Yes, it was Billy Crystal ranting from his teen years and it was funny. However, it was out of character, and a good director would have left it out.
Think about it: Buddy Young, Jr., is in his forties about the time "The Patty Duke Show" is on the air. A man in his forties lusting after a teen-age actress he sees on television every week?
Can you say "creepy"?
Actually, it was old Buddy Young who said the joke, and it doesn't seem at all out of character. A comic makes jokes, and if he had just seen the show for the first time in years, and just thought of the joke because it's a great play on words, he's going to share it with someone he knows will appreciate it. Personally, I thought it was one of the funnier lines in the movie.
shareI agree with lbonnice. I actually thought it was the funniest joke in the show. And it was funnier because he said "Hebrew National" instead of just "hot dog". It reminds me of the part later in the film where they talk about him improving a joke by saying "Ringling Brothers" instead of "circus".
It's just a joke. It doesn't have to literally be an old guy lusting after a teenager. It could be anybody who took Patty out, years after she grew up, whatever.
EXACTLY. The "Hebrew National" reference was freakin' brilliant.
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