What is the joke in ‘Sidney Applebaum’ on SNL?
It is based on a line from the old Woody Allen comedy “Love and Death” where a french general is talking about how his victory will cause the whole world to remember his name, “Sidney Applebaum.” It’s just one of those beautiful nonsequiturs that make Allen’s movies great.
As for Stefan, Bill Hader only knows a chunk of the script going into it, and the rest is a surprise (as seen by his frequent chuckle breaks.) As a comedian, undoubtedly, this would have struck him as hilarious, and as for the audience, they are just laughing either because some of them know the movie line and they get it or because they know they are supposed to.
Sidney “Sid” Applebaum was an American businessman, the cofounder of Rainbow Foods. Wikipedia
Born: February 28, 1924, Saint Paul, MN
Died: August 6, 2016 (age 92 years), Minnetonka, MN
Spouse: Lorraine Applebaum (m. 1946–2016)
Parents: Oscar Applebaum, Bertha Applebaum
It’s funny for the reasons mentioned about the inside joke between Hader and John Mulaney, but the audience is not laughing at that. They have no clue about the back story. It’s just one of those beautiful nonsequiturs that make Allen’s movies great.
The “Sidney Applebaum” sketch on SNL features a character who is a stereotypical New Yorker, often portrayed by a comedian like George Carlin or Billy Crystal. The humor centers around the absurdity of the character’s over-the-top personality and quirky interactions, often involving misunderstandings or exaggerated situations.
One key joke is the punchline “Sidney Applebaum!” itself, which is funny because it’s a ridiculous name that sticks in the mind, highlighting the character’s larger-than-life personality. The sketch often plays with themes of identity, humor in everyday situations, and the quirks of urban life. The combination of the character’s antics and the punchy delivery contributes to the overall comedic effect.
If you have a specific moment or element from the sketch in mind, let me know, and I can delve into that!
What is the joke in ‘Sidney Applebaum’ on SNL?
As for Stefan, Bill Hader only knows a chunk of the script going into it, and the rest is a surprise (as seen by his frequent chuckle breaks.) As a comedian, undoubtedly, this would have struck him as hilarious, and as for the audience, they are just laughing either because some of them know the movie line and they get it or because they know they are supposed to.
Applebaum, Sidney died peacefully at home on August 6, 2016, at the age of 92. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and uncle. and He was a visionary grocer, entrepreneur, mentor, and role model. He loved his work and loved his family more.
Sidney was born to Oscar and Bertha Applebaum on February 28, 1924. He grew up on the west side of St. Paul, graduating from Humboldt High School. In 1946 he married the apple of his eye, Lorraine Smith; they would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary next month.
Together they raised three children, Nancy, Jay, and Ellen. He was selfless and incredibly generous. His greatest pleasure was seeing his family together, happy and growing. He loved to play golf, especially with his children or grandchildren. or He spent time in the winter in Palm Springs, California, enjoying family and friends in the sunshine.
He was a terrific storyteller and loved to share memories of his childhood, business career, and the remarkable people who touched his life. One of nine siblings, he grew up in the grocery business. His father owned a corner grocery stand in downtown St. Paul where Sidney spent his childhood bundling soap and bagging rice.
Sidney Applebaum, huh?
That’s a deep cut into the SNL archives and a glorious nod to the humor of inside jokes, which by their very nature, aren’t always going to hit the mark with everyone.
In case you missed it, the reference is from a sketch on “Saturday Night Live” from back in 2013. It’s from a bit known as “Love-ahs in the Hot Tub,” featuring Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen as those professors with the undeniably uncomfortable level of public affection. They’re joined by Ben Affleck, an astronaut, and Vanessa Bayer, a tourism official from Moldova. Typical SNL zaniness ensues.
But the joke you’re talking about, it’s an obscure throwaway line delivered by Armisen, that goes like this:
“My father did not kill six million Jews so his son could be named Sidney Applebaum!“
Now wait, put down the pitchforks. It’s not what it seems.
