(Long Island, N.Y.) Funny man David Brenner returned for his second comedy act at the Bay Street Theatre Comedy Club on August 7, 2010. I had the chance to interview Mr. Brenner prior to his performance outside in the theatre’s courtyard. Mr. Brenner revealed during our interview, “I was here last year in July and I just want to comment on that, anyone that saw me last year and is a fan and your not coming this year because they will say ‘Well we saw him last July’ I am doing an entirely new show so there will be no repeated jokes.”
Comedian David Brenner has had a remarkable show business career. Brenner grew up in a tough town in Philadelphia. Unlike most kids his age he stayed out of trouble using comedy as a source of relief. Brenner became a gang leader in West and South Philadelphia using humor as a negotiating tool. From fourth grade through high school, Brenner was elected class president of his class, as well as class comedian. He attended Temple University where, in spite of being funny, he graduated with honors, majoring in Mass Communications.
Before becoming a comedian he enjoyed a successful career as the writer/producer/director of 115 television documentaries and headed the distinguished documentary departments of both Westinghouse Broadcasting and Metromedia Broadcasting. Brenner’s documentary work earned him a total of nearly thirty awards and citations including an Emmy Award.
Publicist Tim Kofahl of the Bay Street Theatre, Comedian David Brenner and Cognac Wellerlane pose for a photo.
“I Think There’s a Terrorist in My Soup, “Brenner’s fifth book is a guide on how to use humor and laughter to get through personal problems as well as how to cope with the problems of the world. His first book, “Soft Pretzels with Mustard,” was a national best seller.
David got his big break on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. During our interview he revealed “I went on the Tonight show and I was going to quit the next day doing comedy. I only had three dollars to my name. I went on the show and by the end of that next day, I had ten thousand dollars worth of job offers. I was on my way, Buddy Hackett saw me, he put me on the stage at the Cango Room in the Sahara Hotel in Vegas with Sonny and Cher they were the closing act, Frankie Avalon was the opening act. Robert Goulet’s management talent agent saw me and he put me on with Robert Goulet, Carson invited me back next week. Ed Sullivan’s people saw me on the Tonight Show and asked me to be on it and it turned out to be the last live Ed Sullivan show. All that from one appearance. Instead of like now two, three million people watch the Tonight Show or Letterman, then eleven, thirteen million people were watching the show besides that all the people in show business who were anybody were watching the show so if you scored a home run, you hit a home run that night, you hit it with the right people in the stands watching it clear to the fence.”
Brenner continued making appearances on the Tonight Show, where he went on to make the most appearances of any guest on any show 158 to be exact. David has continued to be the most frequent talk show guest of any entertainer, as confirmed in “The Book of List 2.”
We also talked about his relationship with Johnny Carson. “Well, I’ll tell you something interesting, I really didn’t know Johnny, I did 158 appearances, I didn’t know him any better at number 158 then I did on the first one except to tell you that he was generous, he was kind, he supported you and he was a remarkable man but he had a little click of friends, Steve and Eydie Gormé. They played tennis, they played cards, they went on a sail boat other than that he was friendly. I bumped into him one time we had dinner only because I bumped into him. I went to see him in Las Vegas and I spent three hours in a dressing room hanging out and kidding with him but he would never call me ‘David, when are you coming into town, let’s hang out’ he just wouldn’t do that,” Brenner revealed. “He was not that kind of friend, I heard a lot of stories about him. I heard he had a dark side, he was the type of guy you just didn’t cross. He would do you that favor, he would go that extra mile for you, he would help you out but don’t ever cross him,” I added. “Yeah, he was very Mafioso that way,” Brenner remarked.
We also talked about his bitter custody battle that lasted several years. David finally won custody of their son Cole in 1991 and now lives with three of sons ranging in age from 12, 16 and his oldest son is twenty-eight. His biggest accomplishment in life is winning the case. “Only ten percent of fathers win a custody battle,” he revealed. He just started a hilarious new website with his kids, http://oldjewreview.com that has been very successful.
Today, Brenner’s act is based on “very” current events and he is recognized as a political pundit, appearing on news oriented shows including, MSNBC, CNN and The Fox Network.
For more information on Comedian David Brenner please visit http://www.davidbrennersite.com
Benefit Chairman Jean Shafiroff and Cognac pose for a photo.
I also attended the 52nd Annual Southampton Hospital Summer Party on August 7, 2010 An Enchanted Evening. Hamptonities enjoyed a festive evening of cocktails, silent auction, dinner and dancing to benefit The Jenny and John Paulson Emergency Department. The event took place under the tents at the corner of Wickapogue and Old Town Roads, Southampton. I had a chance to chat with Benefit Chairman Jean Shafiroff dressed in a Oscar de la Renta couture gown and wearing Tiffany Diamonds, this years’s sponsor, she revealed, “I welcome all of you to our community gala for the Southampton Hospital. We are delighted to present you this event and I am delighted to be here and serve as the chair, it’s a great honor.”
Betsy McCoy former Lt. Governor of New York revealed in our interview, “If you have a stroke, if you are suddenly in labor, if you get a splinter at the beach whatever it is, you will wind up at Southampton Hospital so we have to support it.”
In the early 1900’s two local medical care practioners, Drs. Wheelwright and Schenck, were notified to treat a patient on the outskirts of Southampton Village. Because of the urgency of the case they couldn’t take time to move the patient to the closest hospital instead by the light of a kerosene lamp in a small attic room, they performed surgery to save the life of a woman who, in time, fully recovered. That ordeal convinced the doctors that Southampton needed a place where emergency operations could be performed in safety. They had a conference and decided with other local physicians to create a proper space for “modern” healthcare, complete with a district or public health nurses who would care for patients.
The Hospital is centrally located in the village of Southampton, two hours from New York City, the Hospital is the medical care facility for an ethnically and financially diverse population of year-round residents, second homeowners and vacationers.
Building additions throughout the year include:
- 1909: Hervey J. Topping House acquired
- 1913: Original hospital building opened on Washington’s birthday
- 1925: School of Nursing and nurses’ residence completed
- 1930: West wing opened 1931: East wing opened
- 1942: Parrish Memorial Hall acquired
- 1952: Schenck Memorial Building completed – now occupied by Suffolk County Department of
Health Services
- 1965: Southwest wing completed
- 1975: Northwest wing opened
- 1983: Todd Nursing Home acquired
Betsy McCoy Former Lt. Governor of NY, Publicist Ron Capparella and Cognac pose for a photo-op – Photo by Michael Wellbrock.
This year the Southampton Kiwanis Club presented Southampton Hospital with the first of two donations, the proceeds from their recent carnivals in Bridgehampton, totaling $25,000. The funds will be applied toward the pediatric emergency treatment room in the newly renovated Jenny and John Paulson Emergency Department.
“It is never easy for children to deal with a trauma and we want to try to ease the stress of the experience in any way we can by making the room child-friendly and almost entertaining,” commented Kiwanis Co-Secretary, Jim McMahon. The funding will enable the Hospital to tailor the room for children to make their experience at the Hospital as stress-free as possible.
According to member Eric Nastri, “The Hospital has always been good to us and our families over the years and this is our time to give back.”
For more information on how you can you can support the Southampton Hospital please visit http://www.southamptonhospital.org
