La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
Another rousing conversation with The Kid Brother Tuesday night. I avoided the subject of his lack of a job and he didn’t mention it. We talked about my upcoming visit, both with excitement. It was one of the random airtime-filling conversations we often have with me doing a lot of the talking. By the end, after he dropped in a few comedy routines, he fixated on Grouch Marx, telling a joke that’s a take-off on Groucho’s television comedy quiz show, “You Bet Your Life.”
“Say the secret word and the duck will come down and give you each fifty dollars,” Groucho would explain to the two contestants.
THE GAG GOES LIKE THIS…
Groucho: Say the secret word and I’ll give you fifty of ’em.
Contestant: Fifty what?
Groucho: That’s a good question. Give me the answer and I’ll give you a hundred of ’em.
END OF GAG
However, although The Kid Brother finds this hilarious and can’t stop laughing the entire time, he doesn’t really get it. Here’s our version.
Me: Say the secret word and I’ll give you fifty of ’em.
Chuck: Fifty what?
Me: That’s a good question. Give me the answer and I’ll give you a hundred of ’em.
Chuck: A hundred what?
Me: That’s a good question. Give me the answer and I’ll give you two hundred of em
Chuck: Two hundred what?
Me: That’s a good question. Give me the answer and I’ll give you 400 of ’em.
That’s when I usually give up, although we’ve gotten as high as 800 of ’em on occasion.
Speaking of New Yorkers, I saw two New York–themed T-shirts at El Corte Inglés. One was from Bushwich, where you can apparently embrace the city. I think they were referring to Bushwick, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. The other was from Bryant Park. Apparently, it’s nature’s playground. The park is behind the New York Public Library, which overlooks Fifth Avenue. On the T-shirt, there’s even a graphic image of the buildings behind the view of the park. I don’t recognize any of them.
The building at the top of this post used to be a private house. I would love to restore it, or at least explore it.
Otra conversación animada con el Hermanito el martes por la noche. Evité el tema de su falta de trabajo y él no lo mencionó. Hablamos de mi próxima visita, ambos con entusiasmo. Fue una de esas conversaciones informales que llenan el tiempo en antena, y yo soy quien más habla. Al final, después de que interviniera con algunos números cómicos, se fijó en Groucho Marx. El chiste es una parodia del concurso de comedia televisiva de Groucho, “You Bet Your Life” [Apuestas tu vida].
“Di la palabra secreta y el pato bajará y les dará cincuenta dólares a cada uno”, explicaba Groucho a los dos concursantes.
EL GAG DICE ASÍ…
Groucho: Di la palabra secreta y te daré 50 de ellas.
Concursante: ¿50 qué?
Groucho: Esa es una buena pregunta. Dame la respuesta y te daré cien de ellas.
FIN DEL CHISTE
Sin embargo, aunque el Hermanito lo encuentra divertidísimo y no puede parar de reír todo el tiempo, realmente no lo entiende. Aquí está nuestra versión.
Yo: Di la palabra secreta y te daré cinquenta de ellas.
Chuck: ¿Cinquenta qué?
Yo: Esa es una buena pregunta. Dame la respuesta y te daré cien de ellas.
Chuck: ¿Cien qué?
Yo: Esa es una buena pregunta. Dame la respuesta y te daré doscientos de ellas.
Chuck: ¿Doscientos qué?
Yo: Esa es una buena pregunta. Dame la respuesta y te daré cuatrocientos de ellas.
Ahí es cuando normalmente me doy por vencido, aunque en alguna ocasión hemos llegado a 800 de ellas.
Hablando de neoyorquinos, vi dos camisetas en El Corte Inglés. Una de Bushwich, donde aparentemente se puede abrazar la ciudad. Creo que se referían a Bushwick, un barrio de Brooklyn. La otra era de Bryant Park. Al parecer, es el patio de recreo de la naturaleza. El parque está detrás de la Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York, que da a la Quinta Avenida. En la camiseta, incluso hay una imagen gráfica de los edificios detrás de la vista del parque. No reconozco a ninguno de ellos.
El edificio que encabeza este post solía ser una casa particular. Me encantaría restaurarlo, o al menos explorarlo.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
You should wear the Bryant Park shirt on your upcoming visit to see if anyone comments.
David:
I always consider buying these fractured New York T-shirts, but I never do.
Wow, a private residence!? Whew.
I always love hearing about your conversations with Chuck 🙂
Did you happen to see my reply to your comment on Walt’s blog this morning? Cracked me up, where my mind went:
YOU: I’ve been admiring this kind of work all over Córdoba recently. Such craftsmanship. It was 17C when I woke up here. SG would be whining at 10.
