Zero Mostel - If I Were A Rich Man

[HomePlateEnt]

zero mostel = chris farley with a voice.

[papashangofan]

I just came all over my hands and then typed with them after watching this.

[LordBocktree]

I love the oldies! they are great ^^ and this one is no exeption!

[waitingformypopcorn]

Topol was amazing as Tevye. I guess it depends who you saw first.

[MrJapaneseboy1111]

what a persona ! LOL

[nintendoandsega1990]

Anyone notice that song was sampled for Gwen Stefani's 2004 song, "Rich Girl"?

[WhiteGoa]

@nintendoandsega1990

No. Nobody noticed, you are the first one.

[vsn96]

wtf



[maddogwrestlingfan]

Its been decades since I've seen anything with Zero Mostel. Thank You so much....

[blacsouljah]

Wow!

[psychomusicanana]

@Juliaflo Pop quiz answer: That would be Joanna Merlin! But you were close: Bette Midler was also in it, but not as Tzeitel. I'm too lazy to look it up. I think she was one of the other daughters, but could easily have been Joanna's replacement.

You can see Joanna as a judge on Law and Order in a great many of the episodes.

[oldepersonne]

anyone know name of mostel movie -50's or before where he dies,goes to heaven and continues to work in an office-girl he loved dies shortly after to join him and tries to enjoy the wonderful things in heaven but he keeps working in office,refusing to enjoy heaven with her-saw it years ago on tvo but cant find it anywhere

[alfredgama2]

I don't know why the punch line on Zero's anecdote was separated. Any suggestions on how to keep them together?

[hwy61media]

@alfredgama2 If you exceed 487 characters all you can do is break your comment in two. -Michael

[alfredgama2]

I read this anecdote: Zero was at rehearsal for a show and was cracking down this young actor who was playing a private, he told jokes, danced and even gave him an evil eye and destroyed him, the guy couldn't stop laughing so he went to change his clothes for those of a monk so he had the hood almost covering his face, but Zero recognized him and kept staring at him, the guy bowed is head to avoid eye contact, so Zero went a little down and so was him, they kept going down almost to the floor..

[hwy61media]

@alfredgama2 Trying to keep a straight face when Zero was trying to make you laugh had to be impossible :) -Michael

[alfredgama2]

Then zero asked: You have a brother in the Army?

[Juliaflo]

Pop quiz time-What singer took her divine turn playing Tzeitel on Broadway?

Good luck.



[Grandcapi]

amazing! fabulous! Mostel was a great performer and a wonderful comedian.

the song fits him perfectly!

[psychomusicanana]

@WASrul Don't flame me - I'm a GIRL! So wen you send me to hell, call me "Ma'am!" Okay, I'm a sanctimonious girl. I'm sure you're a fine Asheknazi! Chillax/

[zepplin85]

Zero was a stage genius. Anything he is in i love, especially in collaboration with Mel Brooks.

[christopherm2k]

There is no doubt that Joel "Zero" Mostel was a brilliant actor and unsurpassed comedian. I felt sad that his place was taken by Topol for the protagonist in, "Fiddler on the Roof," but I can understand the decision. One of my favorite movies, "The Producers," served to illuminate his brilliance along with Gene Wilder.

[LaughClub]

Wonderful post! Thanks so much.

[sasapienza]

I LOVE ZERO. HE IS MY MOST BELOVED ALL AROUND ACTOR OF ALL TIME. GOD REST HIS SOUL IF ONLY I HAD THE MONEY TO SEE FIDDLER ON BROADWAY WHEN I WAS THERE. ONLY TO SEE HIM, BUT I DID GET TO SEE GEORGE C SCOTT AND JACK GILFORD IN THE SLY FOX.

[rrtodd95]

Hopefully Martin Berkeley is rotting in hell from depriving the world of this man's genius for over 10 years.

[psychomusicanana]

The fact is the show WAS written for Zero and Bock & Harnick had him in mind when they wrote it. Those who prefer Topol saw him first, are younger, and are not Ashkenazim. /end argument on who was better.

I only wanted to comment on how great HE was as a performer - and painter for those who didn't know. He survived the McCarthy era by selling his paintings. I have the good fortune to have several of them in my home.

[WASrul]

@psychomusicanana I agree that I'm younger, and I did see Topol first, but I resent the comment about how, by dint of that, I somehow am not Ashkenazi. Zero Mostel is a wonderful actor, and I would have loved to see him in the role as well.

I don't care what you "only wanted to comment on", but as far as I'm concerned, you can take all those paintings of yours and that holier-than-thou attitude and do some good by filling a hole in the ground, or making one in your vacuous head. good day sir.

[43azer]

What a performance, lyrics, and music. Thank you (hwy61media)

Topol vs. Mostel...just different delicious tastes.

[friedie1jeff]

Thanks so much for uploading this. It is absolutely wonderful!

[hwy61media]

@friedie1jeff My pleasure. Thank you for commenting :)

[ftsjr]

Zero Mostel was a marvelously talented entertainer.

