The Last Time He Parked His Karkus.

Anybody out there know who Parkyakarkus was?
The older you are, the more likely you are to know.
Parkyakarkus was a great comedian.
He was known primarily for his appearances on the Eddie Cantor radio show, where he
was really funny.
He also appeared in supporting roles in movies which did not show him off particularly
well, although there were glimmers of his greatness.
His actual name was Harry Einstein.
He might be best known for being Albert Brooks' father.
He was also the father of Bob Einstein, best-known as "Super Dave" Osborne.
I'm sure Bob appreciates the second billing he has been relegated to all of his life.

They came by their gifts honestly.
I never really appreciated how truly funny Parkyakarkus was until yesterday.
On the "Classic Television Showbiz" website, run by a young fellow named Kliph Nesteroff,
there was a recording of Harry's appearance at a Friars Club Roast for Lucille Ball
and Desi Arnaz on November 24th 1958.
It was perhaps the funniest nine and-a-half minutes of stand-up comedy ever done.
Easily funnier than anything his sons ever did.
And that's saying something.
It was also the most compelling piece of show business I have ever been privy to.
Harry killed that night.
He devastated the huge crowd.
Gales of laughter.
I was sitting at my computer, laughing hard, out loud, continually.
This caused my wife to call out "What's going on in there?"
I just continued to giggle.
When Harry finished his priceless nine and-a-half minutes, he retreated from the
podium, took his seat, keeled over, and almost immediately dropped dead.
There were appropriate cries of "Is there a doctor in the house?!!"
And, it being the Friars Club, there were more than a handful.
They tried valiantly to save Harry, but they couldn't.
And you knew before you listened to it that this was going to be the outcome.
Because it was accompanied by newspaper articles that explained what happened.
So it was chilling.
So far, it's still posted as today's lead article, but Kliph tehds to put up new ones almost every day.
So if it isn't still up there, you can find it by doing a search on his website.
This is a must for anyone who loves great comedy.
And great drama.
Simultaneously.

What a way to go.

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My books ,"Show Runner" and it's sequel,"Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperback, "Mark Rothman's Essays" is still available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings remaining, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne & Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.
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