Cathy's World - I was lucky enough almost exactly one year ago to see Red Buttons at a PBS press conference. So in honor of the comedian, who just died, here is that post again:
I like hearing old showbiz stories from old showbiz types themselves, so I went to see Red Buttons, Carl Reiner, Rose Marie, "I Love Lucy" director William Asher, Sid Caesar and Mickey Rooney speak Tuesday at the PBS press conference for the new documentary Pioneers of Primetime. The legendarily look-at-me-me-ME!! Mickey Rooney, who I'm afraid kept edging into the Old Fart lane, tried to take over the discussion with off-point stories. But fortunately, 86-year-old Red Buttons, the oldest yet sharpest person in the room, kept reeling him in.
"By the way, Mickey," Buttons said after one endless, those-were-the-days story, "was Lincoln a nice guy?"
"I was a young girl when this panel started," noted Rose Marie at one point, who then turned the discussion towards what a wonderful childhood she had as a child star.
"I had a wonderful childhood myself," said Buttons, "until I was molested by Milton Berle."
At one point people started talking about Jews in vaudeville and Hollywood, which Mickey Rooney took as a cue to begin reciting a list of gentile names: "Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor..."
"And Mickey Rooney," interrupted Buttons.
"Oh, forget about him," said Rooney, pretending to be modest.
"But you can't!" pointed out Buttons. "Who can forget those Andy Hardy films? I saw every one of them: 'Andy Hardy and the Hasidic Housewife.' 'Andy Hardy Schtups Lassie.'"
At that point I looked at the panel and began taking a little demographic poll: Asher, Caesar, Reiner -- Jewish. Rose Marie, Rooney -- Irish. But what is Red Buttons? Red hair is a Jewish as well as an Irish trait, but he doesn't look obviously either. And you can't tell anything from his using a word like 'schtups.' Any old vaudevillean of his generation knows Yiddish words like that.
My question was answered when Buttons told a story about finally getting to meet his hero, James Cagney, who although Irish was famously fluent in Yiddish, which he immediately began speaking.
"Mr. Cagney, why are you speaking to me in Yiddish?" Buttons asked.
"Let me tell you something," Cagney responded. "No self-respecting Irishman would call himself Red Buttons."
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