Coffee Talk
Encyclopedia
Coffee Talk with Linda Richman was a sketch performed by Mike Myers
on the sketch comedy
show Saturday Night Live
. It ran from October 12, 1991, until October 15, 1994, although Myers (who had since left the show) reprised the role once more on March 22, 1997.
In the sketch, Myers plays a stereotypical Jewish middle-aged woman named Linda Richman with an exaggerated New York accent who sports long, painted
fake nails; lots of gold jewelry; gaudy sweaters; large dark glasses; and big hair, which she constantly adjusts. This character was a spoof on his real-life mother-in-law, Linda Richman.
. She constantly "dedicated" the show to her, often claiming her to be the greatest actress in all of history.
In what could be considered to be the sketch's most memorable moment, Myers was joined on February 22, 1992, by special guests Madonna
and Roseanne Barr
as other stereotypical Jewish women. Madonna also lampooned herself by having her character attack Madonna as a bad example for teenage Jewish girls ("She is such a tramp. Please! Every week with the different boyfriend already!"). They discussed Streisand's movie The Prince of Tides
on the show.
Near the end of the sketch, the women compared Barbra to "buttah
"--and suddenly, a voice announced, "All this talk about food. I'm getting hungry, girls." It was Streisand herself in a surprise appearance; none of the actors had any idea that she was to appear. All three managed to remain in character as the audience went wild. (Myers as Linda screamed, "I can die now! Excuse me; I have to go die now!") The real Richman, sitting in the audience that night to watch her then son-in-law lampoon her, has acknowledged being "tickled to death" at the moment, as Streisand is one of her actual heroes as well.
Though Streisand only stayed long enough to give each character a kiss and wave to the audience, the moment has become one of the most memorable in the show's history. Streisand later revealed that she had been giving a performance at Radio City Music Hall
(which is located in the same building as NBC Studios
) and happened to overhear that the sketch was being done that night. In the TV special "Saturday Night Live: 101 Most Unforgettable Moments," this particular sketch is moment #6.
"). "Give a call, we'll talk, no big whoop."
words into her speech: "OK now, this show used to be hosted by my friend Paul Baldwin, but he developed shpilkis in his genechtagazoink. So now he's in Boca Raton, Florida recovering nicely, thank you very much." The catchphrase often used to describe things Linda admired was "like butter", which in the accent becomes "like buttah". A typical example is, "Her voice, it's like buttah
."
" or "I'm a little verklempt." Then she would say, "Talk amongst yourselves," sometimes waving her hand in a dismissive gesture toward the audience. She would often follow this with an example by saying, "I'll give you a topic." The topic would usually follow this format: "[two- or three-part phrase] is neither [first part] nor [second part] (nor [occasional third part]). Discuss." (Or: "Discuss amooangst yooaselves"). Barbara Streisand herself lampooned this in her '93/'94 New Year's Eve concert at the MGM Grand in which Myers, lampooning Richman, appeared. After claiming to be verklempt, "Linda" said, "The Prince of Tides is neither about a Prince nor tides - discuss."
Examples:
She would then recover after a beat.
families, such as: someone who came from a family with Methodist and Jewish parents is called a "Moo Shu", whereas people who came from families with Jewish and Roman Catholic parents were called "cashews". In one of the final episodes of "Coffee Talk", Linda is shown with an Irish-Catholic boyfriend, who is a retired NYPD officer (played by Charlton Heston
). When the boyfriend proposes marriage to her, Linda acts stunned, which prompts tremendous cheering from the female audience members.
sitcom The Nanny
made a direct tongue-in-cheek reference to the Linda Richman sketches by showing brunette Fran Fine (Drescher), her blonde mother (Renée Taylor
) and gray-haired grandma Yetta (Ann Guilbert) on the couch watching their respective "Coffee Talk" counterparts (Meyers', Madonna's, and Roseanne Barr's characters) on television, all very similar in their appearance, voice and mannerisms. While "fussing" over their "big hair" in the fashion of the "Coffee Talk regulars", they claim, rather ironically, that the sketch is "so stereotypical."
