You Learn Something New Every Day

[Sneakeater]

As Marty himself put it, it would have been sad if he were trying to be Robert Redford.  But as it was, it made his career.

[Sneakeater]

Proof that as brilliant as Feldman was, Mel Brooks is more brilliant:

Feldman improvised the "walk this way" bit on the set of Young Frankenstein as a goof.  Brooks immediately insisted on including it in the movie.  Feldman resisted, saying it was just a retread of an old vaudeville routine.  Brooks, being the director, prevailed.

Time has really proven him right.

[mitchells]

You don't want to know how many times playing golf, someone says "Make sure to get the ball over the hump." and the response is "What hump?" 😁

[Wilfrid]

Take out the eye factor and I still see a resemblance.

 

[Sneakeater]

You’re right!

[Sneakeater]

OK, I'm persuaded that these guys were actually brothers but never talked about it (except for one apparent occasion).  I have been unable, for example, to find a single obituary of either of them that mentioned that the decedent had a well-known sibling.

There must be a story here.

[Sneakeater]

In case you're wondering what the big deal about Victor Feldman is, among other things he wrote this:

(Although many would say that the real big deal about that track is that it revealed to the world at large what an astonishing musician Tony Williams was.)

[rozrapp]

24 minutes ago, Sneakeater said:

OK, I'm persuaded that these guys were actually brothers but never talked about it (except for one apparent occasion).  I have been unable, for example, to find a single obituary of either of them that mentioned that the decedent had a well-known sibling.

There must be a story here.

The NY Times and UPI obits say he had a sister, Pamela. One would think if he had a brother, that would have been included especially if that brother was famous.

[Sneakeater]

So here's how it breaks down.

You have that one assertion that Marty is Victor's brother in the blurb introducing a "Blind Date" column featuring Marty in Melody Maker in June (I think it was June) 1968.  It states that Marty started out as a jazz trumpet player but abandoned music for comedy, mentioning that at the very beginning he played with his brother Victor, who later became a famous jazz musician.

Somewhere else an article about Victor stated that Victor started out playing with his brothers — but doesn't specify that one of them went on to become the comedic giant Marty.

Otherwise, there seems to be no mention anywhere of any connection between them.

Maybe the most likely explanation is that the author (and the editor) of the Melody Maker "Blind Date" piece knew that Marty had started out as a jazz trumpet player and knew that Victor had started out playing with his brothers; and since Feldman is a rare name in England the writer assumed that Marty must have been one of Victor's brothers.  One expects there would have been a subsequent retraction if they got that wrong -- but I don't know how to search for it.

The other two possibilities are (1) that Marty told MM he was Victor's brother but was either fooling or lying (either of which, with Marty, is possible) or (2) that Marty really was Victor's brother but, for some reason of their own (and I guess widely known and respected in the media), the two brothers were disinclined to publicize their family tie.

[Sneakeater]

Somehow I still think that last option is the true one.

Especially since Wilf has shown us that Marty and Victor kind of resembled each other.

[joethefoodie]

Wouldn't it be hard for them to be brothers, if they were both born in the same year, months apart?

[Wilfrid]

Spoilsport.

[Sneakeater]

OK!  It’s figured out!

[Sneakeater]

Maybe they’re the same person.

[Steve R.]

Cant be.  Hump's on the wrong side.