S04.E07: Ethan…Esther…Chaim

[Pallas]

Abe forgets his tobacco. Joel raises a glass with Moishe. Midge learns firsthand about America’s bicameral system of legislature

[greekmom]

I cannot believe Midge was stupid enough to blow the Jackie Kennedy luncheon.

 

[meligator]

44 minutes ago, greekmom said:

I cannot believe Midge was stupid enough to blow the Jackie Kennedy luncheon.

 

I can believe it but UGH - they told her what they needed and they she had to go off to something else entirely.

[maggiegil]

Marin Hinkle killed it doing Midges act, she was excellent. Wish we had more of Astrid, shes such a good character.

The Milo Ventimiglia appearance was such a let down, all the paparazzi photos of them shooting the scenes really made it seem like he was a major part of the season but it really could have been any random handsome actor.

[greekmom]

8 hours ago, maggiegil said:

Marin Hinkle killed it doing Midges act, she was excellent. Wish we had more of Astrid, shes such a good character.

The Milo Ventimiglia appearance was such a let down, all the paparazzi photos of them shooting the scenes really made it seem like he was a major part of the season but it really could have been any random handsome actor.

Agreed on all points.

We know from history that JFK played around but at that point before her became President did Jackie know the extent of his fooling around with other women?  I am gobsmacked as to why Midge would tell that story to a lady's luncheon. 

 

[shapeshifter]

47 minutes ago, greekmom said:

We know from history that JFK played around but at that point before her became President did Jackie know the extent of his fooling around with other women? 

IMO based on decades of observation of humans, most likely he did and she knew.  
Regardless, apparently this fictional representation of Jackie Kennedy walked in on JFK and another woman in bed. 

47 minutes ago, greekmom said:

I am gobsmacked as to why Midge would tell that story to a lady's luncheon.

Well, in the last episode or two, Midge came to the realization that making jokes about a beloved icon of the audience (Shy) was not a good idea. So Midge made herself the target. 

Edited March 11, 2022 by shapeshifter

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, maggiegil said:

Marin Hinkle killed it doing Midges act, she was excellent

Having Midge (and her family!) in the audience watching Rose deliver humiliating joke after joke about her family–—with Rose completely unaware of anything being wrong–—was a genius bit of writing that was presumably the payoff for the season-long inclusion of the new character of the illusionist.

And yet, it seemed to miss the mark with regards to it being a revelatory moment of character development for Midge.

I guess that was part of the point?

Kind of like how Lenny felt waking up in Midge’s apartment with her parents and kids? Just a sense of being in the wrong place but certainly no personal regrets?

Edited March 11, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Carolina Girl]

6 hours ago, greekmom said:

We know from history that JFK played around but at that point before her became President did Jackie know the extent of his fooling around with other women? 

According to rumor, yes she did.  The story is that prior to the Presidential campaign, she informed ol' Joe that she'd had enough and she was going to leave Jack, at which time Joe offered her a million bucks to stay with him (and supposedly took Jack to the woodshed and told him to stop "f**king" around).  

[LadyRose]

Anachronism note: the Republic of Croatia didn't exist in 1960. It was part of Yugoslavia. 

[nomodrama]

Rose doing Midge's act was absolutely perfect (chef's kiss)! I agree with Midge that she improved it, and watching the family while she was doing the act was a riot. 

I don't care....I love Alfie. His character is so over the top kooky, and I find him hilarious. 

It's always so depressing watching shows portray the Kennedys. That family really got put thru the ringer and went thru a world of hurt. 

 

[CinAZ]

The Catholic Church thing was so funny!!

The Kennedy thing? Wow. Dig that hole deeper Midge….

Love the magician Alfie… he is very strange, but it’s awesome. He is more of a hypnotist. And wow Rose!

[chitowngirl]

I’m guessing Milo’s small, one-off appearance was a favor to The Palladino’s…

[Sarah 103]

On 3/10/2022 at 9:56 PM, maggiegil said:

Marin Hinkle killed it doing Midges act, she was excellent. Wish we had more of Astrid, shes such a good character.

