h Hedberg. His sense of humor was plain, harmless, and warm, yet acerbic, ironic, and side-splitting. He could tell as many as 200 jokes in a 15-minute set, each one with a punchline that had the audience laughing out loud.
Youngman was born in Liverpool, England, in 1906 but relocated with his family to New York City as a child. He began life as a printer, but turned to comedy after being awarded first prize in an amateur contest at a local playhouse. Before long, he found himself a regular fixture in clubs and theaters, where he met his wife, Sadie Cohen, upon whom he was to write so many of his jokes.
Youngman’s own signature joke, “Take my wife, please,” was born out of a miscommunication with a stagehand during a radio performance in the mid-1930s. Youngman brought his wife to the performance and asked the stagehand to show her to a seat. The stagehand got it as a joke and laughed, so Youngman ended up adding it to his stand-up act. The joke was so popular that the name became connected with it.
Youngman was not only known for jokes about his wife, but also for marriage, family, money, doctors, and life itself. Some of his best one-liners include:
- “My wife and I have the secret to making a marriage last. Two times a week, we go to a nice restaurant, have a little wine, good food. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays.”
- “I’ve been in love with the same woman for 49 years. If my wife ever finds out, she’ll kill me.”
- “When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.”
- “A doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn’t pay his bill, so he gave him another six months.”
Youngman was close to Milton Berle, who urged him to be a comedian and provided him with guidance regarding timing and delivery. Youngman also made appearances on TV programs like The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, and Laugh-In. He kept performing right up to his death in 1998 at the age of 91.
Youngman’s legacy continues to endure in the world of comedy, where his jokes remain quoted and revered by comedians and fans alike. He is hailed as the King of the One-Liners, and his classic joke “Take my wife, please” remains one of the most iconic and well-known jokes in history.
