“Ma chere Mademoiselle, it is with deepest prideAnd greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonightAnd now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chairAs the dining room proudly presentsYour dinner!”Be our guest, be our guestPut our service to the testTie your napkin ’round your neck, cherieAnd we’ll provide the restSoup du jour, hot hors d’oeuvresWhy, we only live to serveTry the grey stuff, it’s deliciousDon’t believe me, ask the dishesThey can sing, they can danceAfter all, miss, this is FranceAnd a dinner here is never second bestGo on, unfold your menuTake a glance and then you’llBe our guest oui, our guestBe our guestBeef ragout, cheese souffléPie and pudding, on flambéWe’ll prepare and serve with flairA culinary cabaretYou’re alone and you’re scaredBut the banquet’s all preparedNo one’s gloomy or complainingWhile the flatware’s entertainingWe tell jokes, I do tricksWith my fellow candlesticksAnd it’s all in perfect taste that you can betCome on and lift your glassYou’ve won your own free passTo be our guest If you’re stressedIt’s fine dining we suggestBe our guest, be our guest, be our guestLife is so unnervingFor a servant who’s not servingHe’s not whole without a soul to wait uponAh, those good old days when we were useful (hey Cogsworth)Suddenly those good old days are goneToo long we’ve been rustingNeeding so much more than dustingNeeding exercise, a chance to use our skills!Most days we just lay around the castleFlabby, fat and lazyYou walked in and oops-a-daisy!It’s a guest, it’s a guestSake’s alive, well I’ll be blessed!Wine’s been poured and thank the LordI’ve had the napkins freshly pressedWith dessert, she’ll want teaAnd my dear that’s fine with meWhile the cups do their soft-shoein’I’ll be bubbling, I’ll be brewingI’ll get warm, piping hotHeaven’s sakes! Is that a spot?Clean it up, we want the company impressedWe’ve got a lot to do!Is it one lump or two?For you, our guest (she’s our guest)She’s our guest (she’s our guest)Be our guest, be our guest!Our command is your requestIt’s been years since we’ve had anybody hereAnd we’re obsessedWith your meal, with your easeYes, indeed, we aim to pleaseWhile the candlelight’s still glowingLet us help you, we’ll keep goingCourse by course, one by one‘Til you shout, “enough I’m done!”Then we’ll sing you off to sleep as you digestTonight you’ll prop your feet upBut for now, let’s eat upBe our guestBe our guestBe our guestPlease, be our guest
Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 19, 1935 – December 28th, 2004), better known as Jerry Orbach, was an American actor and musician best remembered for his portrayal of Dr. Jack Graham on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns from 1985 to 1995. He later became well known for portraying Detective Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit from 1999 to 2002.
Orbach was born in New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants from Poland, and grew up in Brooklyn, where he attended Erasmus Hall High School. His mother died when he was 13 years old; his father remarried a woman named Rosemary, whom Orbach disliked intensely. At age 16, Orbach dropped out of school and worked as a waiter while taking acting classes at night. In 1956, he joined the United States Army, serving four years during the Korean War. After being discharged from the army, Orbach studied drama at Juilliard.
In 1960, he made his professional debut in the off-Broadway play A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Orbach moved to Los Angeles in 1961, where he began working in television commercials. He had small parts in several TV series, including I Dream of Jeannie, Mission Impossible, and Mannix, before landing the role of Dr. Jack Graham in As the World Turns. Orbach left the show in 1993.
His film career included roles in films such as The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1977), The Black Hole (1979), The Big Bus (1980), The Cotton Club (1984), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), and Home Fries (1997). Orbach played the lead role in the short-lived ABC sitcom The Jerk Store in 1986. From 1988 to 1991, he portrayed Lennie Briscoe in the NBC police procedural Law & Order.
Orbach married actress Marta Curro in 1965. They remained together until her death in 1994. Their daughter, Rebecca, was born in 1969. Orbach married second wife Susan Ward in 1996; she survived him along with their son, Joseph.
Orbach died of pancreatic cancer in Beverly Hills, California, aged 68.
Early life
Orbach was born on October 20th, 1935, in the South Bronx section of New York City. He was the only child of Emily “Emmy” Olexy, a Ukrainian immigrant, and Leon Orbach, a German Jew who had fled Nazi Germany in 1933. Orbach’s parents divorced when he was seven years old; his mother married again, to a man named Benjie, whom Orbach described as being very abusive towards her. At age nine, Orbach moved in with his grandmother, Rose, and began working as a dishwasher at a kosher restaurant called the Starlight Room.
In 1949, Orbach graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in the South Bronx, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. After graduation, he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, majoring in English literature and minoring in speech communication. While at college, Orbach performed standup comedy routines at local venues such as the Comedy Store and the Improv.
After college, Orbach returned to New York City and became involved with the burgeoning folk music scene there. During this period, Orbach met songwriter Bob Dylan, who encouraged him to pursue songwriting professionally. Orbach wrote several songs during this time, including “The Death of Emmett Till,” about the lynching of 14-year-old African American boy Emmett Louis Till in Mississippi in 1955. The song became a hit in 1965 when it was recorded by Joan Baez and later covered by many others.
Orbach worked as a waiter at the Chez Paree nightclub in Greenwich Village, performing comedy sketches while serving drinks. When the owner of the club died, Orbach left to work at another establishment in Manhattan. There, he met musicians David Amram and Albert Grossman, who helped Orbach develop his comedic skills.
In 1962, Orbach joined the cast of The Steve Allen Show, playing himself in a sketch titled “The Great Orbach.” A few months later, Orbach signed a contract with Columbia Records and released his first album, Lenny Bruce Was a Friend of Mine, which included material written by Orbach and comedian Mort Sahl. Despite some critical acclaim, the album failed commercially.
STORY: “Early career”
In 1963, Orbach opened his own nightclub, the Lenny Bruce Theatre, located at 254 West 52nd Street in Manhattan. The venue was designed to resemble the famous Cafe Au Go Go, where Bruce had performed in 1959. The club closed after three weeks due to poor attendance.
Career
Orbach began his career performing in New York City nightclubs such as Cafe La Mamma and the Copacabana. He later played the lead in the original Broadway production of, earning rave reviews for his portrayal of the character El Gallo. In addition to his stage performances, Orbach had a successful run in the 1970s playing the title role in the popular CBS sitcom. He went on to play tough police lieutenant Gus Levy in Sidney Lumets’ 1982 crime drama and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.
In 1985, Orbach joined the cast of the NBC miniseries adaptation of William Goldman’s novel They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, portraying the part of a gangster named Frank Gorman. The following year, he portrayed the role of the evil Mayor Kwan in the 1986 James L. Brooks comedy classic Broadcast News. Orbach continued to star in films throughout the 1990s, including Oliver Stone’s JFK, where he played mob boss Meyer Lansky. Other notable movies include Woody Allen’s romantic comedy Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid To Ask), and the 1992 thriller Murder By Numbers, starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.