What impressed me was that the physicality and the vocal delivery were an almost perfect match for Midge. I'm kind of surprised she was able to do the act from memory having only seen it once, but I'm to chalk that one up to "it's television, just roll with it/accept it." I'm dissapointed we didn't get more of Noah this season. I want to see more scenes with just the two of them. I want a better understanding of what thier relationship is like now and what it was like when they were younger. 

20 hours ago, greekmom said:

We know from history that JFK played around but at that point before her became President did Jackie know the extent of his fooling around with other women? 

Before JFK became president, Jackie almost left him because she couldn't take all of the affairs/fooling around. Joe (JFK's father) told her that was not an option and to ask for anything she wanted/needed to make the marriage work. 

I'm confused about something. I thought the lunch was a fundraiser, but that no actual members of the Kennedy family were there. Did I miss something? 

[Badger]

Another anachronism: In 1960, the Catholic Mass was still being celebrated in Latin.  So the priest would have said "Corpus Christi," not "Body of Christ."

 

 

 

[Aulty]

17 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I'm confused about something. I thought the lunch was a fundraiser, but that no actual members of the Kennedy family were there. Did I miss something? 

Jackie was there, wasn't she? At a table in the centre of the room, big hair and all.

[Pallas]

1 hour ago, Aulty said:

Jackie was there, wasn't she?

Yes. Midge made her cry. That rang down the curtain on the entertainment portion of the fundraiser, but apparently, Midge still got paid: even though Jackie's breakdown clearly suggested that her husband the  candidate was a womanizing horror. The Upper East SIde guests may have briefly empathized but would hated the reminder and not rewarded Jackie's loss of composure with funds or votes. (Bad casting for Jackie, whose eyes and cheekbones were remarkably wide-set. The pink wool dress was also a questionable choice.)

[HouseofBeck]

Alfie is an ass. There was too much pain and embarrassment leveled at the family. Yes, it’s great that Rose ultimately leveled a perfumed cannon back at the matchmaker dames, but there was too much other needless fallout. And now Rose has to endure other repercussions because of things she wasn’t responsible for saying but will be held accountable for. I wish one of them had yanked Rose off the stage.

Midge should have known better at the fundraiser and read the room. She was warned beforehand about the type of humor to stick to. If she had to tell that racy story—yes, the audience asked for it, but even I knew that in fledgling 1960, people and especially this crowd weren’t expecting that kind of racy at a daytime event—and lurch forward toward the absolute truth that her hook-up was married, the drop in temperature immediately after should have told her to shut up, try to salvage, say the lady was only saying she was his wife, something, anything. Yet another avoidable mistake on the part of Midge.

 

[Aloeonatable]

On 3/10/2022 at 6:56 PM, maggiegil said:

Marin Hinkle killed it doing Midges act, she was excellent. Wish we had more of Astrid, shes such a good character.

The Milo Ventimiglia appearance was such a let down, all the paparazzi photos of them shooting the scenes really made it seem like he was a major part of the season but it really could have been any random handsome actor.

 

11 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

I’m guessing Milo’s small, one-off appearance was a favor to The Palladino’s…

I think his appearance is a tease for the 5th season. The Palladinos love him and wouldn't just waste those 5 minutes of screen time for a one-off. 

[BusyOctober]

There were a few points that took me out of the Maisel world…

Jackie Kennedy wouldn’t have lost it like that in a room full of donors/strangers.  She had poise and was raised with the old fashioned notion that one’s personal emotions are not for public consumption.  If JFK’s very real philandering had been brought up in a public forum, Jackie would have smiled demurely, then firmly, but politely shut that shit down, and changed the subject.  

