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A Little Emergency

The Jerky Boys, album 2

Title: A little Emergency

Characters:

Summary:

The skit opens with a phone call to a sports store inquiring about tennis ball firing machines. The caller reveals an odd situation where they rented a tennis machine to shoot boiled potatoes coated in Vaseline at each other for fun. The caller’s friend, Peter, got injured as a result, with a blue-colored injury on his behind. They seek help to fix the machine, stating it fires too hard. The chaos continues as another friend got hit in the eye by a potato while inspecting the machine’s alignment with his rear end. Throughout the conversation, the store clerk responds with short and somewhat disinterested remarks, creating a humorous contrast to the absurdity of the situation. The skit showcases a bizarre and comical scenario where a recreational activity with a tennis ball machine goes awry, resulting in unexpected injuries and the need for urgent repair.

Transcript:

0:01 Phone rings..

0:02 Voice 1: “[Inaudible 00:02] Sports.”

0:03 Voice 2: “Hello.”

0:03 Voice 1: “Hi.”

0:04 Voice 2: “Hi. I have a little problem here.”

0:06 Voice 1: “Okay.”

0:06 Voice 2: “Alright.  Do you guys… do you repair or sell those tennis machines, you know, that fire the balls?”

0:12 Voice 1: “No and no.  We don’t have ’em.”

0:13 Voice 2: “Okay.”

0:14 Voice 1: “We don’t.”  

0:14 Voice 2: “Okay.”

0:14 Voice 1: “I mean…”

0:15 Voice 2: “Alright.  We have a little emergency here.”

0:16 Voice 1: “Okay.”

0:17 Voice 2: “I rented one of these things and what I did was, me and my, you know, Peter and another friend of ours…

0:23 Voice 1: “Right.”

0:24 Voice 2: …and we-we boiled up some potatoes last night and this is fucking crazy, but we were shooting them at each other through the tennis machine.”

0:31 Voice 1: “Yeah.”

0:32 Voice 2: “Oh, it’s… and Peter’s hurt and I mean, we need to fix this machine or something.  What we would do is we would boil the potatoes and put them in Vaseline and fire them at each other and Peter’s really hurt bad.”

0:43 Voice 1: “Yeah?”

0:44 Voice 2: “Yeah.  His ass is blue.”

0:47 Voice 1: “That’s great.”

0:47 Voice 2: “I… you… we need you to come up and fix this machine.  It’s just firing too hard and Michael tried to look when he wasn’t ready.  He was looking to see if it was lined up properly with his ass…

0:56 Voice 1: “Yeah.”

0:57 Voice 2: “…and he turned around and… and a potato blasted him right in the fuckin’ eye.”

1:01 Voice 1: “Hello.”

1:02 Voice 2: “Yeah.”

A Little Emergency – A Classic Jerky Boys Prank

The A Little Emergency prank is a perfect example of the unpredictable humor that made the Jerky Boys legendary. Known as pioneers of prank call comedy, the duo created unforgettable characters and outrageous conversations that turned ordinary phone calls into pure comedic chaos.

In this skit, the caller approaches the situation as if there is a small emergency that needs attention. But as fans of Jerky Boys prank calls already know, what begins as a simple request quickly spirals into a hilarious and completely absurd conversation.

The brilliance of the Jerky Boys comes from their ability to create believable situations that suddenly explode into unpredictable comedy. Every line feels spontaneous, every reaction feels genuine, and the person on the other end of the call never quite knows what is happening.

For fans of classic comedy recordings, A Little Emergency captures the exact style that turned the Jerky Boys into crank call legends.

The Setup Behind A Little Emergency

When a “Small Problem” Turns Into Chaos

The prank begins with a seemingly normal request. The caller introduces the situation as a minor emergency that needs help. At first, the conversation sounds straightforward, almost routine.

But very quickly, the tone shifts.

Instead of resolving the issue, the conversation begins to drift into strange explanations, exaggerated concerns, and bizarre responses. The caller pushes the situation further with increasingly ridiculous statements, while the unsuspecting person on the other end struggles to understand what is actually happening.

This growing confusion is exactly what makes the Jerky Boys so effective. Their prank calls build tension slowly before completely derailing the conversation.

The Comedy Style That Made the Jerky Boys Famous

Improvised and Completely Unscripted

One of the reasons Jerky Boys prank calls became so popular is that they were never scripted. Johnny Brennan and Kamal Ahmed created characters on the spot and reacted in real time to whatever the other person said.

That improvisational style made every call unpredictable. Even the Jerky Boys themselves never knew exactly how the conversation would end.

Characters That Fans Instantly Recognize

Over the years, the Jerky Boys introduced several characters that became comedy icons. These voices and personalities helped define their style and made each prank feel unique.

Some of the most well known characters include:

  • Frank Rizzo – loud, aggressive, and completely fearless
  • Sol Rosenberg – confused, nervous, and always complaining
  • Jack Tors – strange, unpredictable, and wildly inappropriate
  • Tarbash – the eccentric international character with bizarre requests

Each character brought a different kind of humor, and together they helped build the Jerky Boys into one of the most recognizable comedy acts of the 1990s.

A Piece of Comedy History

The Jerky Boys were created in Queens, New York by Johnny Brennan and Kamal Ahmed. Before becoming famous, they recorded prank calls on cassette tapes just for fun.

Those tapes eventually spread through word of mouth, and their popularity exploded.

Their breakthrough came with the release of the comedy album The Jerky Boys (1993). The album became a massive success and introduced millions of listeners to prank call comedy.

Soon after came The Jerky Boys 2 (1994), which also became a best seller and cemented their place in comedy history.

These classic comedy albums proved that prank calls could become a legitimate form of entertainment. Today, many comedians and content creators credit the Jerky Boys as pioneers of modern prank comedy.

Why Fans Love This

Pure Nostalgia

For longtime fans, listening to A Little Emergency feels like stepping back into the golden age of prank call comedy. These recordings capture the raw energy of the Jerky Boys at their peak.

Completely Unpredictable Humor

Unlike scripted comedy sketches, Jerky Boys prank calls unfold naturally. The humor comes from real reactions, awkward misunderstandings, and escalating chaos.

Iconic Comedy Characters

The personalities created by the Jerky Boys remain some of the most recognizable characters in comedy. Their voices, attitudes, and outrageous behavior are unforgettable.