 2021) was an American actress. She is known for playing Millie Hutchins on the television comedy ''The Andy Griffith Show'' and Millie Swanson on '' Mayberry R.F.D.'', and often portrayed ...

,Marvin Randolph. "'Jewish' sketch made in '65, 'Tiger Rag' in 1918," ''Sun-Sentinel'', October 6, 1996, page 3F. in a variety of roles, mostly Jewish, performing a mixture of jokes and comedy sketches. The album was recorded with a live audience, as the cast performed a script, like a radio play.

Reception

The album was highly successful, with syndicated columnist

Walter Winchell Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and c ...

calling the album "the No. 1 seller in Suburbia" and noting that as a popular gift "it has replaced the

fountain pen A fountain pen is a writing instrument that uses a metal nib (pen), nib to apply Fountain pen ink, water-based ink, or special pigment ink—suitable for fountain pens—to paper. It is distinguished from earlier dip pens by using an internal r ...

Bar Mitzvahs A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age, they ar ...

."Walter Winchell. "Walter Winchell in New York," ''High Point Enterprise'', October 22, 1965, page 7A.

Sequel

A sequel, ''When You're in Love, the Whole World is Jewish'', largely reunited the original cast but replaced the unavailable Golonka with her roommate,

Valerie Harper Valerie Kathryn Harper (August 22, 1939 – August 30, 2019) was an American actress. She began her career as a dancer on Broadway, making her debut as a replacement in the musical ''Li'l Abner''. She played Rhoda Morgenstern on ''The Mar ...

, who was not herself Jewish but frequently played Jewish characters.

Name

"You Don't Have to be Jewish to love Levy's" was an advertising campaign for Levy's rye bread that began in 1961 and ran through the 1970s.

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 1965 albums 1960s comedy albums 1960s spoken word albums 1960s concept albums Kapp Records albums