Harrison Ford Amusingly Corrected An Inaccuracy In Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song
For those that aren't familiar, the 92nd street Y (92NY) in New York City has been hosting live screenings, interviews, and in-depth Q&As for decades. As a cultural and community art center, the 92Y series has housed conversations with some of the city's most recognizable luminaries, including talks with Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Phillis Diller, and John Turturro (some of which I was lucky enough to attend). For an annual subscription fee, anyone can attend the 92Y events to expand their cultural horizons and gain a more intimate appreciation for the great artists of out time.
On November 29 at a special screening of "Hustle," Adam Sandler received a little more respect and recognition from the East Coast artistic community when he sat down after the movie for a career retrospective hosted by Josh Horowitz. Sandler discussed his early days at SNL, breaking out with the comedy hits "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore," texting with Daniel Day Lewis, and a new animated musical he has in the works.
Because we are, after all, in the midst of the holiday season, the origins of Sandler's greatest musical contribution inevitably came up. "The Chanukah Song" has stayed in the cultural zeitgeist for almost 30 years, teaching us about notable celebrities that Sandler was surprised to learn were, in fact, Jewish. In the original lyrics, Sandler mentions the "owner of the Seattle SuperSonic-ahs," a fitting reference now considering the lifetime basketball fan just starred in "Hustle." playing a talent scout for the Philadelphia 76ers named Stanley Sugerman.
The first iteration of "The Chanukah Song" also mentions Goldie Hawn, Mr. Spock, and ... Harrison Ford. At the 92Y discussion, Sandler talked about the day when Ford walked up to him to politely make one small correction to the claim that the iconic actor was Jewish.
'I'm so proud of that song'
Sandler started off joking about annoying his kids by singing the song over and over again in their household during the holiday season. He then remembered the exact place where he was when he conceived of the idea, telling Hororwitz:
"I'm so proud of that song, I love it. I lucked out. I just showed my kids, I don't know how much they cared, but I was on 56th and Broadway and I was walking with them and I said, 'Hey! Right there,' and I pointed right in front of that diner, 'That's where old Daddy thought of 'The Chanukah Song.'"
When asked if Sandler had gone through any celebrity encounters over the years where someone commented about being mentioned in the novelty song, he claimed most folks were fine with it. But he did suddenly recall one quick, hilarious exchange with a cantankerous Harrison Ford:
"Everybody was nice. Everybody was happy. Actually Harrison Ford ... I think I say Harrison Ford's a quarter Jewish, right? Back then when I wrote it, I don't think Google was around. So, I was like, going off of something, I don't know, he's a quarter Jewish. I remember when I met Harrison Ford, he goes, 'Half.'"
When Sandler says the punchline, he points with his index finger, recreating Ford's gesture, making the joke land a bit more convincingly. Sandler isn't impersonating Ford, but it's easy to imagine Ford saying the line with his classic dry wit in much the same way that he says, "I know" to Princess Leia in "The Empire Strikes Back."
"The Chanukah Song" has since been updated in various performances from Sandler over the years, with four official versions to date. Sandler keeps adding names to his list, so the comedy legend shouldn't expect those fun but awkward celebrity run-ins to cease any time soon.
"Hustle" is now playing on Netflix. You can read /Film's review of the film here.