Early life
Mostel was born as Samuel Joel Mostel to Israel Mostel, an Ea… Read Full Bio ↴Early life
Mostel was born as Samuel Joel Mostel to Israel Mostel, an Eastern European Jew, and Cina "Celia" Druchs, also from a Jewish family, who was born in Poland and raised in Vienna. The two immigrated to the United States (separately: Israel in 1898 and Cina in 1908), where they met and married. Israel already had four children from his first wife; he had four more children with Cina. Samuel, later known as Zero, was Israel's seventh child.
Initially living in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, the family moved to Moodus, Connecticut, where they bought a farm. The family’s income in those days came from a winery and a slaughterhouse. The farm did not do well. When, according to Zero, an unyielding bank president with fierce mustache and long whip foreclosed the mortgage on the farm, the ten Mostels trekked back to New York and settled on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where the boy attended public school, his character was shaped, and his father was employed as a wine chemist. While not at poverty level, the family had to struggle financially. As a child, Mostel was described by his family as outgoing and lively, and with a developed sense of humor. He showed an intelligence and perception that convinced his father he had the makings of a rabbi; however, Mostel preferred painting and drawing, a passion he was to retain for life. According to Roger Butterfield, his mother made a practice of dressing the boy in a velvet suit and sending him to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to copy masterpieces. Zero had a favorite painting, John White Alexander’s Study For Woman in Black and Green, which he copied every day, to the delight of the gallery crowds. One afternoon, while a crowd was watching over his velvet-clad shoulder, he solemnly copied the whole painting upside down, delighting his audience.
Already at a young age he developed the duality of character that baffled critics years later: when alone he was studious and quiet, but when observed he felt he had to be the center of attention, which he invariably did through use of humor. The fact that at home he spoke English, Yiddish, Italian and German helped him reach out to audiences of many ethnicities in New York.
He attended Public School 188, where he had been an A student (this is in contrast to his later claim that he was nicknamed Zero after his grade average). He also received professional training as a painter through The Educational Alliance. He completed his high school education at Seward Park High, where, interestingly, his yearbook voiced the following prophesy: “A future Rembrandt… or perhaps a comedian?”
Mostel attended the City College of New York, a public college that allowed many poor students to pursue higher education. Mostel belonged to the swimming team and the R.O.T.C., where he distinguished himself by clowning. The story goes that at the College’s Charter Day exercises, the R.O.T.C. unit held a review in honor of the occasion. When he was commanded by the captain to stand at attention, the future comedian “started to crumple like an airless accordion.” “Attention!” barked the officer, “not at ease.” “Mon capitaine,” Zero replied, “it’s not me at ease, it’s my uniform.” Legend also has it that the R.O.T.C. situation became so critical that on inspection days the staff officers tried to get the youth out of sight. They attempted to detail him on special duty. “Private Mostel, would you be so good as to go to the gymnasium with a message for Corporal S?” they would demand uneasily. “I gotta drill,” Zero, professing not to understand, is supposed to have said. “But we excuse you from drill,” pleaded the staff. “I gotta drill,” persisted Zero. “I gotta get hard. I gotta get strong. I gotta get ready to die for dear old City College.” [1]
As only beginner classes were available in art, Zero took them repeatedly to be able to paint and receive professional feedback. During that time he worked odd jobs, and graduated in 1935 with a bachelor’s degree. He then continued studying towards a masters in arts, and also joined the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), which paid him a stipend to teach art.
In 1939 he married Clara Sverd, and the couple moved to an apartment in Brooklyn. The marriage did not last, however, since Clara could not accept the many hours Mostel spent in his studio with his fellow artists, and he did not seem to be able to provide for her at the level she had been accustomed to. They separated in 1941 and divorced in 1944, Clara only agreeing to the divorce in return for a percentage of Mostel's earnings for the rest of his life.
Career
Early comic routines
Part of Mostel’s PWAP duty was to give gallery talks at New York’s museums. Leading groups of students through the many paintings, Mostel could not suppress his comedic nature, and his lectures became famous not so much for their artistic content as for his sense of humor. As his reputation grew, he was invited to entertain at parties and other social occasions, earning three to five dollars per performance. Labor Union Social Clubs followed, where Mostel mixed his comic routine with social commentary. These performances would play a large role in his eventual blacklisting in the next decade.
In 1941, the Café Society—a downtown Manhattan nightclub—approached Mostel with an offer to become a professional comedian and play a regular spot. Mostel accepted, and in the next few months he became the Café Society’s main attraction. It was at the Café Society that he adopted the stage name Zero (Zee to his friends). The press agent of the night club prevailed upon Mostel to adopt this stage name, hoping that it would inspire the comment: “Here’s a man who made something out of nothing.” Thus, at the age of 27, Mostel dropped every other job and occupation to start his show business career.
Rise
Mostel’s rise from this point on was rapid. In 1942 alone his salary at the Café Society went up from US$40 a week to US$450; he appeared on radio shows, opened in two Broadway shows (Keep Them Laughing, Top-Notchers), played at the Paramount Theatre, appeared in an MGM movie (Du Barry Was a Lady), and booked into La Martinique at US$4,000 a week. He also made cameo appearances at the Yiddish theatre, which style influenced his own. In 1943, Life Magazine described him as “just about the funniest American now living.”
In March 1943, Mostel was drafted by the Army. His length of service is hard to determine as conflicting accounts exist—some say that he was released after six months due to colitis, others that he served to the end of the war. At any rate it is apparent that he was honorably discharged and gave the troops many months of free entertainment through the USO until 1945.
Mostel married Kathryn (Kate) Cecilia Harkin, a Chez Paree club chorus girl, on July 2, 1944, after two years of courtship. The marriage was shaky at times, again mostly due to Mostel’s spending most of his time in his art studio. Their relationship was described by friends of the family as complicated, with many fights but mutual adoration. The couple stayed together until Mostel’s death and had two children: film actor Joshua (Josh) in 1946 and Tobias (Toby) in 1948.
After Mostel’s discharge from the army, his career took off again. He appeared in a series of plays, musicals, operas and movies. In 1946 he even made an attempt at serious operatic acting (in The Beggar's Opera), but received lukewarm reviews. Critics saw him as a versatile performer, who was equally adept at a Molière play as he was on the stage of a night club.
Meanwhile, the choice of political causes Mostel was supporting earned him surveillance by the FBI. According to his FBI file, he was seen at many Communist Party meetings in 1941 and was active in support of Free Earl Browder Movement.
Blacklist years and HUAC testimony
With growing popularity and many excellent reviews, Mostel’s career nonetheless came to a complete halt during the 1950s. Seeing many of his show business friends blacklisted and forced to name names of supposed Communists, it came as no surprise to him that he was named, too. On January 29, 1952, Martin Berkeley identified him to the House Committee on Un-American Activities as having been a member of the Communist party (Berkeley had named 160 people in all—more than any other witness). This was enough to stifle Mostel’s career even before he was subpoenaed to appear before HUAC, which happened on August 14, 1955.