As mentioned above, Croatia wasn’t a country in 1960.  And I am not a geopolitical scholar, but Yugoslavia and the USSR had conflict between them in the late ‘40s. Yugoslavia was not a soviet ally, but it was a communist country.  America had suspicions/concerns/fears about Communism and Russia/ USSR going back to WW II.  I don’t think most Americans would have been so keen to travel to Yugoslavia or any Eastern European country 1960-61.  Maybe it was a way to make the audience worry for Midge’s safety in 1961 if she took the gig? 1961 = Bay of Pigs and the Berlin Wall 

Edited March 12, 2022 by BusyOctober

[jrzy]

On 3/10/2022 at 7:59 PM, greekmom said:

I cannot believe Midge was stupid enough to blow the Jackie Kennedy luncheon.

 

It was so stupid,  read the room Midge.  It is just irritating at this point. 

Edited March 12, 2022 by jrzy

[jrzy]

1 hour ago, BusyOctober said:

There were a few points that took me out of the Maisel world…

Jackie Kennedy wouldn’t have lost it like that in a room full of donors/strangers.  She had poise and was raised with the old fashioned notion that one’s personal emotions are not for public consumption.  If JFK’s very real philandering had been brought up in a public forum, Jackie would have smiled demurely, then firmly, but politely shut that shit down, and changed the subject.  

As mentioned above, Croatia wasn’t a county in 1960.  And I am not a geopolitical scholar, but Yugoslavia and the USSR had conflict between them in the late ‘40s. Yugoslavia was not a soviet ally, but it was a communist country.  America had suspicions/concerns/fears about Communism and Russia/ USSR going back to WW II.  I don’t think most Americans would have been so keen to travel to Yugoslavia or any Eastern European country 1960-61.  Maybe it was a way to make the audience worry for Midge’s safety in 1961 if she took the gig? 1961 = Bay of Pigs and the Berlin Wall 

I was yelling at the screen that it was Yugoslavia!  No one had heard of Croatia yet!  I agree that Jacqueline Kennedy would have kept a tight smile on her face and made sure Midge never appeared at another function.  Truth is that I don't think anyone knew about Jack Kennedy's predilection for cheating, that was a well kept secret.  The press at the time had a gentleman's agreement to not post anything about it.  And even more importantly,  Mrs. Kennedy would never have aired the family laundry.  That was lazy writing all the way around.     

7 hours ago, Badger said:

Another anachronism: In 1960, the Catholic Mass was still being celebrated in Latin.  So the priest would have said "Corpus Christi," not "Body of Christ."

 

 

 

Right you are,  even though that was the only line that made me laugh out loud, it wasn't accurate.

 

[chessiegal]

Quote

I’m guessing Milo’s small, one-off appearance was a favor to The Palladino’s…

I think his appearance is a tease for the 5th season. The Palladinos love him and wouldn't just waste those 5 minutes of screen time for a one-off. 

Ugh. I hope not. I don't get the appeal of MV. I watched a few interviews with him and he came off as a punk to me. Plus I dislike the character Jess on GG, too much of him will have me throwing deviled eggs at the tv.

[reallyjustjen]

Marin Hinkle did an amazing job channeling Rose channeling Midge—her stance/posture, body language and even the cadence of her speech were all just spot on. 
 

Abe’s horror at having “eaten Jesus” with the communion wafer was funny, but it seems strange that Abe, being a non-Catholic (and being, well, Abe), would believe in transubstantiation enough to be bothered by it.  
 

I was hoping that Lenny would have played a bigger role in this season so far.  Glad to see Noah and Astrid, but wish they had been given a bit more to do.  I also agree with those who were surprised at how much of a non-entity Milo turned out to be, especially after the million photos of their scenes that were leaked.  

Edited March 12, 2022 by reallyjustjen

[iMonrey]

I love Nicky and Frank offering to "very discreetly" check out Mai. Their subtle mob references always crack me up.

If Susie needs an upstanding venue for Midge so Gordon's Ford's booker ('s intern) can see her act, why doesn't she perform at Joel's club? 

Quote

I'm kind of surprised she was able to do the act from memory having only seen it once, but I'm to chalk that one up to "it's television, just roll with it/accept it." 