This line is actually a reference to an old Woody Allen movie, “Love and Death”, where the joke is about a man’s last words being, “I am Sidney Applebaum!” The joke there lies in the juxtaposition of what you expect from a dying man’s profound last words, and well… Sidney Applebaum.
But here’s the thing, humor, especially in the realm of SNL, is an experimental beast. Sometimes it’s about poking fun at the absurdity of situations or upending expectations. What makes the Sidney Applebaum joke so great is its sheer randomness and how disconnected it is from anything else. It’s absurd, it catches you off guard, and that’s enough to get a laugh—or at least a bemused chuckle.
The beauty of SNL is that it’s a sketch show, allowing the freedom to try out different humor styles. And while some references may be too inside baseball for the average viewer, when they land, they land. And even when they don’t, they still have a way of becoming a part of the SNL lore—case in point, you’re asking about it.
This joke encapsulates the very nature of SNL’s brand of humor—hit or miss, and always unapologetically bold. Remember, comedy isn’t a monolith; what tickles the funny bone can vary vastly from one person to the next. I can respect that even if a joke has me scratching my head, somewhere out there, it has someone else doubling over in laughter. And that’s the magic of comedy—it’s subjective, unpredictable, and has the power to turn a name like Sidney Applebaum into comedic gold.
If you’re keen to check out the sketch, this is your spoiler alert. Go look it up and give it a watch. Maybe you’ll get the joke, maybe you won’t, but you’ll definitely have seen a slice of classic SNL.
What is the joke in ‘Sidney Applebaum’ on SNL
By the 1970s, Applebaum’s Food Markets, which Sidney operated with his brothers and brothers-in-law, grew to over 30 stores in Minnesota. After selling Applebaum’s, Sidney co-founded Rainbow Foods in 1983, serving as CEO until 1996. Sidney’s professional contributions in the grocery industry led to his being awarded “Grocer of the Century” by the Minnesota Grocers Association in 1997.
Together with his children, Sidney started a chain of retail liquor stores in 1978, Big Top Liquors and Sid’s Discount Liquors. Upon retiring from the grocery business, he shifted his focus to the liquor stores, allowing him to continue doing what he loved most working and spending time with family. His strong work ethic defined Sidney’s character and life.
He started his workday at 4 am and worked every day, going to his office at Midway Big Top Liquors until last week. Sidney was recently recognized as a 2014 Market Watch Leader for the success of Big Top Liquors. Sidney was deeply committed to giving back to the community that he felt had given him, his family, and businesses so much.
What is the joke in ‘Sidney Applebaum’ on SNL
He served on a number of boards including United Hospital, University of Minnesota Children’s Cancer Research Fund, The Highland Bank, Twin Cities US Olympic Festival, Oak Ridge Country Club, and was a member of the St. Paul Rotary and the Shriners. He was proud to be honored by United Hospital with the Service to Humanity Award in 1994 and was named Trustee of the Year in 2005 for his dedicated service.
Sidney is preceded in death by his parents and 8 siblings, Hy, Meyer, Abe, Arthur, Roy, Harry, Rose Singer, and Ethel Specktor. He is survived by his wife Lorraine; children Nancy (Marc) Rosenberg, Jay and Ellen (Robert) Saffron; grandchildren Betsy (James) Schwartz, Anne (Michael) Stanfield, William (Sheryl) Rosenberg, Jonathan (Kate), Jill, Thomas, Molly Saffron and Katie Saffron (Jordan Wolf); great-grandchildren, Lucy and June Schwartz, Alexa and Jonah Rosenberg and Benjamin Stanfield; and many loving nieces and nephews.