MOI: Mitchell, I read that as, “It was 17th century when I woke up this morning” (I thought, “How poetic! And SG was stuck, in his mind, in the 9th century!)” Ha!
Judy C:
I just replied to your reply! Thanks for the heads up. Can you imagine waking up in the 17th century? In the 9th century SG would probably run into one of his relatives marauding.
I’d love that grand residence, too – those oriel windows! Sigh. Jx
Jon:
Oh, yes, those windows. And they look to be completely intact.
Omg……Id love in that house!!!!!! I love places like this!!!! He’ll…Ill buy and you two and the cats can move in!!!!
Did your brother laugh the whole time you did the shtick?
Mistress Borghese:
Chuck did laugh the entire time.
There are so many houses (and private palaces) like that around here. You have your choice.
That house is fantastic. I’d love to see those windows from the inside. And those SHIRTS! Hilarious! Ah yes, Bryant Park, famously once the home turf of petty criminals and hustlers, and full of discarded hypodermics. (It’s pretty nice nowadays, as you know, but I’d hardly call it “nature’s playground,” LOL!)
Steve:
Oh, yes, Bryant Park. I was stunned when I walked by a few years ago to see people playing ping pong and chess, and lounging on the grass. And that gorgeous restaurant behind the library. But, no, definitely not nature’s playground.
Does your Kid Brother like Abbott & Costello too? Your conversations remind me of the old “Who’s on first, What’s on second” routine…
Restoration of that building could be a huge adventure, headache or money pit. I’d settle for a tour, LOL!
Tundra Bunny:
Does a bear shit in the woods? Check this out: https://movingwithmitchell.com/2019/02/20/i-just-told-ya-acabo-de-decirte/
I would love to explore that building, too! Is it now apartments? The windows are wonderful.
Kelly:
I think it’s 6 or 8 apartments now.
Your banter with Chuck reminded me of when I performed Abbot and Costello’s “Who’s on First?” with a colleague of mine for a faculty talent show. I had the harder part (in my opinion) where my lines were the ones that were asking the questions. I cannot believe I remembered my lines, but I did!
Michael:
Chuck and I have “performed” that so many times. https://movingwithmitchell.com/2019/02/20/i-just-told-ya-acabo-de-decirte/
I agree with everyone else- that house is lovely but oh, what a trial and tribulation it would be to restore it. But a look-around would be awesome.
Soon you will be able to trade witticisms in person with your brother! I can’t wait to hear about some of them.
Ms. Moon
Ms. Moon:
My restoration fantasy is also having a billion dollars fantasy.
And that would be about right.
You two are hilarious!
That ‘house’ is lovely and oh the potential!
Jim:
There are so many of these large houses and former palaces around here.
What a gorgeous home. I could easily live there and spend all my time and money making it beautiful again … lots of time, but not so much money is the problem, though.
Maybe they mean the Bryant Park that is in Bushwich???
Bob Slatten:
Yes, the one in Bushwich1 I forgot about THAT Bryant Park. And that one IS nature’s playground.
Groucho was the greatest comedian of the 20th century; do not dare to question this.
My favorite vignette was when Groucho was in Rome and got bumped by another man causing him to drop his cigar. “Jesus Christ!” he let out. He then saw it was a priest. The priest gave him a new cigar and said “Groucho! You just said the secret word!”
Urspo:
Comedy genius. Chuck loves him but doesn’t get half of what he says. Why a duck?
I say that automatically whenever anyone mentions a duck. Few understand it, alas.
Urspo:
I think of it every time, too. I’ve never taken the time to try to explain to the Kid Brother what a viaduct is. Maybe when I see him this year.
I wonder if you can get sandwicks in Bushwich?
Walt the Fourth:
I like that thought.
Are these shirts imported from the US or just errors in translation? And the building…used to be? What is it now?
ellen abbott:
The shirts are mostly imported from China. Some simply copy random words and graphics from American things and make even less sense. I enjoy it. I did once find a beautiful sweatshirt from CHIGACO. I’m tempted to buy them all.
The building houses 6 or 8 apartments. I can’t remember which.
Stand up missed a treasure when you and Chuck didn’t go touring with What’s on First.
I love those random shirts. But faced with screen printing Chinese words I doubt if I could do better. Boud
Boud:
But just try and get Chuck to perform on camera or for an audience. We become a world of our own when we do these routines. If I were imitating Chinese sayings, I would reproduce them exactly if I could, but I’d probably miss something important. It’s something else to see these shirts with an English word salad that means absolutely nothing.