At 85, Standup Comedian Jerry Lench Is Still Going Strong

Jerry Lench, an 85 year old retired California advertising and public relations executive, always had a passion for standup comedy, telling jokes in English and in Yiddish.

Now, he has started to collect his jokes and upload them to YouTube.

As Michelle Sathe writes in the Santa Clarita Valley Signal,

“Some jokes are a bit naughty,” Lench said with a sly smile. “Some are Jewish-oriented, and some are told in Yiddish.”

The Valencia senior got the idea from his daughter, Katherine Meyering, who lives just a few minutes away and visits with her father at least three times a week.

“There’s one joke he tells that I particularly like. As we were filming it, I laughed so hard, you couldn’t hear him,” Meyering said. “My dad is so good; he doesn’t rehearse. He gets it in one take.”

Meyering tapes Lench on her iPhone, uploads the video to her computer, then to YouTube and voila.

Her goal is for Lench to get enough views in order to attract advertisers. Family and friends are getting into the act, sending e-mails to friends and relatives, in order to hit the mark.

“Jerry Lench is going viral,” Meyering said with a laugh. “It preserves these jokes for my kids. How many times do you say, ‘I wish I could hear it in the way he says it?’ Well, now you can.”

Lench is happy to oblige.

“I can remember jokes I heard 60 years ago. I just can’t remember why I opened the damn refrigerator,” he said.

Lench has already uploaded 44 joke-telling episodes.  Some are single jokes, and some are multiples.   Here are a few typical jokes.  If you want more, they're available at Jerry's YouTube channel.  Enjoy!