He was on the Tonight Show years ago and he did a joke that really poked fun at the KGB. When he sat with Carson, Johnny asked him if he could tell that joke on stage in Russia. His reply was yes......one time.
I was living in [West]Germany, before and during the Wall getting knocked down. But I had found this book at a Grmn store in English and it was Yakov Smirnoff... at ugh laying in bed reading 1st 2 chapters and I was trying to not laugh so hard, my husband finally says...get out of bed and go read that in the Living Room. I was up ALL night Laughing SO hard...the book was really funny 🤣. Especially when he's seeing all the sanitary napkins, New Freedom, Maximum Freedom, Stay Free...Ohhh man, I lost it!!! 😂😂😂 When we got back to the States I saw how popular he had become. I was Really surprised and impressed with him. I loved this guys since 1988.❤
Sascha baron cohen owes yakov a massive debt of gratitude bc he basically took yakovs real life personality and tweaked it a tiny bit to create borat...who was hilarious for sure...but an obvious ripoff and affectation of yakovs act.
He's not dead...he has a huge dinner comedy theater in Branson Missouri, opened in 1992. He has had more than 4 million dinner guests come see his shows. He was hilarious on the comedy tv show NIGHT COURT.
kennycybertron1 Just binged watch Night Court, including the episodes he was in. Great seeing him again, even in reruns. Then I thought to see if he had any vids on y.t.
He did some charity show I saw a while back and one of the other comedians was Henny Youngman. Youngman did his signature, "Take my wife.....please" jokes and Smirnov followed right behind with the, "In Russia if you say Take my wife please, you get home and she's gone."
This Dangerfield special had it all! First time I saw any of these people, including Sam Kinison. In the opening credits, Sam rolls up in a taxi, gets out and screams, "Why me? AHHHHH!" Also the first time I saw Bob Saget from Full House.
When I was boy in Russia we had two TV channels: Channel 1 was state propaganda channel; Channel 2 was public broadcast channel. You turn to Channel 2 and was just KGB officer saying, "Turn back to Channel 1". - Yakov Smirnoff 40 years I've remembered that joke😂
He's definitely a funny guy. And also a very patriotic one. I remember when he was featured in Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy and he showed a huge painting he did shortly after 9/11. He is proud to be an American. "What a country!"
*I believe there is a direct correlation between love and laughter.* *Therefore laughter is the shortest distance between two people.* *- Yakov Smirnoff*
Saw this back when it first aired when Russia and USSR meant the same thing even though this wasn't ever really true. Sadly this guy is from Ukraine and not only had to say Russia back then but of course his homeland was a soviet satellite that Russia is trying to take back. Also sad to realize in 1984 most Americans would not have known Ukraine existed at all much less should have been an independent country. And of course he took a recognizable Russian stage name - Smirnoff - rather than use his family name. But hats off to him - he earned a PhD in psychology in his 60s.
I lived in Brighton Beach for a while. Place is full of Russians. I was waxing my car on the street. Guy walks up yelling in Russian waving his arms. I felt like a gringo in Hialeah. "Sorry, but I don't speak your language,"I said. "You make car look brand new." Now, I felt I was in a TV commercial as I held the product to my face, I exclaim: "It's Turtle Wax!" 😀
I'm not a lawyer but that seems like a verbal contractual agreement Chelsea Handler just made. I hope she has someone to help her move her stuff. I couldn't remember her name so I searched white female comedian. Still didn't get anything. Took me awhile.
I didn't watch the entire series of "The Americans", but if they didn't show Elizabeth and Phillip reacting to this guy on TV in the 80's then they missed a huge opportunity for a joke on that show.
Sha sha shaaaa! Save your "sweet guy" act for the tourists, Nikolai. The CIA will be here momentarily. I called them during the Statue of Liberty dance number.
"Yakov Naumovich Pokhis, better known as Yakov Smirnoff, is a Ukrainian-American comedian, actor and writer. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Ukraine, then immigrated to the United States in 1977 ." Well, now it's clear. He was not a star, he just performed somewhere in Ukraine. Jewish with Russian " Smirnov" as a pseudonym.
@@whiteninjaplus5 What's to explain? Here, you brush your teeth... In Russia your teeth brush you. Here, you hunt for bear... In Russia the bear hunts you. Blah-blah-blah... blah-blah-blah. Among the most unfunny guys on the planet.
For what? I didn't hear anything in this act that would bother anyone. The red scare stuff is kinda dumb but I don't think anyone would really care. He's funny.
@@ekklesiast as an immigrant, I would know better than anyone else. i'm sure that sminoff had an accent, but he clearly invented the accent used in his act to fit a certain Western stereotype.
He was on the Tonight Show years ago and he did a joke that really poked fun at the KGB. When he sat with Carson, Johnny asked him if he could tell that joke on stage in Russia. His reply was yes......one time.
you’d go out with a bang…from a gun
He was making silly jokes about people in Russia. Idiot!
"For once, all of the mushrooms are edible", we say in Russia
@@utvpoop Actually it translates to something more like "all mushrooms are edible, but some only once".
I was living in [West]Germany, before and during the Wall getting knocked down. But I had found this book at a Grmn store in English and it was Yakov Smirnoff... at ugh laying in bed reading 1st 2 chapters and I was trying to not laugh so hard, my husband finally says...get out of bed and go read that in the Living Room. I was up ALL night Laughing SO hard...the book was really funny 🤣. Especially when he's seeing all the sanitary napkins, New Freedom, Maximum Freedom, Stay Free...Ohhh man, I lost it!!! 😂😂😂 When we got back to the States I saw how popular he had become. I was Really surprised and impressed with him. I loved this guys since 1988.❤
Sascha baron cohen owes yakov a massive debt of gratitude bc he basically took yakovs real life personality and tweaked it a tiny bit to create borat...who was hilarious for sure...but an obvious ripoff and affectation of yakovs act.
Well that's a bold claim
I thought the same, but let‘s see it as a hommage
This video is dedicated to Bobby Hill
I'll tell you what.
That boy ain't right
In America, you put "In God We Trust" on your money.
In Russia, we have no money.
THAT'S MY PURSE!!!
I DON'T KNOW YOU!!!
2019! this guys funny! never seen his standup before
He's not dead...he has a huge dinner comedy theater in Branson Missouri, opened in 1992. He has had more than 4 million dinner guests come see his shows. He was hilarious on the comedy tv show NIGHT COURT.
kennycybertron1
Just binged watch Night Court, including the episodes he was in. Great seeing him again, even in reruns. Then I thought to see if he had any vids on y.t.
"Russian Express: Don't Leave Home." XD
He did some charity show I saw a while back and one of the other comedians was Henny Youngman. Youngman did his signature, "Take my wife.....please" jokes and Smirnov followed right behind with the, "In Russia if you say Take my wife please, you get home and she's gone."
Rodney was a saint.
This Dangerfield special had it all! First time I saw any of these people, including Sam Kinison. In the opening credits, Sam rolls up in a taxi, gets out and screams, "Why me? AHHHHH!" Also the first time I saw Bob Saget from Full House.
Bob Saget's standup was phenomenal.
I use to have the whole special on VHS but lost it long ago. I never laughed so hard!
Yakov is still one of my favorites, I go see his show in Branson, still very funny!
Is that a king of the hill reference?
He's still in Vegas doing the same jokes. What a country.
I'd still pay to see him live.
GOOD FOR HIM I'M GLAD THAT THE NEW GENERATIONS GET TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY THAT PREVIOUS GENERATIONS GOT TO
I thought he was in Branson, MO.
No, he was in Branson, Missouri doing it. And stopped in 2015.
@@HariSeldon913 no thats Bronson Missouri
35 years later and his stuff's still funny.
Because it’s happening here. 1:56
When I was boy in Russia we had two TV channels: Channel 1 was state propaganda channel; Channel 2 was public broadcast channel.
You turn to Channel 2 and was just KGB officer saying, "Turn back to Channel 1".
- Yakov Smirnoff
40 years I've remembered that joke😂
Seinfeld with an accent.
This is a nice tape here.
He's definitely a funny guy. And also a very patriotic one. I remember when he was featured in Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy and he showed a huge painting he did shortly after 9/11. He is proud to be an American. "What a country!"
*I believe there is a direct correlation between love and laughter.*
*Therefore laughter is the shortest distance between two people.*
*- Yakov Smirnoff*
divineenergy ... Divine Energy is Heavenly love. 😀 💝
😘
Excellent quote! And I believe it to be true.
Very good act.
Saw this back when it first aired when Russia and USSR meant the same thing even though this wasn't ever really true. Sadly this guy is from Ukraine and not only had to say Russia back then but of course his homeland was a soviet satellite that Russia is trying to take back. Also sad to realize in 1984 most Americans would not have known Ukraine existed at all much less should have been an independent country. And of course he took a recognizable Russian stage name - Smirnoff - rather than use his family name. But hats off to him - he earned a PhD in psychology in his 60s.
This is comedy BaBy 😁👍🏻
I swear the majority of comedy has no substance, just BLAH, BLAH, BLAH or crowd work !😏👎
Very funny.!!!
I lived in Brighton Beach for a while. Place is full of Russians. I was waxing my car on the street. Guy walks up yelling in Russian waving his arms. I felt like a gringo in Hialeah. "Sorry, but I don't speak your language,"I said. "You make car look brand new." Now, I felt I was in a TV commercial as I held the product to my face, I exclaim: "It's Turtle Wax!" 😀
He must have thought you were pretty mean for crushing up all those poor turtles, haha!
There was an actual department of jokes.
He was always headed for Branson. What a country!
How things change. In Russia American leftists come to Soviet Union, now Soviet Union come to American leftists.
Started thinking of him nowadays.
2022 need jokes
Yakov is kind of like an OG Borat.
In Mother Russia, misunderstanding about maxi pads purchases you
That was cute: New Freedom in a box.
Смотрю и пересматриваю все эти немногочисленные кинофильмы с Родни...
In Russia we used to make fun of Cleveland.
Was very popular before the USSR split up. Haven't heard Yakov in several decades. He is funny and can do his act without being BLUE.
You don't like comics that work blue?
Ugh you’re one of those people
@@jamesd.6979 S'matter with that? Blue is so played by now.
@@nickgoldring1446 Never said there was anything wrong with it. I was just surprised as you don't hear many people express that opinion these days.
@@jamesd.6979
Sorry, I missed your point.
Check out a new your moms house interview with him so amazing
Bro predicted cancel-culture 40 years early.
I'm not a lawyer but that seems like a verbal contractual agreement Chelsea Handler just made. I hope she has someone to help her move her stuff. I couldn't remember her name so I searched white female comedian. Still didn't get anything. Took me awhile.
I prefer Yakoff Ciroc.
35 years later and everybody is wearing a sanitary napkin on their face.
They all think that's what freedom of speech is
I remember when I watched this on HBO.
waddever happin' to him?
I didn't watch the entire series of "The Americans", but if they didn't show Elizabeth and Phillip reacting to this guy on TV in the 80's then they missed a huge opportunity for a joke on that show.
This guy is truly funny!
So this is how Borat was developed. His estate should sue.
Borats dad
He hired other comedians to write for him
This is funny
I like how with the joke at 1:26 you can tell it took a while for the audience to get the punchline.
Funny guy
Sha sha shaaaa! Save your "sweet guy" act for the tourists, Nikolai. The CIA will be here momentarily. I called them during the Statue of Liberty dance number.
If anything those napkins are super absorbent 😂
exceptional
I sure miss comedy.
Me too. Comedy as we knew it is dead.
Sounds like freedom - Russia, that is.
I bet he learned English and just saw all these funny inconsistencies and made a bunch of jokes about them. A lot of these just write themselves.
"i want to explain you what happened to that airplane"
funny how that never stops being relevant.
Why don't you get off stage...
I feel like Seth Mcfarlane watched this show at the same time I did. And ALSO memorized it.
Why this sound like what Germany doing now to protests or any free anti establishment BS
By the late 80s, he was exaggerating his Russian accent way too much.
Childhood memories 😂😂
Ben Stiller nailed it.
In Soviet Russia, you make the jokes laugh.
I still think that Ivan Drago would have brought the house down
😂😂😂😂
Great comedian. Clean comedy, funny stuff.
Heard of him in family guy
Never saw his show on Tv in USSR
I don’t think he had a show in Russia. I heard he worked as a comedian on a cruise ship.
@@oemca1919
Maybe because I haven't even heard such a name. We in the USSR knew all our artists.
"Yakov Naumovich Pokhis, better known as Yakov Smirnoff, is a Ukrainian-American comedian, actor and writer. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Ukraine, then immigrated to the United States in 1977 ."
Well, now it's clear. He was not a star, he just performed somewhere in Ukraine. Jewish with Russian " Smirnov" as a pseudonym.
4:52 Yaakov would be very said in the US now, 2021, with the miscreants who are steering it into the ground.
Brings Victor Borge to mind.
(Parallel)
Good shit
Not so sure about the "good" part.
@@20alphabet where any of the jokes too complicated for you I can try my best to explain them if you need help
@@whiteninjaplus5
What's to explain?
Here, you brush your teeth...
In Russia your teeth brush you.
Here, you hunt for bear...
In Russia the bear hunts you.
Blah-blah-blah... blah-blah-blah.
Among the most unfunny guys
on the planet.
@@20alphabet Apparently, we now know why you should know.
6:03 Ahhh s***
Классно. ❤❤ всегда рада видеть своего человека 😊
funny guy but he uses that coldturkey joke
Как его не шотнули в совке после таких шуток 🤔
Today’s PC culture would utterly destroy this guys career...
then laugh laugh laugh...
For what? I didn't hear anything in this act that would bother anyone. The red scare stuff is kinda dumb but I don't think anyone would really care. He's funny.
Zxy Abc yeah, people just say this under every Stand up video even if it came out last year
Trump
I cant believe anyobe thinks this guy was even a little funny
Tell us a joke then.
Professor Dumbledore has a comedy routine??
His accent is so fake, lol.
really? i don't think you realize how hard it is for a foreigner to speak without an accent
@@ekklesiast as an immigrant, I would know better than anyone else. i'm sure that sminoff had an accent, but he clearly invented the accent used in his act to fit a certain Western stereotype.
That skit about him on the Ben Stiller Show was hilarious.
He's persona is almost like Kimmel