Yeah - I found the whole hypnosis act pretty far-fetched, but I like this show enough to give it a pass. Despite what TV would have us believe, that's not really how hypnosis works. You can't actually make somebody do something they wouldn't ordinarily do like cluck like a chicken or bark like a dog. Or perform an entire comedy act in front of a crowd of strangers. That's so out of character for Rose. (It's possible she would be able to recall the entire act under hypnosis and recite it - but not take on Midge's persona and perform it.)

[shapeshifter]

9 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I love Nicky and Frank offering to "very discreetly" check out Mai. Their subtle mob references always crack me up.

Nicky and Frank were the highlight of the season for me, including: 

• [MIDGE] Julie, hi. Sorry to startle you.
• [NEIGHBOR JULIE] Was that a gun?
• [MIDGE] Yes, but it's a comedy gun. Right? Yeah, a comedy gun. Frank here is my sometimes comedy partner. Like on the weekends. The gun shoots flowers out of it. It's a very funny gun. Sorry to startle you.

[shapeshifter]

52 minutes ago, reallyjustjen said:

Abe’s horror at having “eaten Jesus” with the communion wafer was funny, but it seems strange that Abe, being a non-Catholic (and being, well, Abe), would believe in transubstantiation enough to be bothered by it.  

Abe's reaction to having even tasted the communion wafter seemed odd to me too, but I rationalized it because my mother's mother's side of the family descended from German Jews, from whom my mother seemed to have acquired a lot of superstitious tendencies and beliefs–—unlike the rest of my ancestors, who were "Russian" (included Ukraine and Poland) Jews. Google tells me "Weissman" is "a German surname," so, although I have too few surviving relatives on which to base a hypothesis, I can say that Abe's superstitiousness reminded me of my mom.  
However, having been a librarian in a Catholic school for 4 years, I was yelling at Abe to just cross his arms, bow his head, and accept the priest's blessing. 
But poor Abe couldn't hear me and had no such knowledge of Catholic customs.

[Suzn]

2 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

Jackie Kennedy wouldn’t have lost it like that in a room full of donors/strangers.  She had poise and was raised with the old fashioned notion that one’s personal emotions are not for public consumption.  If JFK’s very real philandering had been brought up in a public forum, Jackie would have smiled demurely, then firmly, but politely shut that shit down, and changed the subject.  

 

1 hour ago, jrzy said:

 I agree that Jacqueline Kennedy would have kept a tight smile on her face and made sure Midge never appeared at another function.  Truth is that I don't think anyone knew about Jack Kennedy's predilection for cheating, that was a well kept secret.  The press at the time had a gentleman's agreement to not post anything about it.  And even more importantly,  Mrs. Kennedy would never have aired the family laundry.  That was lazy writing all the way around.     

Jacqueline Kennedy would absolutely not have broken down like that!  She was able to keep her composure after the assassination after all, so she would definitely not lost her shit over Midge's story.

I couldn't really imagine Midge's routine talking about Jackie anyway.  It was more like a roast and I didn't like it.

There was plenty of unrealistic and anachronistic stuff in the episode - Croatia, Abe taking communion, Rose being hypnotized.

[Clanstarling]

On 3/10/2022 at 6:56 PM, maggiegil said:

Marin Hinkle killed it doing Midges act, she was excellent. Wish we had more of Astrid, shes such a good character.

She did indeed kill it.

3 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

As mentioned above, Croatia wasn’t a country in 1960.  And I am not a geopolitical scholar, but Yugoslavia and the USSR had conflict between them in the late ‘40s. Yugoslavia was not a soviet ally, but it was a communist country.  America had suspicions/concerns/fears about Communism and Russia/ USSR going back to WW II.  I don’t think most Americans would have been so keen to travel to Yugoslavia or any Eastern European country 1960-61.  Maybe it was a way to make the audience worry for Midge’s safety in 1961 if she took the gig? 1961 = Bay of Pigs and the Berlin Wall 

I agree, Jackie would never have lost her composure in public.