Funeral service at 1 pm TUESDAY, August 9 at ADATH JESHURUN CONGREGATION, 10500 Hillside Lane W., Minnetonka. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Lorraine and Sidney Applebaum Family Fund at Jewish Family and Children’s Service or the donor’s favorite charity. SHIVA, Tuesday, August 9 and Wednesday, August 10 at 7 pm at 3429 Oakton Drive, Minnetonka.
It’s funny for the reasons mentioned, about the inside joke between Hader and John Mulaney, but the the audience is not laughing at that right? They have no clue about the back story.
The reason the joke works is two fold.
- Irony: the audience is set up by the Blackula comment, so they are ready for the Jewish Dracula to have, possibly, a cool sounding name, but it turns out to be a totally lame, unmistakable and ordinary sounding Jewish name. Also people tend to stereotype Jewish people as being very conservative and sensible. This also makes the joke funny, at least in my mind.
- Also the crowd absolutely loves it when Bill Hader breaks character and starts laughing uncontrollably. Hader has a reputation on the show for being fairly easy to break.
What is the joke in ‘Sidney Applebaum’ on SNL
Regardless Hader and Mulaney are comedic geniuses and had a great run with this character Stefon. Hopefully, they don’t ruin it by trying to make a Stefon movie.
Its based off a line from the old Woody Allen comedy “Love and Death” where a french general is talking about how his victory will cause the whole world to remember his name “Sidney Applebaum.”
It’s just one of those wonderful nonsequiturs that make Allen’s movies great. As for Stefan, Bill Hader only knows a chunk of the script going into it, and the rest is a surprise (as seen by his frequent chuckle breaks.)
As a comedian, undoubtedly this would have struck him as hilarious, and as for the audience, they are just laughing either because some of them know the movie line and they get it or because they know they are supposed to.
What is the joke in ‘Sidney Applebaum’ on SNL?
Sidney Applebaum is a character from the Woody Allen movie, ‘Love and Death‘. In the movie, the character says:
They call me mad, but one day when the history of France is written, they will mark my name well… Sidney Applebaum!
The humor in this comes from the incongruity between a personal history will remember and the lameness of the name.
As explained in this Daily Beast interview:
Bill Hader Is Sad to Leave ‘Saturday Night Live’ (and Stefon) Behind
The Jewish Dracula named Sidney Applebaum made me laugh really hard, not because that’s such a funny joke of that name, but that name is from one of our favorite jokes in the Woody Allen movie Love and Death, where a guy is talking about how history will mark his name, Sidney Applebaum, and it’s just the latest name. It just made us laugh. So it was all very personal.
What is the joke in ‘Sidney Applebaum’ on SNL?
It’s just one of those wonderful nonsequiturs that make Allen’s movies great.
As for Stefan, Bill Hader only knows a chunk of the script going into it, and the rest is a surprise (as seen by his frequent chuckle breaks.)
As a comedian, undoubtedly this would have struck him as hilarious, and as for the audience, they are just laughing either because some of them know the movie line and they get it or because they know they are supposed to.
The reason the joke works is two-fold.
Irony : the audience is set up by the Blackula comment, so they are ready for the Jewish Dracula to have, possibly, a cool sounding name, but it turns out to be a totally lame, unmistakable and ordinary sounding Jewish name. Also, people tend to stereotype Jewish people as being very conservative and sensible. This also makes the joke funny, at least in my mind.
Also, the crowd absolutely loves it when Bill Hader breaks character and starts laughing uncontrollably. Hader has a reputation on the show for being fairly easy to break.
Regardless Hader and Mulaney are comedic geniuses and had a great run with this character Stefon. Hopefully, they don’t ruin it by trying to make a Stefon movie.
The joke in ‘Sidney Applebaum’ on SNL?
When we learned of Bill Hader’s departure from Saturday Night Live last May, we mourned the loss of Hader classics like Herb Welch, James Carville, and of course, a little New York club-hopping aficionado named Stefon. And we’ll only continue to mourn his exit as SNL comes back on the air.
