Sonny and Cher.
Shields and Yarnell.
Bancroft and Brooks?
Not exactly, but one thing’s certain. Had married couple Anne Bancroft and Mel Brooks undertaken to co-host a television variety show in the 70′s or 80′s, they would’ve mopped up the era’s competition faster than you can say Mr Clean Sunshine Fresh.
Our best evidence is this clip from the 1983 Brooks-hosted episode of the BBC variety hour, An Audience with… All the tropes of the once popular form—the celebrity `as audience plant, the staged spontaneity, the audience eagerly following direction—are on display in the lead up to the big pay off, a light-footed live rendition of Sweet Georgia Brown…in heavily accented Polish.
It definitely leaves one wanting more. (In which case, you could try your luck with Brooks’ remake of To Be or Not to Be, in which he and Bancroft play roles originated by Jack Benny and Carole Lombard).
Related Content:
The Critic: Hilarious Oscar-Winning Film Narrated by Mel Brooks (1963)
Johnny Cash: Singer, Outlaw, and, Briefly, Television Host
Woody Allen Boxes a Kangaroo, 1966
Ayun Halliday‘s will be performing live in Brooklyn Brain Frame later this month. Follow her @AyunHalliday
Anne Bancroft and Mel Brooks Sing “Sweet Georgia Brown” Live…and in Polish is a post from: Open Culture. You can follow Open Culture on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and by Email.
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