[peregrine11]

Words fail. What an incredible talent. There was Zero Mostel, and then there was everyone else. Thank you for sharing this video. I wish there were more videos of his performances.

[shatros]

It is a crime what was done to him by the HUAC.

[psychomusicanana]

He was also quite the artist. My home if filled with his work!

[Patyrella]

Me encanta, gracias por compartilo. thankyou for share.

[hwy61media]

@Patyrella You're welcome!

[rickyfan3956]

I agree that he sings this song well, but in this clip...somehow, it just doesn't translate well if you sing it clean shaven and wearing a tuxedo.

[mrlijones89]

His biddie bum lacks soul, YOURE DOING IT WRONG!

[Hopefulsorrow]

@mrlijones89 he was the one who originated it!!! everyone else just took it from him!

[mrlijones89]

@Hopefulsorrow I see.

[rickyfan3956]

@Hopefulsorrow He may have originated it, but Topol, in my opinion, put the soul into it.

[two1065]

Fantastic performance, but my favourite was Henry Goodman's interpretation a few years back at the Savoy Theatre in London. I was at a matinee showing. Henry, if you read this, please let me tell you, that that was one of the happiest afternoons of my life. Thank you xx

[CONTESTAR]

I am bewitched by this interpretation! The truth of it! It is nothing short of a masterclass in authenticity. A lesson for any interpreter of any musical / theatrical song.

[FirstHunt012]

If anyone here had seen Zero perform this on Broadway like i have you would all know that the part was his..... no actor living or dead could hold a candle to his performance!!!

[TheTmny876able]

The funniest musical picture was 'the producers' with Zero at his best.

[strumfellow]

Taking nothing away from zero as he performed this character brilliantly i do think that topol being chose for the film was the right choice to make as he was absoloutley perfect for it.

[rickyfan3956]

@strumfellow I agree. Zero Mostel was good, but Topol had that accent that can't really be copied. He sounds, to me, like what an authentic Ukrainian Jew would sound like. And, being that he is from Israel, I would think that he would be more familiar with the little intricacies, idiosyncrasies and sensibilities of Jewish culture and traditions and he could really bring that out in a musical like "Fiddler on the Roof".

[psychomusicanana]

@rickyfan3956 Topol was not Asheknazi, which is what these characters were. This accent is much more authentic for these people. He had every nuance. Sorry, the Israelis can't have it all. Zero was a family friend, and he was one of my peeps. His art hanks on my walls.

[rickyfan3956]

@psychomusicanana True, he's not Ashkenazi, but being born in 1935 in Israel, I imagine he would've picked up a lot from the Ashkenazis who were resettling in the Holy Land. Remember, that's around the time of hitler's tyranny and WW2 and its aftermath and Jews were fleeing persecution in Europe. And this resettlement of Israel by the diaspora actually began in the late 1900's, so even his mother and father and possibly grandparents could've soaked up some Ashkenazi culture and mannerisms.

[psychomusicanana]

@rickyfan3956 IDK I found Topol mannered and so un-Tevye-like. It''s ture this performance is not Z's greatest, but the role WAS written for him. I knew the songs before the show even opened in the D.C. try-outs, and know several songs that were cut from the show before it opened in NY. He was a horrible guy to know, but what a comic! And what HUAC did to him was criminal. He used to ay, "If I weren't Zero Mostel they'd lock me up!"

[pat10021]

@psychomusicanana

Hello....

I could swear that Zero is lip-synching to the Fiddler Soundtrack here!

I never saw Zero on Broadway..I agree with you about Topol in the film..

I feel his overacting is distracting in the film. I "relate" more to Zero's sound..

he sounds like a NY born Jew!

[rickyfan3956]

@psychomusicanana Plus, his voice just sounds, to me, like what a Ukrainian Jew, whose mother tongues were a type of Yiddish and Ukrainian, would sound like if he attempted to speak English.

[pat10021]

@psychomusicanana

Topol's English was British accented!

Very distracting!

Much prefer Zero! Loved Molly Picon, though and loved Zvee Scooler as the Rabbi!

[psychomusicanana]

@rickyfan3956

Theree are scads of discussions on what the authentic dialect was like Coincidentally I read an article in Wikipedia on the the various dialects. I thought this would have been Litvish (the sound I am used to), oroginating in Latvia, but not the Ukrainian dialiect, which doesn't go with this style imo. Coincidentally I read an article today in Wikopedia about these dialects, and what has survived.

[DustinKoffman]

What's not to like! Oy vey!!!

[jolayne23]

I've loved the Topol performance of Tevye since I was a little girl, so it doesn't matter who else does it, it's just not the same. That said, how can you not love Zero Mostel, doing anything?

[carylabelguy]

Sorry, Topal is better but nice video all the same.

[likaj69]

@carylabelguy sorry but Topol himself said that Zero is great actor and that he copy most of perofmence in that roll, from him

[ttimepass7]

@likaj69 hahaah he almost looks gay here



[likaj69]

@carylabelguy oh yes...Zero Mostel won Tony for that role!

[likaj69]

@carylabelguy oh yes...Zero Mostel won Tony for that role! And Topol himself said tahjt he copy many of acting from Zero!

