The evening of July 29 was a night to remember at The Players, New York's famed social club for the arts, when members gathered to celebrate the 95th birthday of American comedy legend Prof. Irwin Corey who Lenny Bruce called "one of the most brilliant comedians of all time". The evening also kicked off a reciprocal visitation agreement between members of The Players and The Friars Club. Thus, the stage was populated by hilarious roasts from famed Friars Borscht Belt comedians such as Sgt. Bilko's Mickey Freeman, Stewie Stone and F Troop's Larry Storch, himself 91-years young. There were so many one-liners I became convinced the ghost of Milton Berle was frantically writing the jokes backstage. Most of the humor was at Prof. Corey's expense, of course, as Freeman noted that Corey's pre-nuptual agreement was signed so long ago, it insured he retained possession of the cave. Prof. Corey, who remains a popular fixture on New York's social scene, had his family in attendance and despite the elegant surroundings, was in his usual attire of wrinkled clothing and a baseball cap. His speech was typical of the man himself: a rambling mixture of one-liners ("I went to the doctor to get a transfusion and he told me my blood type is extinct!"), the kind of left wing political barbs that saw him blacklisted during the dark days of McCarthyism ("I'd rather be a son-of-a-bitch than a son-of-a-Bush!") along with his latest obsession, kooky consipracy theories about 9/11. (This had to be the only place in the world where such subjects were logically intermingled.). The world of stand-up comedy is a rough place and not for the faint of heart, as evidenced by a comic (who shall remain unnamed) who MC Mickey Freeman felt was wearing out his welcome on stage. This prompted Freeman to bruskly escort the man offstage by "gently" reminding him his act was going on too long by saying, "Hey, I'm double parked outside". He also cautioned him that he was here to honor a 95 year old man who might not make it through the end of his act. Everyone agreed to gather in the same place 95 years from now to celebrate Prof. Corey's 190th birthday - and no one would be surprised if Corey makes the date. I'll always remember the wonderful and moving words of wisdom about marital bliss that Prof. Corey once told me: "Marriage is like a bank account - you put it in, you take it out, you lose interest!" - Lee Pfeiffer