Jackie Gleason's mandolin players story

[Joel Glassman]

Starts at 14:36

[MikeEdgerton]

A previous thread on Mr. Gleason and the mandolin can be found here.

[AndyPanda]

Sorry if this is a dumb question (I'm new to mandolin) --- what do mandolin players have to do with getting a haircut? Is there some connection with mandolins and barbers? (besides Bill finding his Loar in a barbershop)

[MikeEdgerton]

It's a rule, all mandolin players have to get haircuts unless they don't have any hair or don't want to get it cut.

[AndyPanda]

?

In the video posted above, Jackie says that he got 40 mandolin players together and nobody could get a haircut for 50 miles around (huge laugh). So did a lot of barbers play the mandolin? Or what is the joke?

[AlanN]

I took it as a reference to barbers = Italians. Hence, all barbers were busy playing the mandolin.

[christinarlafever]

great play to watch..

[William Smith]

Thats great Mike...

[mandopops]

Another barbers=Italians joke came from Jethro. At one of my lessons, he told me they used to say you couldn't get a haircut when Perry Como was in town.
Now, I'm waiting for some of you to ask,"Who is Perry Como?".

Joe B

[MikeEdgerton]

You'd have to be old enough to know who Perry Como was and then you'd have to know enough about him to understand that. In actuality that's pretty funny.

I'm old.

[Phil Goodson]

Unfortunately, I'm old enough.

Hmmm.... or fortunately!

[Bad Monkey]

it's an old joke told many ways. in this case, when Gleason hired 40 mandolin players, they all had to take time off from their day jobs so they could play the gig. I've heard it told by jazz cats about guitarists and classical musicians about bassoon and harp players as well. usually the guitar players are waiters though.

[brunello97]

You'd have to be old enough to know who Perry Como was and then you'd have to know enough about him to understand that. In actuality that's pretty funny.

I'm old.

When I was a little kid my parents kept referring to my "Perry Como Sweater" which, of course, I had no idea what they were talking about until much later. Wouldn't mind having one now.

Mick

[brunello97]

This is also a chance to again put in a plug for our friend Sheri Mignano's great book on the SF Italo-American mandolin scene:

Mandolins Like Salami

Which takes its name from a quip about how in SF barbershops mandolins hung "like salami" ready for action.

Or for Jackie Gleason, I suppose.

Mick

[AndyPanda]

I'm definitely old enough to remember Perry Como - I loved listening to round and round" and watched him on TV every chance I got I grew up blissfully unaware of stereotypes - I didn't know Perry Como was Italian or that barbers are Italian or that Italian barbers play the mandolin (and Google tells me Perry Como started out as a barber, who knew?) - I've got a lot of new information to absorb now

[TheGourdsFan]

Great intro by Johnny, great interview, great closing comments...he really was the Great One.
What a time capsule piece...smoking on set, talking about the (already then) old days, that "kid" actor Tom Hanks...two media giants, casually conversing.
Nice break in my day to watch that.

[JeffD]

30, 40, and 50 years ago their were a lot more comedy acts that took advantage of stereotypes of different ethnicities. Some of those stereotypes might have had some truth to them, in certain areas at certain times, but they were food for comedians for decades. I remember lots of Italian jokes in the 70s and early 80s.

In fact I was surprised to hear Chris Thile in an interview say something about too much tremolo can make your playing sound Italian. I know what he meant, but I think it an anachronistic outdated reference, given all the different kinds of music the mandolin is a part of, with tremolo. The expectations are just different.

I could be wrong.

[AlanN]

Great intro by Johnny, great interview, great closing comments...he really was the Great One.
What a time capsule piece...smoking on set, talking about the (already then) old days, that "kid" actor Tom Hanks...two media giants, casually conversing.
Nice break in my day to watch that.

Yep, a bygone TV era. The Great One must have lit up 3-4 times in that short visit...and likely Johnny had one burning under the desk...

[mandopops]

Yes, Gleason was "old school " as they used to say. He knew how to make an enterance & an exit. I also loved that he had such complimentary things to say about his old partner, the other "Great One", Art Carney. Another actor who knew how to enter and exit a scene.2 legends.

Joe B