The committee was presided over by chairman Clyde Doyle. Mostel, who could not afford to hire a lawyer, testified before the committee on his own. Frank Wilkinson recalled the proceedings thusly:
It began with the committee’s counsel immediately launching his attack. “Mr. Mostel, are you or are you not a Communist?” Zero leaped out of his chair behind the counsel’s table, knocking the microphones to the floor, and reached for the throat of HUAC’s attorney while shouting, “That man called me a Communist! Get him out of here! He asked me if I’m a Communist! Get him out of here!” The committee was roaring with laughter. They were delighted. Here they had Zero Mostel all to themselves, on stage, in a private dining room. Zero went on playing and parlaying with them for at least twenty minutes, responding to their questions by reciting each amendment in the Bill of Rights. Finally, HUAC’s lawyers cautiously said, “Mr. Mostel, we know all about those amendments. We simply want to know are you, or are you not, claiming the Fifth Amendment.” He didn’t ask Zero, “Are you or are you not a Communist.” He asked him, “Are you or are you not claiming the Fifth Amendment.” What they wanted him to say was “Yes.” After another ten minutes of sparring, Zero said, “Yes, I’m claiming the Fifth Amendment.” The hearings were stopped right there. The committee’s PR guy goes to the door and opens it. He doesn’t say a word to the crowd of reporters. He just holds up five fingers, and the press dashes off to the telephones there in the hotel. The headlines the next morning: “Zero Mostel Pleads Fifth Amendment at HUAC Meeting.”
Thus Mostel refused the opportunity to redeem himself by giving the committee more names, choosing instead not to answer any question that may incriminate himself (a direct refusal to name names would have allowed the committee to find him in contempt). His testimony had won him admiration in the blacklisted community, as in addition to not naming names he also confronted the committee on ideological matters, something that was rarely done. Among other things, he referred to Twentieth Century Fox as “Eighteenth Century Fox” (due to their collaboration with the committee), and manipulated the committee members to appear foolish.
Segment of Zero Mostel’s testimony before HUACThe admiration he received for his testimony did nothing to take him out of the blacklist, however, and the family had to struggle throughout the 1950s with little income. Mostel used this time to work in his studio. Later he would say that he cherished those years for the time it had afforded him to do what he loved most. Mostel’s appearance before HUAC (as well as others') was incorporated into the 1972 play Are You Now or Have You Ever Been…?
Ulysses in Nighttown and career revival
In 1957, Toby Cole, a New York theatrical agent who strongly opposed the blacklist, contacted Mostel and asked to represent him. The partnership was to have the effect of reviving Mostel’s career and making him a household name. Mostel accepted the role of Leopold Bloom in Ulysses in Nighttown, a play based on the novel Ulysses, which he greatly admired in his youth. It was an Off-Off-Broadway play produced in a small Houston Street theater, but the reviews Mostel received were overwhelmingly favorable. Most notably, Newsweek’s Jack Kroll compared him to Laurence Olivier, writing, “Something unbelievable happened. A fat comedian named Zero Mostel gave a performance that was even more astonishing than Olivier’s.” Mostel received the Obie award for best Off-Broadway performance of the 1958–59 season.
After the success of Ulysses, Mostel received many offers to appear in classic roles, especially abroad. However, artistic differences with the directors and the low salaries he was offered prevented these from ever materializing. By this time the blacklist was beginning to crumble, and in 1959, appeared twice on TV's The Play of the Week.
1960s and height of career
On January 13, 1960, while exiting a taxi on his way back from rehearsals for the play The Good Soup, Mostel was hit by a number 18 (now the M86) 86th Street crosstown bus, and his leg was crushed. The doctors wanted to amputate the leg, which would have effectively ended his stage career. Mostel refused, accepting the risk of gangrene, and remained hospitalized for four months. The gamble paid off, but for the rest of his life the massively-scarred leg gave him pain and required frequent rests and baths. After incurring his injury he retained the famous Harry Lipsig (the 5'3" self-described, "King of Torts"). The prospect of having Harry Lipsig, a Brooklyn street lawyer and spitfire of a man who was renowned for his schmaltzy renderings of depredation to NY juries looking to roast the insurance companies, combined with the prospect of the injured party being none other than Zero Mostel must have terrified the MTA counsel, because the case was settled for an undisclosed sum. Shortly thereafter the Mostels were able to leave the rented apartment on 86th Street for a co-op apartment they bought at The Dakota. From this time forward Mostel would affect a cane when he attended the Metropolitan Opera, to go along with the cape that he also favored.
Later that year Mostel took on the role of Estragon in a TV adaptation of Waiting for Godot. In 1961, he played Jean in Rhinoceros to very favorable reviews. The New Republic’s Robert Brustein said that he had “a great dancer’s control of movement, a great actor’s control of voice, a great mime’s control of facial expressions.” His transition onstage from man to rhinoceros became a thing of legend; he won his first Tony Award for Best Actor, even though he was not in the lead role.
In 1962 Mostel began work on the role of Pseudolus in the Broadway musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which was to be one of his most recognizable roles. The role of Pseudolus was originally offered to Phil Silvers, who declined it, saying he did not want to do this "old shtick." Mostel did not originally want to do the role either, which he thought below his capabilities, but was convinced by his wife and agent. The reviews were excellent, and, after a few slow weeks, the show became a great commercial success, running 964 performances and conferring on Mostel a star status (he also won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for this role). It was also produced as a movie version in 1966, also starring Mostel (and Silvers).
On September 22, 1964, Mostel opened as Tevye in the original Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof. Mostel’s respect for the works of Sholem Aleichem made him insist that more of the author's mood and style were incorporated into the musical, and he made major contributions to its shape. He also created the cantorial sounds made famous in songs such as “If I Were a Rich Man.” In later years, the actors who followed Mostel in the role of Tevye invariably followed his staging. The show received rave reviews and was a great commercial success, running 3242 performances, a record at the time. Mostel received a Tony Award for it and was invited for a reception in the White House, officially ending his political pariah status.
In 1967, Mostel appeared as Potemkin in Great Catherine, and in 1968 he took on one of his most famous roles, that of Max Bialystock in The Producers. Mostel refused to accept the role at first, but director Mel Brooks convinced him to show the script to his wife, who then talked Mostel into doing it. His performance received mixed reviews, and was not a great success at first, but the film has achieved cult status since.
Last years
In his last decade, Mostel showed little enthusiasm for artistic theatrical progress. Rather than choosing roles that would bring him critical acclaim or that he wanted to do, he seemed to be available for any role that paid well. The result was a succession of movies for which, for the first time since he had established himself as a performer, reviews were mixed at best. Such endeavors were The Great Bank Robbery, The Angel Levine, Once Upon a Scoundrel, and Mastermind. This caused the devaluation of his star power: once a top-billing actor, he now had to make do with featured billing, and his appearance in a movie or play no longer guaranteed success.
