neither civil nor a war. Discuss." "The radical reconstruction of the South after the Civil War was neither radical nor a reconstruction. Discuss." "The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire. Discuss." (This quote is based on a famous comment by Voltaire.) "Jamaican Joe was neither Jamaican, nor named Joe. Discuss." "The peanut is neither a pea nor a nut. Discuss." "Ralph Fiennes is spelled neither rafe nor fines. Discuss." "Duran Duran is neither a Duran nor a Duran. Discuss." "Rhode Island is neither a road nor is it an island. Discuss." "The Thighmaster is neither a thigh nor a master. Discuss." "The Progressive Era was neither progressive nor an era. Discuss." "Did Truman drop the atomic bomb to defeat the Japanese or to scare the Russians? Discuss." "The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is neither Mormon nor a tabernacle nor a choir. Discuss." "The New Deal was neither new nor was it a deal. Discuss." "The chickpea is neither a chick nor a pea. Discuss." "Transitional Romanesque architecture was neither transitional nor Romanesque. Discuss." "The internal combustion engine was neither internal nor combustion. Discuss." "The jelly bean is neither made of jelly nor is it a bean. Discuss." "The Italian neo realist movement in film was neither Italian nor neo nor particularly realist. Discuss." "The Industrial Revolution was neither Industrial nor a Revolution. Discuss." Ethnic and religious references Richman would also make light jokes and good-natured ribbing about people raised in interfaith families, such as: someone who came from a family with Methodist and Jewish parents is called a "Mu Shu", whereas people who came from families with Jewish and Roman Catholic parents were called "cashews". In one of the final episodes of the sketch, Richman is shown with an Irish-Catholic boyfriend, who is a retired NYPD officer (played by Charlton Heston). When the boyfriend proposes marriage to her, Richman acts stunned, which prompts tremendous cheering from the female audience members. Cultural references The Fran Drescher sitcom The Nanny (1993–1999) made a direct tongue-in-cheek reference to the Richman sketches by showing brunette Fran Fine (Drescher), her blonde mother (Renée Taylor) and gray-haired grandma Yetta (Ann Guilbert) on the couch watching their respective "Coffee Talk" counterparts (Myers', Madonna's, and Roseanne Barr's characters) on television, all very similar in their appearance, voice and mannerisms. While fussing over their big hair in the fashion of the "Coffee Talk" regulars, they