I actually went through Yugoslavia in 1966 - my father was in the Air Force, and we were transferred from Spain to Turkey, and Dad decided to drive. What he didn't do is remember to take the "Strategic Air Command" sticker off of the car. It was a pretty tense couple of days. And yet, I kind of fell in love with Yugoslavia, and the war in the 90's broke my heart.  (we were also in Germany during the Berlin Wall crisis - one of the few nightmares I remember is specifically about that, and I was a little child).

1 hour ago, reallyjustjen said:

Abe’s horror at having “eaten Jesus” with the communion wafer was funny, but it seems strange that Abe, being a non-Catholic (and being, well, Abe), would believe in transubstantiation enough to be bothered by it.

That's what I thought too. It also seemed to me that he wouldn't call it "the body of Christ." Heck, I'm not Jewish, my mother (not me) was Catholic, and I've never thought of it as anything but a communion wafer.

31 minutes ago, Suzn said:

There was plenty of unrealistic and anachronistic stuff in the episode - Croatia, Abe taking communion, Rose being hypnotized.

And a very minor thing - I'm pretty sure paper hospital gowns weren't around then (Midge made a reference to them - or was it her mother when she did Midge's routine - I don't remember).

Edited March 12, 2022 by Clanstarling

[MoreCoffeePlease]

I know there is a separate topic for the wardrobe design , but OMG, the dresses, hats, and coats in the opening segment were amazingly gorgeous. Wow. 

[tennisgurl]

Marin Hinkle does an amazing Midge impression, if being a matchmaker doesn't work out maybe she should consider doing impressions. I feel bad that Midge used Noah and Astrid in her routine, poor Astrid is already neurotic enough about her place in the family and community, making jokes about it seems pretty mean spirited. I know, Midge making overly personal mean jokes about her family and friends, shocking. Or was that a Rose addition? I admit the rest was pretty funny though. 

That was it for Milo? Really? After all of that hype? 

I would like to say that I cant believe that Midge would get such a great opportunity at the Jackie Kennedy luncheon, but I totally can. Oh Midge, she was doing so well, but she didn't quit while she was ahead. 

[Sarah 103]

12 hours ago, Pallas said:

Bad casting for Jackie, whose eyes and cheekbones were remarkably wide-set. The pink wool dress was also a questionable choice.

I agree with you. As you can tell from my earlier posts, I didn't realize it was supposed to be Jackie. I rewatched part of the scene, and knowing it's supposed to be her, I could kind of see it, but I obviously didn't pick up on that during my first viewing. I think the pink wool dress was part of how we were supposed to know it was her. 

@Suzn How is Rose being hypnotized an anachronism? I thought stage hypnosis for entertainment already existed by 1960. 

 

[shapeshifter]

15 hours ago, Pallas said:

Bad casting for Jackie, whose eyes and cheekbones were remarkably wide-set.

I thought the person playing Jackie was too dark complected, but now that IMDb finally has her credit up, I see that it may have just been makeup or lighting gone wrong: https://www.hilarymaiberger.com/

[whiporee]

Abe taking communion was very bad; not eating the wafer was worse. Catholics believe that is the literal body of Christ. it does not get thrown in the trash or just left somewhere. I've been married to a Catholic family for 23 years. I've been to several hundred Masses. And I don't even think of taking communion. And on more than one occasion I've seen priests chase down a parishioner who didn't chew and swallow the wafer right there. This is a sacred thing to them. But, having mocked a Bar Mitzvah earlier, maybe ASP is just working her way through the religions. 

I thought this episode felt very dark, and while Rose killed, there's a lot of really bad stuff coming around. For the first time, the mobsters seemed scary. And even Midge wouldn't make those jokes in that setting -- not at this age, and not having screwed up so many times. She'd have been extra careful. The new comic wasn't funny. Rose doing midge's routine wasn't funny -- it was just mean, because Midge would never do those jokes in front of them. It wasn't tons of fun to watch. 