There have been a few exceptions, however: the movie version of Rhinoceros, The Front (where he played Hecky Brown, a blacklisted performer whose story bears a similarity to Mostel’s own, and for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor), and theatrical revivals of Fiddler and Ulysses in Nighttown. He also made memorable appearances in children’s shows such as Sesame Street, The Electric Company (for which he performed the Spellbinder in the Letterman cartoons), and The Muppet Show, and gave voice to the boisterous seagull Kehaar in the animated film Watership Down.
In the last four months of his life, Mostel took on a nutritionally unsound diet (later described by his friends as a starvation diet) that reduced his weight from 304 to 215 pounds. During rehearsals for the play The Merchant in Philadelphia, he collapsed in his dressing room and was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He was diagnosed with a respiratory disorder and it was believed he was in no danger and would be released soon. However, on September 8, 1977, Mostel suddenly complained of dizziness and lost consciousness. The attending physicians were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead that evening. It is now believed that he suffered an aortic aneurysm.
In accordance with his final requests, his family did not stage any funeral or other memorial service to mark his passing. Mostel was cremated following his death; the location of his ashes is not publicly known.
Professional relationships
Mostel had often collided with directors and other performers in the course of his professional career. He was described as irreverent, believing himself to be a comic genius (many critics agreed with him) and showed little patience for incompetence. He often improvised, which was received well by audiences but which often left other performers (who were not prepared for his ad-libbed lines) confused and speechless during live performance. He often dominated the stage whether or not his role called for it. Norman Jewison stated this as a reason for preferring Chaim Topol to him for the role of Tevye in the movie version of Fiddler on the Roof. Mostel took exception to these criticisms: “There’s a kind of silliness in the theater about what one contributes to a show. The producer obviously contributes the money… but must the actor contribute nothing at all? I’m not a modest fellow about those things. I contribute a great deal. And they always manage to hang you for having an interpretation. Isn’t [the theater] where your imagination should flower? Why must it always be dull as shit?” [1]
Other producers, such as Jerome Robbins and Hal Prince, preferred to hire Mostel on short contracts, knowing that he would become less faithful to the script as time went on. His larger-than-life persona, though largely responsible for his success, had also intimidated others in his profession and prevented him from receiving some important roles.
In his autobiography, Kiss Me Like A Stranger, actor Gene Wilder describes being initially terrified of Mostel. However, just after being introduced, Mostel got up, walked over to Wilder, and planted a big kiss on him. Wilder claims to be grateful to Mostel for teaching him such a valuable lesson, and for picking Wilder up every day so that they could ride to work together. He also tells the story of a dinner celebrating the release of The Producers. Mostel switched Wilder's place card with Dick Shawn's, allowing Wilder to sit at the main table. Mostel and Wilder would later go on to work together in Rhinoceros and the Letterman cartoons for the children's show The Electric Company. The two remained close friends until Mostel's death.
Mostel was born as Samuel Joel Mostel to Israel Mostel, an Ea… Read Full Bio ↴Early life
Mostel was born as Samuel Joel Mostel to Israel Mostel, an Eastern European Jew, and Cina "Celia" Druchs, also from a Jewish family, who was born in Poland and raised in Vienna. The two immigrated to the United States (separately: Israel in 1898 and Cina in 1908), where they met and married. Israel already had four children from his first wife; he had four more children with Cina. Samuel, later known as Zero, was Israel's seventh child.
Initially living in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, the family moved to Moodus, Connecticut, where they bought a farm. The family’s income in those days came from a winery and a slaughterhouse. The farm did not do well. When, according to Zero, an unyielding bank president with fierce mustache and long whip foreclosed the mortgage on the farm, the ten Mostels trekked back to New York and settled on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where the boy attended public school, his character was shaped, and his father was employed as a wine chemist. While not at poverty level, the family had to struggle financially. As a child, Mostel was described by his family as outgoing and lively, and with a developed sense of humor. He showed an intelligence and perception that convinced his father he had the makings of a rabbi; however, Mostel preferred painting and drawing, a passion he was to retain for life. According to Roger Butterfield, his mother made a practice of dressing the boy in a velvet suit and sending him to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to copy masterpieces. Zero had a favorite painting, John White Alexander’s Study For Woman in Black and Green, which he copied every day, to the delight of the gallery crowds. One afternoon, while a crowd was watching over his velvet-clad shoulder, he solemnly copied the whole painting upside down, delighting his audience.
Already at a young age he developed the duality of character that baffled critics years later: when alone he was studious and quiet, but when observed he felt he had to be the center of attention, which he invariably did through use of humor. The fact that at home he spoke English, Yiddish, Italian and German helped him reach out to audiences of many ethnicities in New York.
He attended Public School 188, where he had been an A student (this is in contrast to his later claim that he was nicknamed Zero after his grade average). He also received professional training as a painter through The Educational Alliance. He completed his high school education at Seward Park High, where, interestingly, his yearbook voiced the following prophesy: “A future Rembrandt… or perhaps a comedian?”
Mostel attended the City College of New York, a public college that allowed many poor students to pursue higher education. Mostel belonged to the swimming team and the R.O.T.C., where he distinguished himself by clowning. The story goes that at the College’s Charter Day exercises, the R.O.T.C. unit held a review in honor of the occasion. When he was commanded by the captain to stand at attention, the future comedian “started to crumple like an airless accordion.” “Attention!” barked the officer, “not at ease.” “Mon capitaine,” Zero replied, “it’s not me at ease, it’s my uniform.” Legend also has it that the R.O.T.C. situation became so critical that on inspection days the staff officers tried to get the youth out of sight. They attempted to detail him on special duty. “Private Mostel, would you be so good as to go to the gymnasium with a message for Corporal S?” they would demand uneasily. “I gotta drill,” Zero, professing not to understand, is supposed to have said. “But we excuse you from drill,” pleaded the staff. “I gotta drill,” persisted Zero. “I gotta get hard. I gotta get strong. I gotta get ready to die for dear old City College.” [1]
As only beginner classes were available in art, Zero took them repeatedly to be able to paint and receive professional feedback. During that time he worked odd jobs, and graduated in 1935 with a bachelor’s degree. He then continued studying towards a masters in arts, and also joined the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), which paid him a stipend to teach art.
In 1939 he married Clara Sverd, and the couple moved to an apartment in Brooklyn. The marriage did not last, however, since Clara could not accept the many hours Mostel spent in his studio with his fellow artists, and he did not seem to be able to provide for her at the level she had been accustomed to. They separated in 1941 and divorced in 1944, Clara only agreeing to the divorce in return for a percentage of Mostel's earnings for the rest of his life.
Career
Early comic routines
Part of Mostel’s PWAP duty was to give gallery talks at New York’s museums. Leading groups of students through the many paintings, Mostel could not suppress his comedic nature, and his lectures became famous not so much for their artistic content as for his sense of humor. As his reputation grew, he was invited to entertain at parties and other social occasions, earning three to five dollars per performance. Labor Union Social Clubs followed, where Mostel mixed his comic routine with social commentary. These performances would play a large role in his eventual blacklisting in the next decade.
