(Jewish Group) The true story behind the Midge Maisel-Sophie Lennon rivalry
By now, everyone knows that the indomitable "Mrs. Maisel" — marvelous doesn't seem strong enough — was inspired by the life and career of the equally formidable Joan Rivers. The show also features sometimes-oblique references to a variety of real-world figures, from Lenny Bruce to Moms Mabley to Harry Belafonte. Spotting those references is one hefty part of the show's charm. For a few fusspots, critiquing what the show gets wrong is another.
Like Midge Maisel, Joan Rivers was a Jewish divorcee from a well-heeled family who took up comedy in her 30s to give voice to the experiences of women through edgy, stream-of-consciousness stand-up. Rivers also dressed impeccably and challenged gender norms with routines that included blue material — again, just like Maisel.
"She was filthy-mouthed and dignified-looking," Rivers' life-long friend, former roommate, and "Laugh-In" comedian Ruth Buzzi told Salon. The dichotomy, Buzzi recalled, "was met with insane approval."
Rachel Brosnahan (Miriam 'Midge' Maisel) and Luke Kirby (Lenny Bruce) in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (Photo illustration by Salon/Prime Video/Christopher Saunders)In Lenny Bruce, Rivers had a secret champion. One evening, after she bombed inexplicably during a set in a small Greenwich Village club, he sent a note backstage: "You're right, and they're wrong." Rivers kept the note for years and read it for inspiration whenever things got hard. On the show, Bruce goes a lot further to support Maisel's career, and the two characters become much more intimate than Rivers and Bruce ever did, as far as we know, in real life.
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