Nichols & May treat my head

Recorded 1962, Mercury Records

In Nichols & May Examine Doctors, comedy duo Mike Nichols and Elaine May perform mini creations, medical sketches, each lasting a few minutes.

How pleasurable to hear two rich male and female voices on this influential record.

For reference, the character Midge Maisel refers to Nichols & May in early seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. When she can’t get work as a standup, Midge gigs at parties with a quippy male actor. They use a style developed by Nichols & May, members of The Compass Players, the predecessor to Chicago’s Second City.

“A Little More Gauze” is the first sketch, about a doctor and nurse performing a surgery. Elaine May’s character, Nurse Edith, hands Dr. Harris tools for the procedure. As the scene progresses, Dr. Harris professes his love for Nurse Edith. She maintains professionalism. “It’s Minsky, isn’t it?” he asks her, jealous and emotional. She lightens the mood with a knock-knock joke.

Other tracks focus on psychotherapy, often with a switch in status. For example, “Therapy” start with a distressed May telling her darkest secrets to her therapist, played by Nichols. He has the hiccups. As the scene continues, she becomes the caretaker, offering suggestions to stop the hiccups.

The last track is “Nichols and May at Work.” It’s a piece about a son who tells his mother he wants to be a registered nurse. The actors can’t get through it. They’re laughing so hard. Either they were cracking up about a man wanting to be a nurse (I hope not), or they just had the giggles (I hope so). The four-minute track does reveal a bit of their process, which is delightful.

Comedian John Mulaney, one of my favorite actors on The Bear, has said that Nichols & May Examine Doctors “might be the happiest thing ever recorded.”