Peter Mehlman, Mandela Was Late, Sager Group of Smashwords, (c) 2012, ISBN: 978-1481250771, 132 pages.
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO–Here is a book of 21 light and frothy essays, most of which sitcom writer Peter Mehlman published in high circulation newspapers or magazines over the years. Like the Seinfeld TV series for which he wrote some highly acclaimed episodes, including “Yada, Yada,” which introduced America to the expression that is similar to “and on and on and on,” the essays are amusing, deal with the periphery of life’s more real concerns, and are hard to recall with any precision a day or so later.
With the table of contents in front of me as a reminder, I can tell you that one essay deals with Mehlman’s disappointment, after being nominated for an Emmy for the “Yada, Yada” episode, of losing to an episode of Ellen in which comedian Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian–an episode which reportedly caused many in the television audience to cry in sympathy with her gut-wrenching decision. Mehlman notes wryly that comedies are most likely to receive awards when they cause people to cry.
The title of the book comes from an essay of the same name, in which Mehlman imagines a meeting between South Africa’s future president Nelson Mandela and his parole officer at the prison which the apartheid regime shut him away for his political activities.
In the preface to his book, Mehlman tells a little bit about the associative way his mind works. He may see someone wearing a T-shirt honoring Malcolm X, and imagine that instead it honors Malcolm in the Middle. Juxtaposition, turnabout, surprise — these are the tools of a comedy writer.
Guilt over making lots of money, and sorrow when the fountain of lucre stopped, also occupied many of Mehlman’s thoughts. After Seinfeld he put together some other sitcoms, but they just didn’t catch on. Still there are always residual checks.
Except for an occasional reference to Israel, a bagel, lox, or to other tip-off words in the Jewish lexicon, Mehlman writes little about being Jewish, and nothing about how his heritage may have influenced his outlook on life.
Fans of all things Hollywood will find this book particularly interesting, although the name that Mehlman drops most often is his own. I think the book also would be popular in hospitals, senior citizen homes and other places where residents need to be amused — either by reading the essays to themselves or by having Mehlman’s works read to them.
The essays range in length from a couple of pages to 10 or more, perfect for people with short attention spans. If these were musical pieces, they’d be called divertissements. If you enjoy wordplay and puns, you will love Mehlman’s writing style.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted at donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com