The character of Linda Richman was inspired by Myers' then real-life mother-in-law, a woman of New York Jewish extraction who is actually named Linda Richman. During a Larry King
interview of Myers, the real Richman called in and expressed good-natured amusement about the character. During his appearance on Inside the Actors Studio
, he claimed that his impression for the character was "underplayed" and that his mother-in-law actually goaded him into performing the voice of the character when they were in public together.
Mike Myers
made an appearance as Linda Richman during Barbra Streisand
's '93/'94 New Year's Eve concert at the MGM Grand. Streisand talks about some comments made about her in the New York Times when Myers appears in the audience as Linda Richman and tells her to not pay any attention to it ("Don't listen to that woman, Barbra; what does she know? Please! Feh!"). Streisand then invites Richman up on stage, and they perform a little comedy skit together. (Streisand: "Now, I'm getting verklempt! [To audience:] Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic. The Prince of Tides was about neither a prince nor tides. Discuss.")
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
on the sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
show Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. It ran from October 12, 1991, until October 15, 1994, although Myers (who had since left the show) reprised the role once more on March 22, 1997.
In the sketch, Myers plays a stereotypical Jewish middle-aged woman named Linda Richman with an exaggerated New York accent who sports long, painted
Nail polish
Nail polish, or nail varnish, is a lacquer applied to human fingernails or toenails to decorate and/or protect the nail plate.-History:...
fake nails; lots of gold jewelry; gaudy sweaters; large dark glasses; and big hair, which she constantly adjusts. This character was a spoof on his real-life mother-in-law, Linda Richman.
Paul Baldwin period
Introduced on the January 19, 1991, episode, this sketch was originally called Coffee Talk with Paul Baldwin, with Baldwin also played by Myers. The main joke was the use of as many words that accentuated the stereotypical New York accent as possible. The name itself is an example. Starting with the October 12, 1991, episode, Paul Baldwin was written out and replaced with the character of Richman as the substitute host. In subsequent episodes, Linda Richman explains that Paul Baldwin is a good friend of hers and is recuperating in Boca Raton, Florida, because he developed shpilkis in his genechtagazoink.Streisand fixation
Richman's hero was Barbra StreisandBarbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
. She constantly "dedicated" the show to her, often claiming her to be the greatest actress in all of history.
In what could be considered to be the sketch's most memorable moment, Myers was joined on February 22, 1992, by special guests Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
as other stereotypical Jewish women. Madonna also lampooned herself by having her character attack Madonna as a bad example for teenage Jewish girls ("She is such a tramp. Please! Every week with the different boyfriend already!"). They discussed Streisand's movie The Prince of Tides
The Prince of Tides
The Prince of Tides is a 1991 romantic drama film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Pat Conroy; the film stars Barbra Streisand and Nick Nolte. It tells the story of the narrator's struggle to overcome the psychological damage inflicted by his dysfunctional childhood in South Carolina...
on the show.
Near the end of the sketch, the women compared Barbra to "buttah
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
"--and suddenly, a voice announced, "All this talk about food. I'm getting hungry, girls." It was Streisand herself in a surprise appearance; none of the actors had any idea that she was to appear. All three managed to remain in character as the audience went wild. (Myers as Linda screamed, "I can die now! Excuse me; I have to go die now!") The real Richman, sitting in the audience that night to watch her then son-in-law lampoon her, has acknowledged being "tickled to death" at the moment, as Streisand is one of her actual heroes as well.
Though Streisand only stayed long enough to give each character a kiss and wave to the audience, the moment has become one of the most memorable in the show's history. Streisand later revealed that she had been giving a performance at Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
(which is located in the same building as NBC Studios
NBC Studios
The NBC Studios in New York, New York is located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the historic GE Building houses the headquarters of the NBC television network, its parent General Electric, and NBC's flagship station WNBC , as well as cable news channel MSNBC.When NBC Universal relocated,...
) and happened to overhear that the sketch was being done that night. In the TV special "Saturday Night Live: 101 Most Unforgettable Moments," this particular sketch is moment #6.
Call-ins
Linda would occasionally take callers. The number to call was always 555-4444, each "four" again said with the same accent (though, in some later airings, the 555 is bleeped out and covered up on screen, as 555-4444 is no longer a "fictitious phone number555 telephone number
Telephone numbers with the prefix 555 are widely used for fictitious telephone numbers in North American television shows, films, computer games, and other media....