In 1941, the Café Society—a downtown Manhattan nightclub—approached Mostel with an offer to become a professional comedian and play a regular spot. Mostel accepted, and in the next few months he became the Café Society’s main attraction. It was at the Café Society that he adopted the stage name Zero (Zee to his friends). The press agent of the night club prevailed upon Mostel to adopt this stage name, hoping that it would inspire the comment: “Here’s a man who made something out of nothing.” Thus, at the age of 27, Mostel dropped every other job and occupation to start his show business career.
Rise
Mostel’s rise from this point on was rapid. In 1942 alone his salary at the Café Society went up from US$40 a week to US$450; he appeared on radio shows, opened in two Broadway shows (Keep Them Laughing, Top-Notchers), played at the Paramount Theatre, appeared in an MGM movie (Du Barry Was a Lady), and booked into La Martinique at US$4,000 a week. He also made cameo appearances at the Yiddish theatre, which style influenced his own. In 1943, Life Magazine described him as “just about the funniest American now living.”
In March 1943, Mostel was drafted by the Army. His length of service is hard to determine as conflicting accounts exist—some say that he was released after six months due to colitis, others that he served to the end of the war. At any rate it is apparent that he was honorably discharged and gave the troops many months of free entertainment through the USO until 1945.
Mostel married Kathryn (Kate) Cecilia Harkin, a Chez Paree club chorus girl, on July 2, 1944, after two years of courtship. The marriage was shaky at times, again mostly due to Mostel’s spending most of his time in his art studio. Their relationship was described by friends of the family as complicated, with many fights but mutual adoration. The couple stayed together until Mostel’s death and had two children: film actor Joshua (Josh) in 1946 and Tobias (Toby) in 1948.
After Mostel’s discharge from the army, his career took off again. He appeared in a series of plays, musicals, operas and movies. In 1946 he even made an attempt at serious operatic acting (in The Beggar's Opera), but received lukewarm reviews. Critics saw him as a versatile performer, who was equally adept at a Molière play as he was on the stage of a night club.
Meanwhile, the choice of political causes Mostel was supporting earned him surveillance by the FBI. According to his FBI file, he was seen at many Communist Party meetings in 1941 and was active in support of Free Earl Browder Movement.
Blacklist years and HUAC testimony
With growing popularity and many excellent reviews, Mostel’s career nonetheless came to a complete halt during the 1950s. Seeing many of his show business friends blacklisted and forced to name names of supposed Communists, it came as no surprise to him that he was named, too. On January 29, 1952, Martin Berkeley identified him to the House Committee on Un-American Activities as having been a member of the Communist party (Berkeley had named 160 people in all—more than any other witness). This was enough to stifle Mostel’s career even before he was subpoenaed to appear before HUAC, which happened on August 14, 1955.
The committee was presided over by chairman Clyde Doyle. Mostel, who could not afford to hire a lawyer, testified before the committee on his own. Frank Wilkinson recalled the proceedings thusly:
It began with the committee’s counsel immediately launching his attack. “Mr. Mostel, are you or are you not a Communist?” Zero leaped out of his chair behind the counsel’s table, knocking the microphones to the floor, and reached for the throat of HUAC’s attorney while shouting, “That man called me a Communist! Get him out of here! He asked me if I’m a Communist! Get him out of here!” The committee was roaring with laughter. They were delighted. Here they had Zero Mostel all to themselves, on stage, in a private dining room. Zero went on playing and parlaying with them for at least twenty minutes, responding to their questions by reciting each amendment in the Bill of Rights. Finally, HUAC’s lawyers cautiously said, “Mr. Mostel, we know all about those amendments. We simply want to know are you, or are you not, claiming the Fifth Amendment.” He didn’t ask Zero, “Are you or are you not a Communist.” He asked him, “Are you or are you not claiming the Fifth Amendment.” What they wanted him to say was “Yes.” After another ten minutes of sparring, Zero said, “Yes, I’m claiming the Fifth Amendment.” The hearings were stopped right there. The committee’s PR guy goes to the door and opens it. He doesn’t say a word to the crowd of reporters. He just holds up five fingers, and the press dashes off to the telephones there in the hotel. The headlines the next morning: “Zero Mostel Pleads Fifth Amendment at HUAC Meeting.”
Thus Mostel refused the opportunity to redeem himself by giving the committee more names, choosing instead not to answer any question that may incriminate himself (a direct refusal to name names would have allowed the committee to find him in contempt). His testimony had won him admiration in the blacklisted community, as in addition to not naming names he also confronted the committee on ideological matters, something that was rarely done. Among other things, he referred to Twentieth Century Fox as “Eighteenth Century Fox” (due to their collaboration with the committee), and manipulated the committee members to appear foolish.
Segment of Zero Mostel’s testimony before HUACThe admiration he received for his testimony did nothing to take him out of the blacklist, however, and the family had to struggle throughout the 1950s with little income. Mostel used this time to work in his studio. Later he would say that he cherished those years for the time it had afforded him to do what he loved most. Mostel’s appearance before HUAC (as well as others') was incorporated into the 1972 play Are You Now or Have You Ever Been…?
Ulysses in Nighttown and career revival
In 1957, Toby Cole, a New York theatrical agent who strongly opposed the blacklist, contacted Mostel and asked to represent him. The partnership was to have the effect of reviving Mostel’s career and making him a household name. Mostel accepted the role of Leopold Bloom in Ulysses in Nighttown, a play based on the novel Ulysses, which he greatly admired in his youth. It was an Off-Off-Broadway play produced in a small Houston Street theater, but the reviews Mostel received were overwhelmingly favorable. Most notably, Newsweek’s Jack Kroll compared him to Laurence Olivier, writing, “Something unbelievable happened. A fat comedian named Zero Mostel gave a performance that was even more astonishing than Olivier’s.” Mostel received the Obie award for best Off-Broadway performance of the 1958–59 season.
After the success of Ulysses, Mostel received many offers to appear in classic roles, especially abroad. However, artistic differences with the directors and the low salaries he was offered prevented these from ever materializing. By this time the blacklist was beginning to crumble, and in 1959, appeared twice on TV's The Play of the Week.
1960s and height of career
On January 13, 1960, while exiting a taxi on his way back from rehearsals for the play The Good Soup, Mostel was hit by a number 18 (now the M86) 86th Street crosstown bus, and his leg was crushed. The doctors wanted to amputate the leg, which would have effectively ended his stage career. Mostel refused, accepting the risk of gangrene, and remained hospitalized for four months. The gamble paid off, but for the rest of his life the massively-scarred leg gave him pain and required frequent rests and baths. After incurring his injury he retained the famous Harry Lipsig (the 5'3" self-described, "King of Torts"). The prospect of having Harry Lipsig, a Brooklyn street lawyer and spitfire of a man who was renowned for his schmaltzy renderings of depredation to NY juries looking to roast the insurance companies, combined with the prospect of the injured party being none other than Zero Mostel must have terrified the MTA counsel, because the case was settled for an undisclosed sum. Shortly thereafter the Mostels were able to leave the rented apartment on 86th Street for a co-op apartment they bought at The Dakota. From this time forward Mostel would affect a cane when he attended the Metropolitan Opera, to go along with the cape that he also favored.