I have a prediction about Mei, but since all I have to do is watch the next episode, I won't bother. Oh what the hell -- I bet she comes back from Chicago not pregnant. She took care of it herself, and that breaks up her and Joel, and sends Joel back in Midge's direction. 

Edited March 13, 2022 by whiporee

[Suzn]

20 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I agree with you. As you can tell from my earlier posts, I didn't realize it was supposed to be Jackie. I rewatched part of the scene, and knowing it's supposed to be her, I could kind of see it, but I obviously didn't pick up on that during my first viewing. I think the pink wool dress was part of how we were supposed to know it was her. 

@Suzn How is Rose being hypnotized an anachronism? I thought stage hypnosis for entertainment already existed by 1960. 

 

It's not.  That was an example of unrealistic.  As discussed, people can't be made to do something they wouldn't want under hypnosis.

 

[shapeshifter]

20 minutes ago, Suzn said:

people can't be made to do something they wouldn't want under hypnosis.

Ergo, Rose really wanted to say what she said. 

[Suzn]

16 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Ergo, Rose really wanted to say what she said. 

I don't think she would want to repeat what Midge said in her act.  So much TMI.

[shapeshifter]

7 minutes ago, Suzn said:

I don't think she would want to repeat what Midge said in her act.  So much TMI.

Certainly Rose would NOT say any of that stuff in public if her normal sense of propriety was intact.
However, just because non-hypnotized Rose would never say those things doesn't mean she didn't want to say all of it. 

[luvthepros]

On 3/10/2022 at 8:59 PM, greekmom said:

I cannot believe Midge was stupid enough to blow the Jackie Kennedy luncheon.

 

Midge is hell bent on material that she wants to talk about and say. She knows what is off limits but defies what is the path she should take in her sets. In other words......she doesn't give a shit.

[luvthepros]

On 3/12/2022 at 3:51 AM, Aulty said:

Jackie was there, wasn't she? At a table in the centre of the room, big hair and all.

Pretty in pink.

[chessiegal]

Midge was doing great at the Kennedy luncheon. Then when she saw her "lucky dress" in the magazine she was going through with all the great pics of Jackie, it reminded her of her triste, and she said that was another story, The women in the audience said they wanted to hear it, so she tossed the mag and told her infidelity story. I think that's a good job of reading the audience, although the audience had no idea what they were getting.

[DrSpaceman73]

My theory is the stolen money and the hypnotizing was all set up by the matchmakers trying to ruin midges family. 

The magician was very good. But the African American comedian, nope, didn't see it.  

I thought Abe with the communion wafer was funny. 

For 30 rock fans that was Kathy Geiss confronting Abe in the coffee shop. 

[DrSpaceman73]

Also, it's always sunny fans, that guy was totally doing the Dennis system on Midge!  Dog, flowers, the closed restaurant. Very slow process but probably waiting until she shows up once without her kid.  

[kwnyc]

Worth the price of admission to see Marin Hinkle doing Midge's act. I love New York actors!

I also agree that Jackie Kennedy wouldn't have broken down like that. I figured it was her...the actor playing Ethel looked much more like the real person. And the general public did not know that JFK was a womanizer...that stuff all came out well after he died. 

Midge was on the right track, and had the women eating out of the palm of her hand until she told the story about fucking the married man. That was too much for the situation, much less the potential First Lady. But like most comics, she will do anything for laughter, and she thought the story would work.

 

[Steph Sometimes]

On 3/12/2022 at 3:56 PM, Sarah 103 said:

I agree with you. As you can tell from my earlier posts, I didn't realize it was supposed to be Jackie. I rewatched part of the scene, and knowing it's supposed to be her, I could kind of see it, but I obviously didn't pick up on that during my first viewing.

I feel so stupid. I thought it was Milo's wife who coincidentally happened to be a guest at the luncheon. I did not realize it was supposed to be Jackie.