"). "Give a call, we'll talk, no big whoop."
Mannerisms
Richman occasionally added Yiddish or pseudo-YiddishYinglish
Yinglish words are neologisms created by speakers of Yiddish in English-speaking countries, sometimes to describe things that were uncommon in the old country...
words into her speech: "OK now, this show used to be hosted by my friend Paul Baldwin, but he developed shpilkis in his genechtagazoink. So now he's in Boca Raton, Florida recovering nicely, thank you very much." The catchphrase often used to describe things Linda admired was "like butter", which in the accent becomes "like buttah". A typical example is, "Her voice, it's like buttah
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
."
Discussion topics
Whenever Linda would get upset, she would put her hand on her chest and say "I'm all verklemptYiddish words used by English-speaking Jews
Yiddish words may be used in a primarily English language context. An English sentence that uses these words sometimes is said to be in Yinglish, however the primary meaning of Yinglish is an anglicism used in Yiddish....
" or "I'm a little verklempt." Then she would say, "Talk amongst yourselves," sometimes waving her hand in a dismissive gesture toward the audience. She would often follow this with an example by saying, "I'll give you a topic." The topic would usually follow this format: "[two- or three-part phrase] is neither [first part] nor [second part] (nor [occasional third part]). Discuss." (Or: "Discuss amooangst yooaselves"). Barbara Streisand herself lampooned this in her '93/'94 New Year's Eve concert at the MGM Grand in which Myers, lampooning Richman, appeared. After claiming to be verklempt, "Linda" said, "The Prince of Tides is neither about a Prince nor tides - discuss."
Examples:
- "Milli VanilliMilli VanilliMilli Vanilli was a pop/dance music project formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988, visually fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. The group's debut album achieved international success and earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist on Feb. 21, 1990. Milli Vanilli became one of the most...
is neither a Milli or a Vanilli. Discuss." - "Palmolive - it's neither palmArecaceaeArecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
, nor oliveOliveThe olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
. Discuss." - "Grape-NutsGrape-NutsGrape-Nuts is a breakfast cereal developed by C. W. Post in 1897. Post was a patient and later competitor of the 19th-century breakfast food innovator, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. Despite its name, the cereal contains neither grapes nor nuts. The cereal is actually made from wheat and barley, in later...
- it contains neither grapeGrapeA grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s, nor nutNut (fruit)A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
s. Discuss." - "The Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
was neither civil nor a warWarWar is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
. Discuss." - "The radical reconstruction of the SouthSouthern United StatesThe Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
after the Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
was neither radical nor a reconstruction. Discuss." - "The Holy Roman EmpireHoly Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
was neither holy nor RomanRoman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
nor an empireEmpireThe term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
. Discuss." (This quote is based on a famous comment by VoltaireVoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
.) - "The peanutPeanutThe peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
is neither a peaPeaA pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
nor a nutNut (fruit)A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
. Discuss." - "Ralph FiennesRalph FiennesRalph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
is spelled neither rafe nor fines. Discuss." - "Duran DuranDuran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
is neither a Duran nor a Duran. Discuss." - "Rhode IslandRhode IslandThe state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
is neither a roadRoadA road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
nor is it an islandIslandAn island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
. Discuss." - "The ThighmasterThighmasterThe Thighmaster is an exercise product designed to shape one's thighs. The device is basically two pieces of metal tube bent in a loop and connected with a hinge. The intended use is to put the Thighmaster between the knees and squeeze them together. This exercises the hip adductors...
is neither a thighThighIn humans the thigh is the area between the pelvis and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.The single bone in the thigh is called the femur...
nor a master. Discuss." - "The Progressive EraProgressive EraThe Progressive Era in the United States was a period of social activism and political reform that flourished from the 1890s to the 1920s. One main goal of the Progressive movement was purification of government, as Progressives tried to eliminate corruption by exposing and undercutting political...
was neither progressiveProgressivismProgressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
nor an eraEraAn era is a commonly used word for long period of time. When used in science, for example geology, eras denote clearly defined periods of time of arbitrary but well defined length, such as for example the Mesozoic era from 252 Ma–66 Ma, delimited by a start event and an end event. When used in...