Later that year Mostel took on the role of Estragon in a TV adaptation of Waiting for Godot. In 1961, he played Jean in Rhinoceros to very favorable reviews. The New Republic’s Robert Brustein said that he had “a great dancer’s control of movement, a great actor’s control of voice, a great mime’s control of facial expressions.” His transition onstage from man to rhinoceros became a thing of legend; he won his first Tony Award for Best Actor, even though he was not in the lead role.
In 1962 Mostel began work on the role of Pseudolus in the Broadway musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which was to be one of his most recognizable roles. The role of Pseudolus was originally offered to Phil Silvers, who declined it, saying he did not want to do this "old shtick." Mostel did not originally want to do the role either, which he thought below his capabilities, but was convinced by his wife and agent. The reviews were excellent, and, after a few slow weeks, the show became a great commercial success, running 964 performances and conferring on Mostel a star status (he also won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for this role). It was also produced as a movie version in 1966, also starring Mostel (and Silvers).
On September 22, 1964, Mostel opened as Tevye in the original Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof. Mostel’s respect for the works of Sholem Aleichem made him insist that more of the author's mood and style were incorporated into the musical, and he made major contributions to its shape. He also created the cantorial sounds made famous in songs such as “If I Were a Rich Man.” In later years, the actors who followed Mostel in the role of Tevye invariably followed his staging. The show received rave reviews and was a great commercial success, running 3242 performances, a record at the time. Mostel received a Tony Award for it and was invited for a reception in the White House, officially ending his political pariah status.
In 1967, Mostel appeared as Potemkin in Great Catherine, and in 1968 he took on one of his most famous roles, that of Max Bialystock in The Producers. Mostel refused to accept the role at first, but director Mel Brooks convinced him to show the script to his wife, who then talked Mostel into doing it. His performance received mixed reviews, and was not a great success at first, but the film has achieved cult status since.
Last years
In his last decade, Mostel showed little enthusiasm for artistic theatrical progress. Rather than choosing roles that would bring him critical acclaim or that he wanted to do, he seemed to be available for any role that paid well. The result was a succession of movies for which, for the first time since he had established himself as a performer, reviews were mixed at best. Such endeavors were The Great Bank Robbery, The Angel Levine, Once Upon a Scoundrel, and Mastermind. This caused the devaluation of his star power: once a top-billing actor, he now had to make do with featured billing, and his appearance in a movie or play no longer guaranteed success.
There have been a few exceptions, however: the movie version of Rhinoceros, The Front (where he played Hecky Brown, a blacklisted performer whose story bears a similarity to Mostel’s own, and for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor), and theatrical revivals of Fiddler and Ulysses in Nighttown. He also made memorable appearances in children’s shows such as Sesame Street, The Electric Company (for which he performed the Spellbinder in the Letterman cartoons), and The Muppet Show, and gave voice to the boisterous seagull Kehaar in the animated film Watership Down.
In the last four months of his life, Mostel took on a nutritionally unsound diet (later described by his friends as a starvation diet) that reduced his weight from 304 to 215 pounds. During rehearsals for the play The Merchant in Philadelphia, he collapsed in his dressing room and was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He was diagnosed with a respiratory disorder and it was believed he was in no danger and would be released soon. However, on September 8, 1977, Mostel suddenly complained of dizziness and lost consciousness. The attending physicians were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead that evening. It is now believed that he suffered an aortic aneurysm.
In accordance with his final requests, his family did not stage any funeral or other memorial service to mark his passing. Mostel was cremated following his death; the location of his ashes is not publicly known.
Professional relationships
Mostel had often collided with directors and other performers in the course of his professional career. He was described as irreverent, believing himself to be a comic genius (many critics agreed with him) and showed little patience for incompetence. He often improvised, which was received well by audiences but which often left other performers (who were not prepared for his ad-libbed lines) confused and speechless during live performance. He often dominated the stage whether or not his role called for it. Norman Jewison stated this as a reason for preferring Chaim Topol to him for the role of Tevye in the movie version of Fiddler on the Roof. Mostel took exception to these criticisms: “There’s a kind of silliness in the theater about what one contributes to a show. The producer obviously contributes the money… but must the actor contribute nothing at all? I’m not a modest fellow about those things. I contribute a great deal. And they always manage to hang you for having an interpretation. Isn’t [the theater] where your imagination should flower? Why must it always be dull as shit?” [1]
Other producers, such as Jerome Robbins and Hal Prince, preferred to hire Mostel on short contracts, knowing that he would become less faithful to the script as time went on. His larger-than-life persona, though largely responsible for his success, had also intimidated others in his profession and prevented him from receiving some important roles.
In his autobiography, Kiss Me Like A Stranger, actor Gene Wilder describes being initially terrified of Mostel. However, just after being introduced, Mostel got up, walked over to Wilder, and planted a big kiss on him. Wilder claims to be grateful to Mostel for teaching him such a valuable lesson, and for picking Wilder up every day so that they could ride to work together. He also tells the story of a dinner celebrating the release of The Producers. Mostel switched Wilder's place card with Dick Shawn's, allowing Wilder to sit at the main table. Mostel and Wilder would later go on to work together in Rhinoceros and the Letterman cartoons for the children's show The Electric Company. The two remained close friends until Mostel's death.
