The hard one is a two-man comedy bit in a sly, low-key vein. Recorded around 1958 or ’59, the humor comes from what used to be a basic fact in the American media landscape of the ’50s and early ’60s, which is that straight-arrow radio and TV guys were totally clueless about subterranean hipster culture. If you’re in the right mood, the bit is hilarious. If you’re not, it plays flat. There’s no guessing the comedian’s name because he disguises his voice.
Easy clip #1 is obviously from a war film. I have a special affection for it because of the way a certain actor says the words “one bullet now.” Easy clip #2 isn’t a guesser but a heavenly piece from West Side Story, which I saw at the Palace four or five weeks ago with an audience of out-of-town tourists, many of whom looked funny or dressed oddly in some way. The only moment that I truly loved was when they played Leonard Bernstein‘s “Scherzo (Vivace leggiero).”