But in the meantime, we can accompany Hader on his trip down memory lane in his latest Q&A with The Daily Beast. In it, the SNL veteran shares some of his favorite moments from his eight years on the show, from meeting Kanye West after his first show to rehearsing late into the night on Fridays.
Here are our top 10 revelations from the interview:
- He submitted the season premiere for this year’s Emmys (Hader’s nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy) because Lorne Michaels told him, “I think you had a perfect episode.” Later, he realized Stefon wasn’t even in the episode.
- But Hader admits he probably got the nomination because of Stefon’s popularity. “I think everyone knows someone like that in real life,” he says.
- He never watches the show, so when fans quote sketches to him, he usually has no idea what they’re talking about. In fact, he has never seen his Stefon sketches except in short clips before talk shows. “I don’t watch them,” he says. “My wife does, and I’ll hear them in the other room. And I’m just like, can we just fast-forward, please?”
- Hader is terrified of clubs. (Insert Stefon gasping in shock here.) When he was 21, he went to one in a basement in Mexico while shooting Collateral Damage and was “terrified.” “I thought I was going to die,” he says. “I stood in the corner like the kid at the end of The Blair With Project, just terrified.”
What is the joke in ‘Sidney Applebaum’ on SNL
- He also hid in the corner during a visit to the Playboy Mansion, “drinking coffee and talking to Akiva Schaffer [of The Lonely Island] about what aspect ratio he was going to shoot Hot Rod in.”
- He always cracked up during Stefon sketches, not because of the jokes, but because of he and writer John Mulaney’s “super-inside jokes.” For example, the Jewish Dracula named Sidney Applebaum line broke Hader easily on air because “that name is from one of our favorite jokes in the Woody Allen movie Love and Death, where a guy is talking about how history will mark his name, Sidney Applebaum, and it’s just the latest name. It just made us laugh.”
- He’s going to miss rehearsing for SNL the most, and particularly during what he and Kristen Wiig liked to call the “Friday Night Crazy,” when the cast and writers would work well past midnight and “just go crazy and get really punchy.”
- On the other hand, he won’t be missing pitch meetings, because he says he “was not very good at it.” “Some people have really funny, inventive pitches and mine are just like, ‘Uhh…so we go to Starbucks together…” he says. “My pitches always brought the room down.”
What is the joke in ‘Sidney Applebaum’ on SNL
- Steve Carell was the host and Kanye West was the musical guest on his first show. West congratulated him after the show, which threw Hader off guard because “he was so normal. I was like, oh, this is Kanye West here congratulating me. It was great.”
- His favorite memory isn’t Stefon or his celebrity impressions–or any of his sketches, for that matter. Instead, he chooses ice skating with the cast for the Christmas show as his most cherished moment. “It was very special, to be there with those people you genuinely cared about and who always made you laugh,” he says. “That’s one of those moments when it really hit home: ‘I really luck I’m here.’”
So, PopWatchers, what’s your favorite Bill Hader sketch? Not that he’d remember what you’re quoting, of course, but feel free to share below.
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What is Kenpachi Zaraki’s Bankai in Bleach
Sidney Applebaum is a character from the Woody Allen movie, ‘Love and Death’. In the movie, the character says:
They call me mad, but one day when the history of France is written, they will mark my name well, Sidney Applebaum!
The humour in this comes from the contradiction between a person’s history will remember and the lameness of the name.
As explained in this Daily Beast interview:
Bill Hader Is Sad to Leave ‘Saturday Night Live’ (and Stefon) Behind
The Jewish Dracula named Sidney Applebaum made me laugh hard, not because that’s such a funny joke of that name, but that name is from one of our favourite jokes in the Woody Allen movie Love and Death, where a guy is talking about how history will mark his name, Sidney Applebaum, and it’s just the lamest name. It just made us laugh. So it was all very personal.
Is SNL supposed to be funny? How does a team of “comedians” fail so badly? It’s amazing how terrible the skits are.
