Yakov Smirnoff
Encyclopedia
Yakov Naumovich Pokhis , better known as Yakov Smirnoff, is a Ukrainian-born
American
comedian
, painter
and teacher. He was popular in the 1980s for comedy performances in which he used irony
and word play
to contrast life under the Communist regime
in his native Soviet Union
with life in the United States, delivered in heavily accented English. He has a theatre in Branson, Missouri
, where he performs year-round. Smirnoff is also a professor at Missouri State University
and Drury University
where he teaches "The Business of Laughter."
, Ukraine
, then part of the Soviet Union. He is of Jewish descent. He was an art
teacher
in Odessa and continues to paint
. He came to the United States
in 1977 and became an American citizen on 4 July 1986. Smirnoff spent a portion of his early days in the United States working as a bartender at Grossingers Hotel
in the Catskill Mountains
of New York and living in the employee dormitory.
and The Money Pit
. Among his numerous appearances on television, he was featured many times on the sitcom Night Court
as "Yakov Korolenko". He also had a starring role in a 1986–87 television sitcom titled What a Country
. In that show, he played a Russian cab driver studying for the U.S. citizenship test. In the late 1980s, Smirnoff was commissioned by ABC
to provide educational bumper segments for Saturday morning cartoons, punctuated with a joke and Smirnoff's signature laugh. Since 1993, he has been a fixture in Branson, Missouri
.
He has continued to amass accomplishments including books, CDs, movies, T.V. appearances, a successful Broadway show, As Long As We Both Shall Laugh, and is currently working on a humorous self-help book. He is a featured writer for AARP magazine and gives readers advice in his column, “Happily Ever Laughter”. He guests at the Skinny Improv in Springfield, Missouri
on occasion.
In (May 2006), Smirnoff received a master's degree in positive psychology
from the University of Pennsylvania
. He has taught classes at Drury University
along with Missouri State University
on this topic. He is reportedly developing a new talk show that is based on the important role that laughter plays in healthy relationships, a concept which he had envisioned years earlier and has been developing the pilot.
He once told Johnny Carson
, "I enjoy being in America: it's fun, you know, because you have, you have so many things we never had in Russia — like warning shots."
. The general form of the "In Soviet Russia
" joke is that the subject and objects of a statement are reversed, and "In (Soviet) Russia," or something equivalent, is added, and the verb is often left unconjugated and articles are omitted, mimicking perceived Russian-accented speech. The original was:
Other examples include:
All of Smirnoff's original "In Soviet Russia" jokes made use of formulaic wordplay that carried Orwellian
undertones. For example, two common jokes of this type run "In America, you listen to man on radio. In Soviet Russia, man on radio listen to you!" and "In America, you watch television. In Soviet Russia, television watch you!" The joke alludes to video screens that both reproduce images and monitor the citizenry
, as in the novel 1984
. Smirnoff's use of English allowed him to smooth over grammar differences in transitioning from the setup to the punchline. For example, he omits the articles "a" and "the" in the first reversal joke above, to better preserve the congruence. Also, verbs are often left unconjugated.
In 1985, Smirnoff appeared on a Miller Lite
commercial featuring Russian reversal jokes.
At the peak of Smirnoff's celebrity in the mid-1980s, he did not say "Soviet Russia" — he said simply "Russia
", as the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
had existed since 1917, still existed, and showed no signs of imminent collapse. Smirnoff may have added the Soviet qualifier after the fall of the USSR to specify that he was referring to the communist regime and not the present state, although the phrase "Soviet Russia" has seen occasional use in the West since the beginning of the Soviet Union.
The joke form has become a staple of Smirnoff's humor, and is widely referenced in television parodies and online communities, especially in the form of double entendre
s. The widespread reference to the jokes has led some linguists to consider the phrases to be meme
s.
in his art since receiving his U.S. citizenship.
On the night of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, he started a painting inspired by his feelings about the event, based on an image of the Statue of Liberty. Just prior to the first anniversary of the attacks, he paid US$100,000 for his painting to be transformed into a large mural. Its dimensions were 200 feet by 135 feet (61 m by 41 m).
The mural, titled "America's Heart," is a pointillist
-style piece, with one brush-stroke for each victim of the attacks. Sixty volunteers from the Sheet Metal Workers Union erected the mural on a damaged skyscraper overlooking the ruins of the World Trade Center
. The mural remained there until November 2003, when it was removed because of storm damage. Various pieces of the mural can now be seen on display at his theater in Branson, Missouri
.
The only stipulation he put on the hanging of the mural was that his name not be listed as the painter. He signed it: "The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart."
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and teacher. He was popular in the 1980s for comedy performances in which he used irony
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
and word play
Word play
Word play or wordplay is a literary technique in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement...
to contrast life under the Communist regime
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in his native Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
with life in the United States, delivered in heavily accented English. He has a theatre in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
, where he performs year-round. Smirnoff is also a professor at Missouri State University
Missouri State University
Missouri State University is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States and founded in 1905. It is the state's second largest university, with an official enrollment of 20,802 in fall 2011...
and Drury University
Drury University
Drury University is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Missouri.The university enrolls about 1,550 undergraduates, over 2,000 adult part-time undergraduates and around 400 graduate students in six master's programs...
where he teaches "The Business of Laughter."