. Discuss." - "Did Truman drop the bombLittle Boy"Little Boy" was the codename of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets of the 393rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, of the United States Army Air Forces. It was the first atomic bomb to be used as a weapon...
on the JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese to end the war or to scare the hell out of the RussiansSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
? Discuss." - "The Mormon Tabernacle ChoirMormon Tabernacle ChoirThe Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to...
is neither MormonMormonThe term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
nor a tabernacleTabernacleThe Tabernacle , according to the Hebrew Torah/Old Testament, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built to specifications revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, it accompanied the Israelites...
nor a choirChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
. Discuss." - "The New DealNew DealThe New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
was neither new nor was it a deal. Discuss." - "The Romanesque ChurchRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
design was based on the RomanRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
basilicaBasilicaThe Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
. Discuss." - "The chickpeaChickpeaThe chickpea is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae...
is neither a chick nor a pea. Discuss." - "Transitional Romanesque architectureRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
was neither transitional nor Romanesque. Discuss." - "The internal combustion engineInternal combustion engineThe internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
was neither internal nor combustion. Discuss." - "The jelly beanJelly beanJelly beans are a small bean-shaped type of confectionery with a hard candy shell and a gummy interior which come in a wide variety of flavors. The confection is primarily made of sugar.-History:...
is neither made of jelly nor is it a bean. Discuss."
She would then recover after a beat.
Ethnic and religious references
Linda Richman would also make light jokes and good-natured ribbing about people raised in interfaithInterfaith
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
families, such as: someone who came from a family with Methodist and Jewish parents is called a "Moo Shu", whereas people who came from families with Jewish and Roman Catholic parents were called "cashews". In one of the final episodes of "Coffee Talk", Linda is shown with an Irish-Catholic boyfriend, who is a retired NYPD officer (played by Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
). When the boyfriend proposes marriage to her, Linda acts stunned, which prompts tremendous cheering from the female audience members.
Cultural references
The Fran DrescherFran Drescher
Francine Joy "Fran" Drescher is an American film and television actress, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer, author, singer, talk show host, political lobbyist and health activist...
sitcom The Nanny
The Nanny (TV series)
The Nanny is an American television sitcom co-produced by Sternin & Fraser Ink, Inc., and Fran Drescher in association with TriStar Television for the CBS network...
made a direct tongue-in-cheek reference to the Linda Richman sketches by showing brunette Fran Fine (Drescher), her blonde mother (Renée Taylor
Renee Taylor
Renée Taylor is an American actress, Academy Award nominated writer and one-time director, best-known for having played Fran Drescher's outspoken mother, Sylvia Fine, on the TV series The Nanny.- Career :...
) and gray-haired grandma Yetta (Ann Guilbert) on the couch watching their respective "Coffee Talk" counterparts (Meyers', Madonna's, and Roseanne Barr's characters) on television, all very similar in their appearance, voice and mannerisms. While "fussing" over their "big hair" in the fashion of the "Coffee Talk regulars", they claim, rather ironically, that the sketch is "so stereotypical."
The character of Linda Richman was inspired by Myers' then real-life mother-in-law, a woman of New York Jewish extraction who is actually named Linda Richman. During a Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
interview of Myers, the real Richman called in and expressed good-natured amusement about the character. During his appearance on Inside the Actors Studio
Inside the Actors Studio
Inside the Actors Studio is a series on the Bravo cable television channel, hosted by James Lipton. It is produced and directed by Jeff Wurtz; the executive producer is James Lipton. The program, which premiered in 1994, is distributed internationally by CABLEready and is broadcast in 125 countries...
, he claimed that his impression for the character was "underplayed" and that his mother-in-law actually goaded him into performing the voice of the character when they were in public together.
Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
made an appearance as Linda Richman during Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
's '93/'94 New Year's Eve concert at the MGM Grand. Streisand talks about some comments made about her in the New York Times when Myers appears in the audience as Linda Richman and tells her to not pay any attention to it ("Don't listen to that woman, Barbra; what does she know? Please! Feh!"). Streisand then invites Richman up on stage, and they perform a little comedy skit together. (Streisand: "Now, I'm getting verklempt! [To audience:] Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic. The Prince of Tides was about neither a prince nor tides. Discuss.")
External links
- Coffee Talk Script from the 10/12/1991 show that introduces Linda Richman.