[stevevandien]

 Zero was sui generis, the great superclown of the American theatre, AND the first and greatest Tevye:) --

[hwy61media]

@stevevandien A true marvel!

[PortaKeyz]

great song !!!!!!

[ilikepepsi33]

He's a great actor, and I love the fiddler on the roof!

[Videojibbles]

What a wonderful man Zero Mostel was. How could McCarthy ban him from the stage? What a loss.

[inzanelord]

this is my first time watching this actor perform...and he's just too GOOD....absolutely brilliant!!!

[hwy61media]

@inzanelord I agree. Thanks for commenting. -Michael

[anglerfly]

He Is!

[hwy61media]

@anglerfly I agree!

[anglerfly]

@hwy61media Thank you! he is a singer.

[MoonEyes2k]

Comparing this to the Movie sequence, I have to wonder...there seem to be a section missing, here, the part about Tevye's wife Golde. Is that an addition to the movie, or is it Zero who has removed it for this occation?

[hwy61media]

@MoonEyes2k I wish I could answer that but I really don't know.

[MoonEyes2k]

@hwy61media It was mostly a rethorical question. :) It's a pity that the part isn't there, though. I would've liked to see/hear Zero do the 'screaming at the servants' part.

[dunsmuireyes]

@MoonEyes2k The part about Golde is in the original score. It was removed for this occasion.

[pommeshstd]

love that comeover..

[polkilosera]

Chapeu bas! Great talent, great performance!

[hwy61media]

@polkilosera Thank you. I'm glad you liked it!

[benulike]

Thanks for posting this up. So silly that he wasn't in the movie. So lucky to have this though. Cheers.

[hwy61media]

You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it!

[turbo3594]

00:47, this man makes the best faces ever! :D

[hwy61media]

This role was made for Mostel and he was made for it. What a master!

[arock1243]

@hwy61media Him and Topol

[HatakeSage]

02:03

[Livesteam45]

Great tune, great man......thanks for posting this.

[hwy61media]

Thank you.

[furrowin]

i consider nathan a little bit in zeros image ........... but there is but one zero

[hwy61media]

Here's to Zero!

[MichiganFriedFilms]

My lofty life goal is to be the next Zero.

[hwy61media]

Lofty and noble my friend :)

[rrtodd95]

This man's career was destroyed when his "friend" Martin Berkeley named him in the HUAC witch trials.

The work this man could have done if he wasn't blacklisted for a big chunk of his like is staggering.

[hwy61media]

"With friends like that ..."

[Nelsonhojax15]

zero rocks this song

[hwy61media]

He's the best. Thanks!

[bigred997]

as i kid, we had a 33 1/3 lp of the original broadway cast. used to play it over and over and over again along with the movie cast soundtrack of the music man.

those were the days!

[hwy61media]

That's a great story and shows that you had great taste in music even then. I love Zero Mostel's performance here.

Thanks Larry!

[Chutson353]

He was so brilliant in this role - its a bigger crime than keeping Julie Andrews out of My Fair Lady that he was kept out of the film adaptation of Fiddler.

[ohmandamp]

@Chutson353

I have to disagree entirely. Topol did a brilliant job with Tevye.

[Juliaflo]

@Chutson353 I absolutely second that. Because Miss Andrews kept out of the movie version of My Fair Lady, I will not watch it.

[thecrazygirl75]

toplo and zero are awesome

[CARDUELIS999]

You know, they can put a man on the moon, but they can't cgi Zero Mostel into the movie version of "fiddler"?

[airalee88]

Love this guy!!!! He is so GREAT!!! i love his dancing!! haha!!!! this song is always getting stuck in my head!

[hunterpinarello]

Zero has set a standard that is impossible to approach.

[ddinhofer]

No one can replace Zero

[professorbutters]

I know what you mean. Topol is Ok if there isn't anything else, but Zero--Zero IS Tevye.

(My parents actually have a Hirschfield print of Zero in the role!)

[Chris80619]

@professorbutters Zero is Tevye but he's also Kehaar now and always.

[casinobowling]

TOPOL Can go put a gun down his pants! This is the ONE AND ONLY Tevye! For always and eternity!

[RABartlett]

Chaim Topol served in the Israeli Army. Do try and tell him what he should do with a gun.

[donmoseslerman]

I saw fiddler on the roof on broadway with paul lipson he was good but not great as zero mostel, I saw zero mostel at the westbury music fair in the round. the bestof all the teves

[hwy61media]

It's almost like the role was made

for Mostel :)

[KingsTramp]

There ARE no other Tevyes. There should be a law against anyone else performing the part. Never has one person so utterly owned a role as Mostel owns this one.

[hwy61media]

No argument here. Mostel is great in this!

[mathew2237]

AMEN!!! my wife wants me to watch Fiddler on the Roof, and I told her to find me a copy with Zero and I will, otherwise no dice!!

[howrseroxs15]

Thank you! All I've been able to find here was the Topol version. This is pretty good.

[hwy61media]

You're welcome. I think Mostel really brings it to life here.