The Dream
Zero Mostel Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'The Dream' by these artists:
2-Timer I can see, I can see, I can see, I…
7.Motubeats х Beatcoin All my hope I look up, and it's gone Fighting this feeling…
A Death By The Seaside Cold Grey Gone Ghost You Me Dead Gone In the wind you'll h…
A Tiger So much more ahead This road is long as shit But I…
A.K.A Dreams just, dreams just are a memory Of things we never…
A.M.S.G. 깨어나지 못하는 꿈에 잊혀질까 두려운 너를 혼자서만 지켜온 지난날들이 흘러가는 시간 속에 흩어져…
AbraSKAdabra When you try to escape but you go into the…
ACTION! What happens to a dream deferred Does it dry up like…
Aimee I wake up in the morning And you're calling my name These…
Albert Collins Last night once again I had the dream I tossed and…
ALdo Remember when we met You were dancing in the rain I tried…
Amapulo502 Yo voy por el sueño Que …
And One Naked on the ocean floor I'm waiting for a savior The deep…
Andra You don't belong here You don't belong here Maybe you should…
Animal & Me 어디 갈 곳도 없이 집을 나서네 해는 끈질기게 따라오네 어디인지 모를 곳에도 바위…
Anish Ishare karde menu tease Dil lut lende ne mera Cheta addiye T…
ariel.lavi I heard of this place where you can eat cotton…
arusha-band Take this kiss upon the brow And in parting from you…
Audio Learning Center I never made the dream Was just too far out of…
B-Charme 青い夏のまぼろし Sevendays' My dream もう一度 会いたいよ 思いがけぬ 胸を焦がす出逢いの Oh 偶…
Baby and Me 在云层上 安静的 睡着 梦飞到了 半 山 腰 轻 飘飘 梦太奇妙 伸手能 触到 看过那黄昏与破晓 有多 美 好 I ha…
Barbara & Wilson I wander the streets And the gay crowded places Trying to fo…
Barnabas As the sun is forced to exile, in a blaze…
bedroom Calling all bodies to the bedroom I'm calling all the bodie…
Ben DeHan I just wanna make money at something I love F*** the…
Bernard Herrmann and His Orchestra Let me dream, while my heart is large As the moon,…
Betsie Larkin & John O'Callaghan You don't see it like you think It keeps changing Faster tha…
Blitz//Berlin Hot hands aroud his throat, melt the necklace Self-help goat…
Blondie I wake up laughing, thrown from a nightmare. I come down…
Blood Axis Ôwê, war sint verswunden Alliu mîniu jâr! Ist mîn leben mir …
Blues Cousins Last night I had a dream My baby alrigth with me Last…
Blutengel You see those faces slowly passing by Their scary eyes are…
Brandon Rockx I had a dream, I wasn’t in love, and I…
Breather 1 My mind is full of regretting, Does it turning in…
Brioni Faith feat. Carlsen & Thunder Last night I got a big surprise As I was studying…
Bry You gotta dream big or not at all You can be…
BT I spend my whole life following the night time Can't see…
Buddy Guy I've got dreams, dreams to remember I've got dreams, dreams …
C.O.I. 하나! 둘! 셋! 넷! Mic check! One! Two! 하나! 둘! 셋!…
Cadaveria After foggy and funereal days In a mixture of sadness and…
Carlsen & Thunder Last night I got a big surprise As I was studying…
Carol Sawyer/Cast/Gluck Sandor/Joanna Merlin/Maria Karnilova/Zero Mostel You're scared… you'll fall Sometimes it seems impossible …
Cécile Verny Quartet Last night I fell asleep watching the news, With hate, bombs…
Cloud 9 If I ain’t in the D I’m prolly in Ju-City They made…
Collins Albert & Cray Robert & Copeland Johnny Last night once again I had the dream I tossed and…
Cooder Ry i saw her with another man walkin downtown she's not mine…
Cookies I saw you out in the garden A silver light in…
Crossfire Once more the night and the dark fall On to my…
Culture Club Like Alice in Wonderland The dream takes you by the hand Ins…
D-Attack From the forest of dreams Sorcerers call out to him With the…
D-Me 어디 갈 곳도 없이 집을 나서네 해는 끈질기게 따라오네 어디인지 모를 곳에도 바위…
Darzamat At night I swim the dark depths so hard so much…
Dave Metzger World turns black and white Pictures in an empty room Your…
David Phelps In a dream I was transported By the spirit to the…
DCX Nightcore I was thinkin about you, thinkin about me. Thinkin about us,…
DearestAzazel I remember everything Through mist and haze I found the way…
Deer Tick Well the dream's in the ditch Now the kids are all…
Delta Rae I had the dream Always the same I was in white and…
Disflex.6 이 순간 어린 날 떠올려 매 순간에 심장이 떨려 그저 춤을 사랑했던…
Dj Cortez & Dj E-Dub I stay running sometimes I feel like The Pharcyde Roller coa…
Dole Deep in dreams my mind is longing to recover The things…
Dominici I had the dream last evening The Elders all were there Clo…
Dope D.O.D. It's getting too late to apologize, but I know why We…
Dr. Dundiff I took something That makes me feel good It's like a dream…
Drake Feat. Jamie Foxx Like what it's gonna be like when you get closer…
e-sushi 너와 함께한 내 모든 기억들이 너를 만났던 내 모든 시간들이 이토록 쉽게…
Eminence of Darkness Remember me - the moon is here Remember me - insight…
Eric Burdon haessal gadeuk hwachanghan eoneu nal sone japhil deut geureo…
Ernest I closed my eyes pulled back the curtain To see for…
Eternal Storm Focus your wisdom, be one with everything Learn to see beyon…
Eva 作詞:陳詩慧 作曲:陳詩慧 編曲:Thinker 監製:陳詩慧 站在台上尋夢 想起某某的嘲諷 說怎唱亦無用 未懼言論夾攻…
Even Devils Die i would love you any way to keep you here cause…
First Floor Power I had a dream, A long happy dream, That kind of dream…
Fisher Every time that I look in the mirror All these lines…
Fleetwood Mac Now here you go again You say you want your freedom Well,…
Forest for the Trees We are all here in the act of creation Let's fly…
Forsyth I wanna see the sunrise pushin' back the stars I wanna…
Fox All I do is dream of you the whole night…
Free Friends I just wanna make money at something I love F*** the…
Frog And Toad Together I saw her in my dreams In my dreams In my dreams I…
Future Heroes I know I'll never be beautiful But you kissed me once,…
G-Powered They’re calling my name, I feel like calling back But they…
G.S.D.X La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la 아침이…
George S. Irving End of dreaming 崩折(くずお)れた 夢の欠片(かけら)に 埋もれたままで 今日も夜が訪れる Try me…
Georgia Had a dream last night I was back in your…
Gracious Good Night, Good Night Good Night, Good Night Good Night, …
gray dream Eyes, wide open Blood, fills the veins in his eyes Attack, i…
Greydon Square [Spoken] This song is dedicated... to all those people thro…
Gsdx Feat. Aimee I wake up in the morning And you're calling my name These…
Happ (It is) the call of the night The moon will be…
Heather Connor Glistening sweat that seeps from brow Toss n turn with deepe…
House of Lords Oh-oh... oh-whoa... yeah There's something in the air, th…
Hudson and Troop You never figure it out I can’t sing I can’t dance I can’t…
Hy-Definition La la la la la la la la la La la…
I.C. If you really saw the only girl I know I have…
I.D.E.M Mira tu ya mi amor ve como me tienes ya Gritando…
IIIrd Tyme Out One night as I lay on my pillow While asleep in…
Imam T.H.U.G. [feat. Steve Sola & V12 THE BLAQ SINATRA] I'm staying up I don't wanna come down from your love We'll…