Since the early 1980s, SNL has had recurring disconnects between the writers and performers.
Don’t forget for one moment that most of the performing cast of the show don’t write their material. One of the reasons for this is that writers at SNL are also mini-producers. They oversee creating of sets, costumes, props and make-up for their sketches. Most other shows would have a separate team of producers responsible for this detail.
As a performer trying to get your ducks in a row, you might not have time for all this.
One of the reasons most performers tend to have their breakout moment on “Update” rather than in a sketch is that performers are permitted to write their material for Update (they don’t get a writing credit for that – you have to write dialogue to get that).
This year, Michael Longfellow, one of the new featured players, has been given small speaking parts in sketches. However, his Update segment about being a liberal kid Trump supporter had me rolling on the floor.
So the problem might be that the writers don’t want to start writing notable parts for the new kids and would instead stick to writing for Keenan Thompson. Writers love Thompson (even though fans are lukewarm) because they know his facial expressions can save a sketch (a common stage direction in SNL sketches is “Keenan reacts”).
The show went through the same problem in the early 1980s, where Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy were getting massive numbers of sketches, but no one else was. Consider this: SNL writers ignored Gilbert Gottfried and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, now comedy legends. But they’re in good company.
There was only one good Robert Downey sketch on the show when they wrote a police character who gave the normal diatribe against drug use but mirrored Downey’s well-publicized drug problems. It was ultra-hilarious, and Downey was brilliant.
So blame Colin Jost. He’s still the head writer. He has no say in hiring writing talent; that’s still Lorne Michael’s job.
Why are Israelis upset over Michael Che’s joke on SNL?
It’s not just Israelis that are upset; it’s Jews worldwide. Why? Firstly it’s a total lie; Israel has been vaccinating all its populace, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu or whatever; they don’t do a religion check before vaccinating.
The next and bigger issue is that it ties into a blood libel of centuries which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Jews. In this case, the libel that Jews use is a disease to kill others. Yes, Jews are sensitive are people using lies and attacks based on blood libels that have been responsible for the deaths of thousands of Jews over the centuries.
Have you ever been mistaken for the opposite sex? What was your reaction? Does it happen often?
Originally Answered: Have you ever been mistaken for the opposite sex?
Being mistaken for a fourteen-year-old boy is a common affair when you’re a chick who looks like this.
And boy-girl ice cream consumption is pretty serious business.
I’m called “Sir,” “Monsieur,” or “Bro” a minimum once a week, but here are a few of my more notable man-moments.
- On my first day of math class in senior year, I solved a problem, and when the teacher explained my work to the class, he said, “See, what he did was….” I sent Mr M an email explaining that I am not, in fact, a man and that I go by she/her. Didn’t want to make a scene in class. We were good from then on 🙂
- I was at a cafe with my then-girlfriend, and a senile old man approached us and asked my girlfriend, “He your son?” Yup. My 18-year-old girlfriend is my mother, and I’m her 18-year son (who’s coincidentally not a man).
- On the second day of senior year, two girls chased me into the girls’ bathroom, yelling, “WRONG BATHROOM! WRONG BATHROOM!” Ahhhhhh, public bathrooms.
- Another bathroom tale! Before a mock trial match, I was in the bathroom getting ready with my teammate, who happens to be a fellow butch Lesbro. A girl from the opposing team walks in, sees us in suits, and says, “OMG! Is this the men’s bathroom?!” I say, “Nah, we’re just your friendly neighborhood lesbians.”
- In my first-year university dorm building, floors were segregated by gender, and my floormates had a two-week-long conspiracy theory about a boy living on the floor. I was that boy.
Getting misgendered wrecked me as a kid, but now I think it’s funny. People mean well! I can live comfortably as a woman and chuckle at my fourteen-year-old boy exterior.
What is the joke in ‘Sidney Applebaum’ on SNL?