RDK Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 Hey, where's the Unknown Comic on that list? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted April 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 He was on "Make Me Laugh" too. I was never a big fan, but I'm a little surprised Shecky Greene didn't make the list Not a good shirt choice, there, Sheck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 STILL, no one deals with Sam Levinson or Myron Cohen, for that matter. For a farm kid in Iowa in the '50s, this and Milton Berle, Jack Benny, Fred Allen and Bob & Ray were the humor of america. The current crop of "comedy central" guys don't cut it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 I just remember Sam Levinson from his game show panel appearances, but Myron Cohen was on the Sullivan show often enough that I definitely remember him, and fondly too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 I read the list and thread kinda quickly, but I don't think I saw any mention of the late great Bill Hicks. Dark but hilarious. And don't forget Moms Mobley..er...I mean Mabley! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 STILL, no one deals with Sam Levinson or Myron Cohen, for that matter. For a farm kid in Iowa in the '50s, this and Milton Berle, Jack Benny, Fred Allen and Bob & Ray were the humor of america. The current crop of "comedy central" guys don't cut it! Hell, Bob & Ray still are! Of course, the Elliot family is exhibit one for the behaviorists when arguing against the importance of genetics... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Wheel Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 Hicks made the list, at #19. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainyDay Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 I was glad to see Richard Jeni on the list and participating in the discussion. He used to make me laugh so hard I would hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 Colin Quinn can't suck the sweat out of Norm Crosby's hearing aids. Word! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 I was glad to see Richard Jeni on the list and participating in the discussion. He used to make me laugh so hard I would hurt. Oh yeah! His stuff about his family was classic...was surprised he never went further... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 (edited) Did anyone ever ID the picture of David Steinberg? He was a very funny guy. Myself, I'm a major fan of Lewis Black. Saw him here in Portland a couple of months ago at the home of the world famous ball bearing dance floor, the Crystal Ballroom. An angry man. But a funny man as well. Anyone who can do ten minutes on candy corn and make it work is OK by me. At one point I thought David Brenner was the funniest guy I'd ever seen. One of those guys whose schtick was to point out things that are so obvious you never notice them. I loved his bit about Superman. The crooks would shoot their guns at him and he'd just stand there with his arms akimbo while the bullets bounced off his chest. Then, when they ran out of bullets, they'd throw their guns at him and he'd duck. God I love that kind of stuff. With regard to the Top 100 list, I'd have to say mission accomplished. All these things are designed to do is piss people off for one of three reasons; because your main man or woman didn't make the list, was lower than they should be or someone who is not as good is higher on the list than someone you like better. I agree with the earlier observation that they should have spent more time showing clips and less time on the panel discussion. Up over and out. Edited April 20, 2004 by Dave James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted April 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 Did anyone ever ID the picture of David Steinberg? YOU'VE just won a brand new CAR! I loved his bit about Superman. The crooks would shoot their guns at him and he'd just stand there with his arms akimbo while the bullets bounced off his chest. Then, when they ran out of bullets, they'd throw their guns at him and he'd duck. Lewis Black is great. Angry yes, but not quite as loud and obnoxious as Kinnison. There have been some hilarious guys (and gals) on "The Daily Show", going back to the Craig Kilborn-hosted shows. On the current version, I really like Steven Colbert (his "Mr. Goodwrench" commercials are among the funniest ads on TV these days, IMO). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 ... On the current version, I really like Steven Colbert (his "Mr. Goodwrench" commercials are among the funniest ads on TV these days, IMO). Man, am I surprised you said that about those commercials! I can't stand them! I keep thinking, is it worth the money to keep doing them? Is the contract iron clad, just no way out? Different strokes for different folks I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted April 20, 2004 Report Share Posted April 20, 2004 At our house (when I was growing up), this guy was always a big favorite (the guy on the left...). Name him and you'll win... nothing. Did you ever see the show "Bizarre"? It ran on Showtime (And I assume somewheres in Canada since everyone seemed to be Canadian on the show) It was quite funny to me back in the early 80's, plus they always found a reason to get one of the females on the show naked each week....what more could you ask of a comedy show? Wonder what he does these days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 Did anyone ever ID the picture of David Steinberg? He was a very funny guy. Here's another one from the past... Now THAT was a guy who was really off into some different stuff. His standup was way cool, but his ALBUMS were just plain brilliant. VERY "conceptual" and adventurous. Check out his Columbia albums, if you can find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 (edited) Up, cuz I didn't know where else to put Steven Wright....found these 2 longer jokes of his I remember fondly, that I don't think were posted on this board..... I got into an elevator at work and this man followed in after me. I pushed '1' and he just stood there...I said, "Hi, where you going?" He said, "Phoenix." So, I pushed 'Phoenix'. A few seconds later, the doors opened, two tumbleweeds blew in...we were in downtown Phoenix. I looked at him and said, "You know, you're the kind of guy I want to hang around with." We got into his car and drove out to his shack in the desert. Then the phone rang. He said, "You get it." I picked it up and said, "Hello?"