In This Moment Lavender clouds Nothing matters here Flying above The ult…
Ink Dot Boy Two hearts and holy albums, Two hearts and holy albums …
Irene Cara I've been chasing dreams for so long Just one step behind…
J. Morgan Work The dream is a scheme Hustle The scheme is a dream Grin…
Jake I been doin' this since 16 Guess I got big dreams Lord…
James Horner When this world, the real that world you're living in Just…
James P. Johnson She's just waiting for the summertime when the weathers fine…
Jay Kay Last night I saw you in a dream You looked just…
Jermaine Dupri Mmmm, I'm so bored right now Oh, I should call jermaine And…
Jimmy A Every night I hope and pray A dream lover will come…
Jocelyn B. Smith Wo-oh Wo-oh Wo-oh Wo-oh Wo-oh Wo-oh Wo-oh Wo-oh Wo-oh Wo-oh …
John & Audrey Wiggins (Harley Allen/Clive Westlake) The plan I never had a lot bu…
John Rocca Look above. Love, love, love, love. Its your time. Dream, dr…
Johnny Copeland/Robert Cray/Albert Collins Last night once again I had the dream I tossed and…
Jorio Dream Drums Dream Drums Dream Drums…
Kash'd Out I can't wrap my head around, Why we couldn't work…
Kelly Hall-Tompkins Midnight, you heavy laden, it's midnight Come on and trade i…
King Krule Stop makin' sense of things I saw pylons stretch to the…
Kira Just a dream within a dream Painting our reality from what…
Knight Area EVERY NIGHT IN MY DREAMS, I LET THEM TAKE ME…
Knut Reiersrud Blind man standing on the corner Crying out the blues He sai…
L Morgan Lee Why do you hate us? I don't hate you You gettin' up…
Lali Puna ft. Postal Service I only knew you for a while I never saw your…
Lawrence Christmas Dreams I fell in love with a star in the…
Leaves' Eyes Where do you sleep? What do you dream? What do you need T…
Leave´s Eyes Where do you sleep What do you dream What do you need To…
Lil' Wayne I had a dream, I was broke No diamonds and no…
Lo Du muesch eifach alles gä De chasch du alles schaffe Du mues…
Loom She posted up In the back VIP table with a brand new…
Lori McKenna I had a dream last night that the two of…
Low Caught in a cold sweat Stuck splitting hairs and drinking to…
Low/Trentemoller Caught in a cold sweat stuck splitting hairs I'm drinking t…
Lucas Castro They told me that we can't Live our dreams with…
Lucky I would do anything for you I won't let your heart…
M.A.N 낯익은 넌 내가 봤던 그때 네가 맞는지 일어날 수도 없는 일을…
Manicure We Are Singing On The Mountain We're Banging On A…
Manning Following a hope, a dream, the way seems so unclear Learn…
Marc Collin Featuring Katrine Ottosen & Valente You stepped out of a dream You are too wonderful to…
Mark Murphy Midnight, you heavy laden, it's midnight Come on and trade i…
Mary And The Ram Uh uh Dreaming alone I'm just passing by By-uh-by uh-by-uh D…
Master/Slave Relationship Brought up on broken promises A thousand times I've tried No…
Max Scholpp Don′t speak, no, don't try It′s been a secret for the…
McKenzie Gardiner THE DREAM WAS WRONG AND IT TOOK SO LONG TO FIND…
Melissa Etheridge I've got dreams, dreams to remember I've got dreams, dreams …
Merle Haggard This is where dreams come to die This is where dreams…
Michael Franks I had this dream In which I swam with dolphins In open…
Michael Franks & The Yellow Jackets I was just a stand-in Someone love abandoned - not the…
Michel Legrand Little boy lost in search of little boy found You go…
Miles Davis Darn that dream, I dream each night You say you love…
mind.in.a.box I had again been searching through the night, My hope all…
MKS All my love Oh, please, put me out I believe that you…
Mother Crone Blood runs cold, Evidence of a damned man's soul. He'll gnaw…
Mr. and Mrs. Muffins かさばった部屋の荷物を 一日中 かたづけていると 隠れてた 想い出達が 引き出しから そっと顔を出した Tululu,…
Mr. K'ALEXI SHELBY God brought me presents but I'm 'gonna have to pay…
Mutant-Thoughts All alone Now embrace the silence Cause this may be the last…
Nasum This is the end of confrontism This is the end of…
Naughty Naughty Dreams can come true Look at me babe if I'm with…
Nicholas Galitzine He had a dream, a path through the stars, a…
Nits I was walking down A sunny street in town In a dream She…
o-j Okay I’m dreaming or maybe I’m just thinking You’re on my…
One Two Three Cheers And A Tiger So much more ahead This road is long as shit But I…
Open Hand As I sit by myself I've come from so so far…
Out of the Ordinary I say to you today, my friends I still have a…
Out Of Your Mouth Hey, do you really know What you care about? Do you care…
P.J. Olsson What I've learned now as I've grown old When I found…
Patrice Rushen Looking inside of a silent dream Seeing a love just like…
PG V/A 1 하나! 둘! 셋! 넷! Mic check! One! Two! 하나! 둘! 셋!…
Phillip T. Sheeran Stuck between a rock and a hard place Calling it over…
Phora Yeah, lately I feel like the devils watching he taunts…
Praga Khan feat Inja van Gastel They're trying to keep the dream alive (x3) She Talks in…
Primus Those that dream in color Are the lucky ones they say For…
Prince Far I In the beginning, Africa dreamed a dream And behold the dark…
Prince Far I and The Arabs Give me your gibberish tonight and talk to me with…
Projection Through the eyes of man I saw a world Bathed in flames And…
Pyramid Theorem I. A PERFECT PATTERN Im going away I found a place where…
QC From the top Grind Qc Got Billion Dollar Dreams Want The…
QUIETLOVE Last night I woke up to a bottle of jack In the…
R. W. Hampton When I dream, I dream of you I dream of you I…
R.O.M.E I'm looking for an interruption Do you believe? You looking …
Rachel Kenedy I, I stayed up all night Thought about it over and…
Ramos - Hugo Ich wollte nur mehr verdien'n – California Dream Cash mit He…
Rich Aucoin (Dream) (Dream) I can't keep on missing you I won't remembe…
Richard R. Day and Junko Yamanaka ときめ ILLUSION 少し酔ってる君が ゆらめく VISION 無防備に寄りかかった 君の頬に触れ 時は止まるよ 紅…
Rim Banna I pass through the dream Beyond the grass-coverd night Above…
Robert Cray Last night Once again I had the dream I tossed and I…
robert cray & albert collins Last night once again I had the dream I tossed and…
Robot Koch & Savannah Jo Lack I’ve been drifting Dreams, been drifting I’ve been sifting, …
Roko I have a dream A dream as beautiful as it is…
Royce da 5′9″ feat. Rell My dreams My dreams money can't buy So i'm just over everyt…
Rufus Wainwright The dream has come and gone The earth lumbers on The dream…
Ry Cooder i saw her with another man walkin downtown she's not mine…
Ryan Doherty Come to bed and close your eyes It's gonna be a…
Ryan J. Lane Have you seen dreams In real life They come and go They fade…
Saint-Preux Este es Saint Ye! Tengo un par de envidiosos que aún no…
Salt And Light Losing out her tattered wing She trembles down the way Will …
Samantha Moffatt Won't you play some simple melody Like my mother sang to…