Early life
Smirnoff was born in OdessaOdessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, then part of the Soviet Union. He is of Jewish descent. He was an art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
in Odessa and continues to paint
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. He came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1977 and became an American citizen on 4 July 1986. Smirnoff spent a portion of his early days in the United States working as a bartender at Grossingers Hotel
Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel
Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel was a resort in the Catskill Mountains in the Town of Liberty, near the village of Liberty, New York. It is part of the Borscht Belt. After decades of activity and notable guests, it closed its doors in 1986.-History:...
in the Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
of New York and living in the employee dormitory.
Career
He appeared in several motion pictures, including Buckaroo BanzaiThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension!, often shortened to Buckaroo Banzai, is an American spoof science fiction film that was released in 1984. It was directed and produced by W. D. Richter, and concerns the efforts of the multi-talented Dr...
and The Money Pit
The Money Pit
The Money Pit is a 1986 comedy film and remake of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. Directed by Richard Benjamin and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the film stars Tom Hanks and Shelley Long as a couple who attempt to renovate a recently purchased house. The Money Pit was filmed in New...
. Among his numerous appearances on television, he was featured many times on the sitcom Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
as "Yakov Korolenko". He also had a starring role in a 1986–87 television sitcom titled What a Country
What a Country
What a Country! is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from September 27, 1986 to May 23, 1987.-Synopsis:Based on the British sitcom Mind Your Language, the series follows the theme of an American English language teacher trying his best to teach a group of foreigners who are trying to...
. In that show, he played a Russian cab driver studying for the U.S. citizenship test. In the late 1980s, Smirnoff was commissioned by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
to provide educational bumper segments for Saturday morning cartoons, punctuated with a joke and Smirnoff's signature laugh. Since 1993, he has been a fixture in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
.
He has continued to amass accomplishments including books, CDs, movies, T.V. appearances, a successful Broadway show, As Long As We Both Shall Laugh, and is currently working on a humorous self-help book. He is a featured writer for AARP magazine and gives readers advice in his column, “Happily Ever Laughter”. He guests at the Skinny Improv in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
on occasion.
In (May 2006), Smirnoff received a master's degree in positive psychology
Positive psychology
Positive psychology is a recent branch of psychology whose purpose was summed up in 1998 by Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: "We believe that a psychology of positive human functioning will arise, which achieves a scientific understanding and effective interventions to build thriving in...
from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. He has taught classes at Drury University
Drury University
Drury University is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Missouri.The university enrolls about 1,550 undergraduates, over 2,000 adult part-time undergraduates and around 400 graduate students in six master's programs...
along with Missouri State University
Missouri State University
Missouri State University is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States and founded in 1905. It is the state's second largest university, with an official enrollment of 20,802 in fall 2011...
on this topic. He is reportedly developing a new talk show that is based on the important role that laughter plays in healthy relationships, a concept which he had envisioned years earlier and has been developing the pilot.
"America: What a country!"
- American life and custom through the eyes of a new immigrant. For instance:
- "I go to New York and I saw a big sign saying 'America Loves SmirnoffSmirnoffSmirnoff is a brand of vodka owned and produced by the British company Diageo. The Smirnoff brand began with a vodka distillery founded in Moscow by Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov , the son of illiterate Russian peasants. It is now distributed in 130 countries.Smirnoff products include vodka, flavored...
' and I said to myself, what a country!" (An urban legendUrban legendAn urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
says Yakov got his stage name from just such a billboard, but he denies this.) - Reading employment announcements of "Part-Time Woman Wanted": "What a country! Even transvestitesTransvestismTransvestism is the practice of cross-dressing, which is wearing clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Transvestite refers to a person who cross-dresses; however, the word often has additional connotations. -History:Although the word transvestism was coined as late as the 1910s,...
can get work." - Upon being offered work as a barman on a "graveyard shiftGraveyard shiftA graveyard shift means a shift of work running through the early hours of the morning, especially one from midnight until 8 am. See shift work.Graveyard shift may also refer to:In movies, television, and video games:...
", he remarks, 'A bar in a cemeteryCemeteryA cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
! What a country! Last call? During Happy Hour the place must be dead.' - At the grocery store: "Powdered milkPowdered milkPowdered milk is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness. One purpose of drying milk is to preserve it; milk powder has a far longer shelf life than liquid milk and does not need to be refrigerated, due to its low moisture content. Another purpose is to reduce its bulk for...
, powdered eggsPowdered eggsPowdered eggs are fully dehydrated eggs. They are made in a spray dryer in the same way that powdered milk is made. The major advantages of powdered eggs over fresh eggs are the price, reduced weight per volume of whole egg equivalent, and the shelf life...
, baby powderBaby powderBaby powder is an astringent powder used for preventing diaper rash, as a deodorant, and for other cosmetic uses. It may be composed of talc or corn starch. Talcum powder is harmful if inhaled since it may cause aspiration pneumonia or granuloma. Drugs such as cocaine are sometimes cut with...
