Whoopie! The Most Famous April Fool is From New Jersey

Jerry Lewis. Bud Abbott & Lou Costello. Ernie Kovacs.
Joe Piscopo. Jon Stewart.

Famous Jersey jokesters all.

But the best, the original, the most famous Jersey Jokester is none other than ----Samuel Sorenson Adams. Huh? Who’s that? ---- you may ask.

He is the inventor of the famous practical jokes of all time. And the founder of the S.S. Adams Company ----right here in Neptune, New Jersey. Their catalogue has an astounding array of practical jokes for all occasions: Fake ants. Blood capsules. Fake fly in an ice cube. Chattering teeth. Fake rubber chocolate candy. All these and more would get big laughs in Trenton these days.

Adams invented the most widely known April Fools jokes: The Exploding Cigarette Box. The Snake Nut Can. Itching Powder. The Stink bomb, The Dribble Glass. The Whoopie Cushion. And even, yes, The Joy Buzzer.

Adams’ first big invention was Sneeze Powder, which he produced from his company the Cachoo Sneeze Powder Company. Making people sneeze uncontrollably was Adams first money maker and it became a national fad. The powder was spread in halls, churches, schools, and even houses of state legislature.

His gag empire eventually included fake vomit, onion-flavored chewing gum, and even fake dog poop.

So, April Fools fans----next time you decide to play that practical joke by making your best friend sneeze uncontrollably, or dribble water on to your spouse, or make your mayor step in fake dog poop, keep in mind the man who started it all: The prince of practical jokes, The madman of weapons of mirth destruction, The sultan of sneeze ----- Samuel Sorenson Adams.

Happy April Fools Day, New Jersey.

Step in some dog poop, and be proud. It all started right here.

Almost Famous in New Jersey

Some made it in: The Boss. The Chairman of the Board. The Wizard of Menlo Park. The Number Two Man on the Moon. And, of course, Yogi.

They're better known as Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Tom Edison, Buzz Aldrin, and famed Yankee catcher, .

They beat out a famous American poet buried in Camden. The twenty-eighth president of the United States. An American comedian and film maker who was the winner of the French Minister of Culture’s 'Legion of Honor' award. And the writer of The Great Gatsby. Of course you may have heard of them as Walt Whitman, Woodrow Wilson, Jerry Lewis, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

What was the line of demarcation between these two groups? The first group made it in to the new New Jersey Hall of Fame.
And for the second group, well, there is always next year.

The Hall of Fame is yet to be built, but has 15 famous New Jerseyeans ready and willing to be hung in its halls. The hall's first class of 15, includes, in addition to the above famous folk:

Meryl Streep, Albert Einstein, Clara Barton, U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley, Vince Lombardi, Malcolm Forbes, Robert Wood Johnson II, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, Toni Morrison and Harriet Tubman are claimed by the Garden State for our Hall of Fame.

Vince Lombardi? A New Jerseyean? Yup, he was an assistant coach at St. Cecilia, a Catholic high school in Englewood, New Jersey for a while early in his career. Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf? Schwarzkopf was born in Trenton, New Jersey.

Entry in to the NJ Hall of Fame requires a five year residency. So, the standards are pretty wide open.

My nominees would have to include Larry Doby [first African-American baseball player in the American League]; my fav comedy team of Bud Abbott & Lou Costello, and Supreme Court Justice William Brennan.

Once again, I hope that Leno and Conan O’Brien take note.

Genius in France

New Jersey’s own comedy star Jerry Lewis (born on March 16, 1926 in Newark) has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This year he raised an all-time high of $62 million.

He also, unfortunately, used a derogatory term for homosexuals during one of his improvised rants at about the 18th hour of the program this year. Other highly improvisational comedians like Jerry Lewis often work in the moment, and have been guilty of similar language. Michael Richards at the Laugh Factory from late last year to comes mind.

Of course, Mr. Lewis is 81 years old, and works on stage for most of the annual 22-hour telethon. His charity work for the MDA, along with his work ethic, is highly commendable. Undeniably, his sensibilities as a comedian are certainly those of a long bygone era. However, these facts certainly do not exempt him from exhibiting good sense.

Mr. Lewis may be considered a genius in France, but this year on his telethon he did not show good sense. Comedy is a business that has tolerated parodies of gay stereotypes before--- almost nary a peep. --- Robin Williams on late night talk shows and Damon Wayans on “In Living Color” comes to mind.

Comedians by and large have not always shown good sense. But, others have not received quite as much attention as Mr. Lewis for his gaffe. Even Woody Allen received less criticism when he married his step-daughter.

Unlike others, to his credit, Jerry Lewis apologized immediately for his attempt at humor. It does not take a genius to make an apology, just someone who realized he was wrong and made amends.

Mr. Lewis should from now on, stick to his classic bits that he does best.