Henny Youngman 1998 Deaths

Henny Youngman

King of the One-Liners, Youngman was known for his simple rapid-fire jokes, sometimes telling over 50 jokes in an eight minute routine. Youngman started his career playing in clubs and speakeasies but got his big break on the Kate Smith radio show in 1937. When the New York Telephone Co. started its Dial-a-Joke line in 1974, over three million people called in a month to hear 30 seconds of Youngman's material—the most ever for a comedian. His famous one-liner “Take my wife—please,” became so popular it was included in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. He also appeared in several films, including History of the World, Part I and Goodfellas His autobiography is aptly titled Take My Life, Please!