... what a country!" - At the grocery store after finding "New Freedom" Maxi PadsSanitary napkinA sanitary napkin, sanitary towel, sanitary pad, menstrual pad, maxi pad, or pad is an absorbent item worn by a woman while she is menstruating, recovering from vaginal surgery, for lochia , abortion, or any other situation where it is necessary to absorb a flow of blood from a woman's vagina.These...
: "Freedom in a box! What a country!" - "The first time I went to a restaurant, they asked me 'How many in your party?' and I said 'Six hundred million'."
- "I go to New York and I saw a big sign saying 'America Loves Smirnoff
- Bizarre comparisons between the U.S. and Russia:
- "We have no gay people in Russia — there are homosexuals but they are not allowed to be gay about it. The punishment is seven years locked in prison with other men and there is a three-year waiting list for that."
- "I like parades without missiles in them. I'll take Bullwinkle to a tank anyday'"
He once told Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
, "I enjoy being in America: it's fun, you know, because you have, you have so many things we never had in Russia — like warning shots."
Russian reversal
Russian reversal or "In Soviet Russia" is a type of joke originated by Smirnoff, and is an example of antimetaboleAntimetabole
In rhetoric, antimetabole is the repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed grammatical order...
. The general form of the "In Soviet Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
" joke is that the subject and objects of a statement are reversed, and "In (Soviet) Russia," or something equivalent, is added, and the verb is often left unconjugated and articles are omitted, mimicking perceived Russian-accented speech. The original was:
- In America, you can always find a party.
- In Soviet Russia, PartyCommunist Party of the Soviet UnionThe Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
always find you!
Other examples include:
- In America, you watch television.
- In Soviet Russia, television watches you!
- In America, you break laws.
- In Soviet Russia, laws break you!
- In America, you drive cars.
- In Soviet Russia, cars drive you!
- In America, you dodge bullets.
- In Soviet Russia, bullets dodge you.
- In America, you listen to radios.
- In Soviet Russia, radios listen to you!
- In America, your job determines your marks.
- In Soviet Russia, Marx determines your job!
- In America, you assassinate presidents.
- In Soviet Russia, presidents assassinate you!
- In America, you throw parties.
- In Soviet Russia, parties throw you!
- In America, you watch Big Brother.
- In Soviet Russia, Big Brother watches you!
All of Smirnoff's original "In Soviet Russia" jokes made use of formulaic wordplay that carried Orwellian
Orwellian
"Orwellian" describes the situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free society...
undertones. For example, two common jokes of this type run "In America, you listen to man on radio. In Soviet Russia, man on radio listen to you!" and "In America, you watch television. In Soviet Russia, television watch you!" The joke alludes to video screens that both reproduce images and monitor the citizenry
Telescreen
Telescreens are most prominently featured in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, although notably they have an earlier appearance in the 1936 Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times...
, as in the novel 1984
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
. Smirnoff's use of English allowed him to smooth over grammar differences in transitioning from the setup to the punchline. For example, he omits the articles "a" and "the" in the first reversal joke above, to better preserve the congruence. Also, verbs are often left unconjugated.
In 1985, Smirnoff appeared on a Miller Lite
Miller Lite
Miller Lite is a 4.2% abv pale lager brand sold by MillerCoors of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Sibling beers include Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life.-History:...
commercial featuring Russian reversal jokes.
- In America, there's plenty of light beer and you always find a party. In Russia, Party will always find you.
At the peak of Smirnoff's celebrity in the mid-1980s, he did not say "Soviet Russia" — he said simply "Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
", as the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
had existed since 1917, still existed, and showed no signs of imminent collapse. Smirnoff may have added the Soviet qualifier after the fall of the USSR to specify that he was referring to the communist regime and not the present state, although the phrase "Soviet Russia" has seen occasional use in the West since the beginning of the Soviet Union.
The joke form has become a staple of Smirnoff's humor, and is widely referenced in television parodies and online communities, especially in the form of double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
s. The widespread reference to the jokes has led some linguists to consider the phrases to be meme
Meme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
s.
9/11 mural
Smirnoff is also a painter and has frequently featured the Statue of LibertyStatue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
in his art since receiving his U.S. citizenship.
On the night of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, he started a painting inspired by his feelings about the event, based on an image of the Statue of Liberty. Just prior to the first anniversary of the attacks, he paid US$100,000 for his painting to be transformed into a large mural. Its dimensions were 200 feet by 135 feet (61 m by 41 m).
The mural, titled "America's Heart," is a pointillist
Pointillism
Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of pure color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term Pointillism was first coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works...
-style piece, with one brush-stroke for each victim of the attacks. Sixty volunteers from the Sheet Metal Workers Union erected the mural on a damaged skyscraper overlooking the ruins of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. The mural remained there until November 2003, when it was removed because of storm damage. Various pieces of the mural can now be seen on display at his theater in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
.
The only stipulation he put on the hanging of the mural was that his name not be listed as the painter. He signed it: "The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart."