05/06/2007
The original Sunshine Boys
In Neil Simon's screamingly funny film The Sunshine Boys, George Burns and Walter Matthau play the aging vaudeville comedy team Lewis and Clark, whose classic Dr. Kronkite sketch is one of the centerpieces of the production.
Digging through my dusty archives of spoken word and comedy, I turned up the original version of the sketch, performed by Smith and Dale (pictured), the team whose career served as a springboard for Simon's play (the film came later).
Check out the routine. If you're familiar with the film, you'll realize how much work Simon did to turn this somewhat dated piece into the brilliant, funny bit that drives Matthau and Burns back into the limelight after much comic byplay. And if you're not familiar with the film, shame on you.
"I'm a trained nurse."
"Oh, you do tricks?"