Secret Garden feat. Moya Brennan Did you see the sign of my love Did you see…
sense and sensibility Pressure's mounting I'm moving mountains With my eyes close…
Shannon Stephens Oh, let that dream never come true. Oh, let that dream…
Shawn Mullins I fell asleep about 12:30 last night With the remote…
Shinedown Whisper in the yard and turn the trees all into…
Silver Lining I hesitated by the gates when you arrived This time I…
Skillet & Leroy In visions of the dark night I have dreamed of joy…
Smash!! It's my wildest dream Falling in the deep With a beautiful n…
Sonny Lester - His Orchestra & Chorus Let me dream, while my heart is large As the moon,…
Sonny Lester his Orchestra & Chorus It's just that there was I Pretending I was tied to…
sons of sin Driving round in my new Corvette Cruisin the night and the…
SotoMoto We're sorry, the number you have reached is not in…
Starita I had a dream I'd be the one who took…
Steelgods Where I find myself unless between the walls of pain? Cause…
Still Corners We are on a night train Heading to the east end Waiting…
Still Corners - Topic I've been runnin' in overdrive Found myself in another light…
StoneFish I had a dream about tomorrow From what I remembered yesterda…
Sunshine Makers Did it ever feel this close before cause It feels like…
Supernatural Every time that I look in the mirror All these lines…
Sure Conviction Standing on my porch In the middle of the night I see…
T.I. Ft. The Dream Rachel: What a world, what a life. What a sight for sore…
Taran ਕੱਦੋ ਤਕ ਚੋਰੀ ਚੋਰੀ ਮਿਲਦਾ ਰਹੇਂਗਾ ਮੈਨੂ ਕਦੋ ਤੋ ਵਿਆਹ ਕੇ…
TB (Uh, yeah)(Uh, yeah) (TB) (I say) D-R-E-A (Chasing out my d…
Television Baby I wanna go out with you tonight Baby the night…
Telly We dream everyday but our lives isn't changing This is the…
The Birthday Massacre We're all lost at the edge of something We keep pretending,…
The Cure You're too far away Too far away to touch And this mother's…
The Days of the Moon I think of all these reasons I try to take the…
The Dean's List I'll be up when the forest dims And the night turn…
The Dream もぅやだ コレ何回繰り返せばいいの? どうせさ 頑張っても 意味ないんじゃないの? 嘆いてばっかいる自分は 全然好きじゃ…
The Dream ft. Kanye West It's real, all dreams real My boy text me, he told…
The Dune It's a magical affair We are carried in the air In our…
The Fox Light the spliff up Hike ya kicks up Niggas spilling like we…
The Gentleman's Club Wide awake in bed, I think of you again Fighting…
The Ghost of Lemora i. Children of the Woods I was a child, I was fair, But…
The HALF I was jolted awake by the brightness of the morning Make…
The Hare and the Moon I dropped in here just to waste some time The band…
The Hinsons Someday you'll find The dreams you left behind Are not as…
The J. Hexx Project Yeah I didn't bring to be here, to make my…
The King My dream is to be a lover I don't mean sex…
The Lads When skies are cloudy and grey, They're only grey for…
The Moody Blues Once upon a time Once when you were mine I remember skies Re…
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band His fastball is fading, his sinker is gone, They sent him…
The Prophet & JDX We found each other through the fates of time Destined to…
The Robert Cray Band Last night Once again I had the dream I tossed and I…
Thee Oh Sees I had a dream, a dream I said A bloody dream…
Thieves & Liars Bring fourth the coming of days The righteous will fall to…
Thursday As I sit by myself, I've come from so, so far…
Thurston Moore Smoke of dreams, they pull you in To the crazy city's…
Tiger So much more ahead This road is long as shit But I…
Tiger & Dragon VERSE 1 eleven o’clock it’s time to wake up the sun covers…
Time Tells All Catching kisses all over the place I'm cynical and paranoid…
Topol This was my dream, in the beginning I dreamt That we…
Trentemøller Thought over thought why take the lead I won't back off why …
Trentemøller Feat. Low Caught in a cold sweat stuck splitting hairs I'm drinking t…
Trinity Roots (And uhh, would like you all to give a warm…
Trophy We read inside with your hands holding bits of my…
TT There's plenty faces always sayin' I'm they bestie I run aro…
Turnstile The world around me solves evil at war and suffer…
UFO! Mama they say the snow this winter Beat you to the…
Urban Atmosphere & Loco 원한 적 없지 지금의 Outfit 얼떨결에 여기 난 와있지 되기만 해서 난…
Various Artists Why do I have to fly over every town up and down…
Vicky and the Vengents Sometimes alone in the evening I look outside my window At t…
Vitals Olha meu swag Isso aqui é trap Pega teu swetter Por que hoje…
Wanda Sykes Mmmm, I'm so bored right now Oh, I should call jermaine And…
Watson & Company Con esa piel morena descansas En el agua de un arrollo Pudis…
Watson T. Browne Lets Get it uh Gang Trynna boss…
Waylon Jennings Sweet dream baby sweet dream baby sweet dream baby how…
Werkraum I dreamed we were flying an iceberg Under a pink and…
www.7play.com Тихо та несміло Зрозуміла, шепотіла Я зізнаю..., що кохаю Що…
www.FreshRemix.ru 微光窜开了夜晚 全白的夜举起了星空 擦掉月亮的伪装 跟踪跳跃的步伐前进 脱下孤单的舞鞋 心跳成了我的入场劵 戴上愚蠢的礼…
Xample and Lomax Yah it all started with a light kiss Brown skin cute…
Yellowjackets I had this dream In which I swam with dolphins In open…
Zen You promise me the world And everything But you don't come t…
Zero Mostel & Cast There was a time when men were kind When their voices…
Zero Mostel Maria Karnilova Sue Babel Gluck Sandor Carol Sawyer and Company I know you! I walked with you once upon a dream I…
Zero Mostel Maria Karnliova Sue Babel Gluck Sandor Carol Sawyer and Chorus I know you I walked with you Once Upon a dream I know…
Zoldar & Clark Copping out, trying not to fake it Reaching up, trying not…
[unknown] Yeah, She might be bad for you Yeah, She might be…
杉山清貴 The dream of everybody, Young or old. Is to Find a paradise…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Zero Mostel:
Anatevka A little bit of this, a little bit of that. A…
Comedy Tonight Something familiar, Something peculiar, Something for everyo…
Do You Love Me Tevye: Do you love me? Golde: Do I what? Tevye: Do you…
Do You Love Me? Tevye: Do you love me? Golde: Do I what? Tevye: Do you…
Far From The Home I Love How can I hope to make you understand Why I do…
If I Were A Rich Man Dear God, you made many, many poor people I realize…
If I Were a Rich Man (Remastered) (SPOKEN:) Dear God, you made many, many poor people. I…
If I Were A Rich Man - Dear God, you made many, many poor people I realize…
Love I Hear How can I hope to make you understand Why I do…
Sabbath Prayer May the Lord protect and defend you. May He always shield…
To Life To life, to life, l'chaim. L'chaim, l'chaim, to life. Here's…
Tonight Something familiar, Something peculiar, Something for everyo…
Tradition Tradition, tradition! Tradition! Tradition, tradition! Tradi…
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