Palestinian comic told he can't go on at club .
Associated Press
Posted on August 28, 2002
A Chicago comedian scheduled to open for comic Jackie Mason was told hours before the show he couldn't perform because he is of Palestinian descent, Mason's manager said.
Ray Hanania, a 49-year-old fledgling comic, was supposed to open for Mason's Tuesday night show at Zanie's comedy club in Chicago. Instead, the club phoned him a few hours before to tell him his act was canceled.
"It's not exactly like he's just an Arab-American. This guy's a Palestinian. We were not told about it ahead of time," said Jyll Rosenfeld, Mason's manager. "Jackie does not feel comfortable having a Palestinian open for him. Right now it's a very sensitive thing, it's just not a good idea."
Hanania writes a column for the Daily Herald.
I'd like a few more details about this, but on its face....The headline itself is quite crappy. Poor guy doesn't even get a hyphen.
