The misplaced punchline

Awkward and structurally incorrect, however in the context of the title of the book it is actually hilarious.

Anyway, there’s this old Jewish man who is trying to get into the synagogue during the Yom Kippur service, and the usher finally says to him, ‘All right, go ahead in, but don’t let me catch you praying,’ (PAUSE) Oh, did I mention that the old man just wants to go in and give a message to someone in the synagogue? He doesn’t actually want to go into the synagogue and pray, you see.

(PAUSE FROWN) Wait a minute. I don’t know if I mentioned that the old man doesn’t have a ticket for the service. You know how crowded it always is on Yom Kippur, and the old man doesnt have a ticket, and he explains to the usher that he has to go into the synagogue and tell somebody something, but the usher isn’t going to let him in without a ticket. So the old man explains to him that it’s a matter of life and death, so then the usher thinks it over and he says to the old man, ‘All right, go ahead in, but don’t let me catch you praying.’ (PAUSE, FROWN, STAND AND BEGAN EMPTYING ASHTRAYS) Ach I don’t think I told it right, AI, you tell it.

– the mother, in Dan Greenburg (U.S.),

In How to Be a Jewish Mother , the mother is so impatient and rattlingly eager to raise a laugh, she gets it all wrong and raises the punchline at the beginning rather than the end.

We have to gather deep respect for the Comedian and the Joker friends. Writing and telling jokes is hard work.

A very lovely training.

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