Irwin & Fran (2013) Reviews

• Still going at 101

  jakob132015-07-28

  'However' does Irwin Corey begin his shtick, his comic gimmick that has well served him yea these many decades. A monologist who strings together a laundry list of words that has a large dollop of the fantastical which owes much to Bunel's surrealism but in an oral tradition that reaches far into man's past. Side splitting and, as this documentary that is amateurish and doesn't serve the genius of Corey well. The comedian Dick Gregory, director Jordan Stone's voice to give body to Corey's long career and achievements. Who remembers Corey from the Sgt. Bilko show? or from the Depression era 'Pins and Needles'? O for that matter from 'New Faces of 1943' at the Village Vanguard or the 'The Purple Onion' or 'The Hungry I'? 'Irwin and Fran' show a vigorous Corey at 98 pushing his walker along New York's Third Avenue in the 30s, near his carriage house home, hawking newspapers. Blacklisted during those 'Scoundrel Times', to slip into the words of Lillian Hellman, they only served to fire up his engines for irony and contempt for the powers that be. And his pep and vinegar level is a potent mixture to corrode the accepted wisdom of the times. Along side him sits his wife Fran, hounded by the FBI, for being if not a member of the Communist Party in its heyday, but a 'premature anti fascist for her support of the Republican, and lawful government of Spain, overthrown by Franco in the 1930s. Although he wasn't a member of the CP--'they considered me too much of an Anarchist, Cory volunteers--there was never a left wing cause he embraced, and well into his 90s, you catch a glimpse of him at 'Occupy Wall Street', entertaining the younger protesters of the money bags that control the American economy. Fran lighting cigarette after cigarette in the kitchen says little but she there to keep Corey on his mark and from nodding off too often. Alas, she dies before the documentary is finished, and Jordan catches a wounded Corey who, in visible emotional pain, expresses the loss of his long time comrade in marriage and in the trenches of good causes. And yet, his irrepressible spirit of exuberance cannot not stop his tart tongue from piercing the persiflage of the moment. Modest, and yes, he can be modest...it's up to Dick Gregory who got his break by substituting for a regular Corey at Hugh Hefner's Chicago Playboy Club to set the monologist in proper perspective: Corey was far above the madding crowd, never he did he stoop to demean women, nor be a 'coonologist', causing Blacks to suffer a loss of dignity in his act. He raised money for the children of Cuba, at a time it was politically dangerous, and for that Fidel Castro personally thanked him when Corey and wife went to the US blockaded island. Lenny Bruce idolized him, and, it is said, to learn much from his routines. Corey is truly an American original, but he did come out of a time when it was alright to challenge boldly the evils of capitalism and horrors which today the coupon clippers of finance capitalism continue to visit on us, especially since the global recession they triggered in 2008 and whom we bailed out and got nothing but contempt, war and who baldly pull of the strings of America's 'democracy'. Bravo Corey for living so long and for sticking your verbal finger in the eye of a debased ruling class. Many more years to you, and keep up the good fight until your last breath

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• A fine, tho somewhat amateurish biography & documentary

  lenbenhear2017-05-31

  A fine, tho somewhat amateurish biography and documentary of the nearly one hundred year old {Professor} Irwin Corey and his long time wife and companion, Fran. Corey was truly a fascinating and remarkable life and comedic mind. He was an anarchist and satirist and atheist, but at the same time, a true soft-hearted humanist in his heart. This film is a respectful tribute to Corey as a performer and man, and also an interesting view on his 71 year marriage to "his girlfriend Fran." Well done.

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• Genius Still at Work

  larrys32016-05-21

  I remember seeing Professor Irwin Corey's TV performances in my early years, and they were fond memories indeed as the master of doublespeak would invariably make me laugh heartily. Also known as "The World's Greatest Authority" the comedian and political satirist would spout his gibberish in a way that not only cracked up his audience but the TV hosts, such as Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, and the Smothers brothers as well. In this documentary on the life and career of Corey, directed by Jordan Stone, I was pleasantly surprised that Corey was still alive, as he's now 101-years-old, and per the film is still doing some gigs and engagements. In the movie, his wife of 70 years Fran, who passed away in 2011, is often shown by his side, espousing her own brand of wit and humor. The documentary is narrated by Susan Sarandon, who is a long time friend of the Coreys, and there is also a poignant tribute to Corey from the great comedian Dick Gregory, who began to rise to prominence after filling in for Corey on Sundays at the then thriving Playboy Clubs of Hugh Hefner. Corey was blacklisted decades ago for his and Fran's political beliefs, and he still certainly doesn't shy away from his very biting and caustic comments on certain known figures, and be prepared for these comments to contain lots of explicit language as well. He has developed a routine to get free newspapers from the NYC delivery men, and sells them on the streets and in businesses, of which the proceeds will go to help children in Cuba in need of medical supplies. Overall, I wish this documentary had shown more extensive clips of Corey's great routines, and I'm not quite sure why it didn't. However, I still laughed a lot during the movie and it certainly brought back a bunch of fond memories for me.

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