# What (possibly Jerry Lewis) film has the name-mangling scene that's often imitated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2009, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-possibly-jerry-lewis-film-has-the-name-mangling-scene-thats-often-imitated/480492 "2009-01-09T04:57:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-possibly-jerry-lewis-film-has-the-name-mangling-scene-thats-often-imitated/480492/1 "2009-01-09T04:57:51Z")
I think I’ve seen the skit at some point because it’s familiar, but Jon Stewart imitates it whenever pronouncing Blagojevich or other unusual names and I’ve heard other comedians mimic it too. It sounds like they’re imitating Jerry Lewis but it could be another silly-ages comic or a cartoon character. (I’ve seen a couple of Jerry Lewis films over the years but would rather stare at the sun through the receiving end of magnifying glasses than watch another one so I’m not that up on them.) The routine goes something like (and I’m just using a random long foreign name, not the one used in the sketch): > [@](#): > > Straight Man: It’s very important that you find Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn… > > Comic: Yul stander ebay your bic soldier zit pen? > > Straight Man (overly enunciating) Ull-yik-zan-der Ee-say-ee-vich Sole-zya-neet-zen > > Comic: All ya wanna eat See-saw berlitz cole-slaw schnitzel? Bull kit dandruff Paw paw milk sold donner and blitzen? And so on, each pronunciation worse than the last. Anyone have any idea what it’s from? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-possibly-jerry-lewis-film-has-the-name-mangling-scene-thats-often-imitated/480492/2 "2009-01-09T07:07:10Z")
I think Martin & Lewis might have stolen that from Abbott & Costello. ---
**Author:** ![Mame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@Mame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mame)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-possibly-jerry-lewis-film-has-the-name-mangling-scene-thats-often-imitated/480492/3 "2009-01-09T08:35:48Z")
[or Opus?](http://www.berkeleybreathed.com/Images/fav_strip1_full.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-possibly-jerry-lewis-film-has-the-name-mangling-scene-thats-often-imitated/480492/4 "2009-01-09T08:39:55Z")
_Susan_? ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-possibly-jerry-lewis-film-has-the-name-mangling-scene-thats-often-imitated/480492/5 "2009-01-09T11:39:44Z")
Oh, now you’re not even _trying_. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-possibly-jerry-lewis-film-has-the-name-mangling-scene-thats-often-imitated/480492/6 "2009-01-09T14:52:44Z")
I haven’t heard that bit re G-Rod, yet. I do hear Stewart going nasal and blaring whenever he says Blagoyevich. He sounds like an early Jerry Lewis when he does it. But I thought it was just a riff on his Rod’s name, which is hard to say and harder to spell. Didn’t Lewis used to just blare out one word in a sentence when talking to Dean in all those movies? I really don’t want to watch any of them again to make sure. 🙂 As an Illinois resident, I got a real chuckle out of the BBC correspondent on NPR the day Rod was arrested. Mr UK pronounced it Blay/go/YAY/vich which cracked my shit UP. And I do love the hair jokes, with Colbert’s being the best one yet: “The model for all Lego people”. or some such. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-possibly-jerry-lewis-film-has-the-name-mangling-scene-thats-often-imitated/480492/7 "2009-01-09T16:12:40Z")
I can’t cite a specific Jerry Lewis reference. I’ll bet a lot of younger people think it comes from Professor Frink of “The Simpsons”. Also Letterman has been known to bellow, “Hey laaaaady!”, another Lewis trademark which I don’t have a specific reference for. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-possibly-jerry-lewis-film-has-the-name-mangling-scene-thats-often-imitated/480492/8 "2009-01-09T16:23:41Z")
> [@Mame](#): > > [or Opus?](http://www.berkeleybreathed.com/Images/fav_strip1_full.jpg) That was my first thought. ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-possibly-jerry-lewis-film-has-the-name-mangling-scene-thats-often-imitated/480492/9 "2009-01-09T19:08:27Z")
::tips hat to **bienville** and **E-Sabbath** :: Best episode of the best 'toon ever! Excuse me while a make a couple of entries on my “Cool Posters” list. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-possibly-jerry-lewis-film-has-the-name-mangling-scene-thats-often-imitated/480492/10 "2009-01-11T01:29:50Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > I can’t cite a specific Jerry Lewis reference. I’ll bet a lot of younger people think it comes from Professor Frink of “The Simpsons”. > > Also Letterman has been known to bellow, “Hey laaaaady!”, another Lewis trademark which I don’t have a specific reference for. Frink is a spoof of Kelp, the original Nutty Professor. “Hey laaaaady!” might be from there as well. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-possibly-jerry-lewis-film-has-the-name-mangling-scene-thats-often-imitated/480492/11 "2009-01-11T02:27:22Z")
[More on the Frink/Lewis connection.](http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Professor_Frink) Lewis voiced Professor Frink’s father.