It feels like every episode now has a Midge does something onstage that makes me cringe scene. Last episode was with Sophie, this week at the luncheon. It gets repetitive. She just never learns really.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Steph Sometimes said:

It feels like every episode now has a Midge does something onstage that makes me cringe scene. Last episode was with Sophie, this week at the luncheon. It gets repetitive. She just never learns really

Is this maybe supposed to demonstrate how female comics’ material based on their own life experiences is judged more often and judged more harshly than male comics’ jokes about their life experiences are judged? 🤔

Edited March 15, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Little Moi]

It is not that Midge just does not learn.

I think the end game is that Midge needs her own club (e.g. Joel's Button Club) where she can say and do and riff what eva strikes her po' l'il heart as grist for her mill. Joel obviously has a talent for club management; Midge needs a venue of her own, where she can offend her heart away. Voila, season five set up.

[Blakeston]

On 3/13/2022 at 7:38 PM, chessiegal said:

Midge was doing great at the Kennedy luncheon. Then when she saw her "lucky dress" in the magazine she was going through with all the great pics of Jackie, it reminded her of her triste, and she said that was another story, The women in the audience said they wanted to hear it, so she tossed the mag and told her infidelity story. I think that's a good job of reading the audience, although the audience had no idea what they were getting.

I think Midge badly misread what the audience wanted when they told her to keep going. Their idea of a "racy" story was probably having to cover up a hickey, or maybe explaining to a kid why mommy and daddy were making those moaning noises. 

It would be bizarre nowadays to tell a story about screwing a married man in front of Jill Biden. Doing that in 1960 in front of Jackie Kennedy would have been beyond shocking, and Midge thinking it would go over well is just bizarre. It makes her seem like an alien who's come to earth to try to make it as a standup comedian.

[Suzn]

 

2 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I think Midge badly misread what the audience wanted when they told her to keep going. Their idea of a "racy" story was probably having to cover up a hickey, or maybe explaining to a kid why mommy and daddy were making those moaning noises. 

It would be bizarre nowadays to tell a story about screwing a married man in front of Jill Biden. Doing that in 1960 in front of Jackie Kennedy would have been beyond shocking, and Midge thinking it would go over well is just bizarre. It makes her seem like an alien who's come to earth to try to make it as a standup comedian.

Exactly! I brought over what I wrote for the Carnegie Hall thread:

Midge has her head up her ass and can't read the room.  Those club women were almost certainly all married (maybe a widow or two) and would not be amused by a story of Midge having sex with a married man.  In fact I really doubt they would appreciate a story of her having sex at all.

I can't speak for a sophisticated crowd in NYC in 1960, but in general people may have been having lots of unmarried sex, but they weren't openly talking about it.

I don't know why she would think that audience would appreciate that story.

Edited March 15, 2022 by Suzn

[Eureka]

On 3/10/2022 at 8:59 PM, greekmom said:

I cannot believe Midge was stupid enough to blow the Jackie Kennedy luncheon.

 

I mean, you knew she was going to. She always does. 

On 3/11/2022 at 2:44 PM, LadyRose said:

Anachronism note: the Republic of Croatia didn't exist in 1960. It was part of Yugoslavia. 

Yeah, that bothered me too.

[Clanstarling]

15 hours ago, Suzn said:

 

Exactly! I brought over what I wrote for the Carnegie Hall thread:

Midge has her head up her ass and can't read the room.  Those club women were almost certainly all married (maybe a widow or two) and would not be amused by a story of Midge having sex with a married man.  In fact I really doubt they would appreciate a story of her having sex at all.

I can't speak for a sophisticated crowd in NYC in 1960, but in general people may have been having lots of unmarried sex, but they weren't openly talking about it.

I don't know why she would think that audience would appreciate that story.

Exactly. In my opinion any professional (comic, professional speaker, etc) who can't (or won't) read a room is either 1) not suited for the job or 2) not professional