The Yiddish Book Center's

Wexler Oral History Project

A growing collection of in-depth interviews with people of all ages and backgrounds, whose stories about the legacy and changing nature of Yiddish language and culture offer a rich and complex chronicle of Jewish identity.

Joel Grey on How Mickey Katz Became "the Pre-eminent Yiddish-Speaking Comedian Parodist"

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Joel Grey—award-winning actor, dancer, singer, and director—describes how his father, Mickey Katz, became famous for writing Yiddish parody songs, including "Haim afen Range" (based on "Home on the Range") and "Tickle, Tickle."

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Joel Grey.

This excerpt is in English.

Other video highlights from this oral history

Joel Grey on Directing the Yiddish "Fiddler on the Roof"

3 min 17 sec

"Glugging" with Spike Jones: The Early Musical Career of Mickey Katz

1 min 46 sec

"It Was in Every Bone in His Body": Joel Grey Describes Mickey Katz's Love of Yiddish

2 min 11 sec

Joe Grey's "Grandma Fanny" Came to America Alone When She Was 16

1 min 53 sec

Mickey Katz and the Borscht Capades

1 min 37 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

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