...The other side said, "Is this Steven Wright?" I said, "Yes..." The guy said, "Hi, I'm Mr. Jones, the student loan director from your bank...It seems you have missed your last 17 payments, and the university you attended said that they received none of the $17,000 we loaned you. We would just like to know what happened to the money." I said, "Mr. Jones, I'll give it to you straight. I gave all of the money to my friend Slick, and with it he built a nuclear weapon...and I would appreciate it if you never called me again." One day I got on the usual bus, and when I stepped in, I saw the most gorgeous blond Chinese girl...I sat beside her. I said, "Hi," and she said, "Hi," and then I said, "Nice day, isn't it?," and she said, "I saw my analyst today and he says I have a problem." So I asked, "What's the problem?" She replied, "I can't tell you. I don't even know you..." I said, "Well sometimes it's good to tell your problems to a perfect stranger on a bus." So she said, "Well, my analyst said I'm a nymphomaniac and I only like Jewish cowboys...by the way, my name is Dennis." I said, "Hello, Dennis. My name is Bucky Goldstein..." Edited June 11, 2005 by BERIGAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 I read the list and thread kinda quickly, but I don't think I saw any mention of the late great Bill Hicks. Dark but hilarious. Man, I wish Hicks was still around... We need him more than ever! Although most of the George Bush/ Iraq war routines still work, 15 years on. The more things change, the more they stay the same... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalo Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 Hicks was the man. Should have been higher on the list. As should have been Bob Newhart, Albert Brooks, Andy Kaufman, and Steven Wright. These guys would have been in my top ten. Innovators all, and about as smart as mainstream comedy gets. They got number one right, though: Richard Pryor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Bresnahan Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 I'm going to see Eddie Izzard tonight at the Orpheum Theater in Boston. I've wanted to see him for a while now, ever since someone gave me a few mp3 files of some of his stand-up routines. I've now heard all of his CDs and I just had to get tickets when they announced it. Should be good. Recently, I caught a couple of shows at Boston's Comedy Connection. The best was Maine's own Bob Marley. Wicked pissah. Tony V was hilarious too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 Mort Sahl and Shelly Berman should have ranked higher, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownian Motion Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 Mort Sahl and Shelly Berman should have ranked higher, IMO. Especially Sahl, who tackled adult issues with real satirical bite. Another thing missing from the list is standup teams--I'm thinking of the Smothers Brothers, who were superb, and Mike Nichols and Elaine May, whose improvisatory brilliance landed them a gig on Broadway way back in 1960. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GARussell Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 (edited) I saw Richard Pryor as the warm up to Herbie Hancock about 1970 at The Cellar Door. A friend of mine worked there, and he told me that Pryor was upset that he had to come on before the band. He felt that he was the bigger star. Every one of Pryor's jokes made people uncomfortable. That's not my idea of a good comedian. I want to laugh, not feel uncomfortable. In this case, Pryor told mostly racial jokes. Half offended the white half of the audience, and half offended the black half. My favorites are Rodney Dangerfield, Henny Youngman and Bob Newhart. I got for my birthday a 2-CD set of Newhart's most famous routines. I'm slowly working my way through it, listening to one at a time. Every one has been great so far, but his style is nearly fifty years old, and it is a little bit like watching a TV rerun too many times. PS - Speaking of teams, I saw Peter Cook and Dudley Moore on Broadway in 1973. They were great! I also always enjoyed Bob & Ray, who also took their act to Broadway. (I only got to see them on TV, but I have read one of their books as well.) Edited April 29, 2008 by GARussell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 I could see that type of audience reacting to Pryor that way at that time. Folks just weren't ready. By the mid-70s things had changed. The various Mudbone riffs are right up there w/Mark Twain as far as trenchant social observation, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 It's his impersonations of the characters from his life that make me laugh the most. His father, random people at the bar, cops, etc. The nuance of their voices, what they would say, the details he could capture so precisely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neal Pomea Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 Someone mentioned comedy teams? Not really stand up, but what about the Two Ronnies? Very clever! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq8ZnQ95cKk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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