# Funny Guy first in Billing? Comedy Teams **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 9, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-guy-first-in-billing-comedy-teams/212229 "2003-11-09T14:20:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-guy-first-in-billing-comedy-teams/212229/1 "2003-11-09T14:20:03Z")
OK we have Burns and Allen (Allen Funny Guy) Abbot and Costello (Costello Funny GUY) Stiller and Mera (Mera Funny Guy) Are there any comedy teams where the funny guy gets top billing? Also why does the funny guy come last? I can only think of Laurel and Hardy (Oliver Laurel Funny guy) ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-guy-first-in-billing-comedy-teams/212229/2 "2003-11-09T14:37:46Z")
It was Stan Laurel/Oliver Hardy but I get what you were saying. One other I can think of seem to keep the funny guy last pattern: Martin and Lewis (Lewis is the funny guy) With 2000 year old man it was [Mel] Brooks and [Carl] Reiner, I think the “funny” one was supposed to be Brooks … Bob & Ray … who was the funny one? Sadly I can think of groups but not any duo-“teams” beyond those mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-guy-first-in-billing-comedy-teams/212229/3 "2003-11-09T15:09:38Z")
Burns and Schreiber. Schreiber, IIRC, was the funny one. The Smothers Brothers. Allen and Rossi. Don’t remember which was which. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-guy-first-in-billing-comedy-teams/212229/4 "2003-11-09T15:19:30Z")
[nitpick] I wouldn’t call Gracie Allen and Ann Meara funny _guys_. [/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-guy-first-in-billing-comedy-teams/212229/5 "2003-11-09T15:31:23Z")
Hope and Crosby. Hope was the funny man, and he got top billing. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-guy-first-in-billing-comedy-teams/212229/6 "2003-11-09T18:28:12Z")
The straight man (or woman) always gets top billing, regardless of which one is funnier. As yet another example, Bert and Ernie. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-guy-first-in-billing-comedy-teams/212229/7 "2003-11-09T18:32:44Z")
Groucho, Chico, and Harpo is the usual order, and of course Groucho is the straight man and … um… Hey, how about them bumper stickers that said “Bush and Cheney”? I think they’re both pretty funny… but Bush certainly gets more amusing lines. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-guy-first-in-billing-comedy-teams/212229/8 "2003-11-09T19:15:36Z")
Here’s one for you! Former comedy team in Los Angeles radio: Lohman and Barkley Al and Roger. Al was one of the funniest men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. They even had an NBC TV show in the 60s, appeared on _Ed Sullivan_, _Hollywood Squares_, and many other TV shows. But waking up in the late '60s/early '70s without Lohman and Barkley on the radio was unheard of in our house. Quick story, if you will indulge me: I retired from Radio in 1991. I called Al Lohman to see if he would like to get together for breakfast the morning I left. Arrangements were made, we met at Carrow’s restuarant, and of course, Al was late, as usual. I had been waiting about 20 minutes when Al walked in. He came over, slid in the booth next to me, put his arm around me, and said in a low voice: “You know, we’ve become real good friends in the past few years. There’s something about me you ought to know. Only my real good friends know this about me, and I consider you a good friend, so you ought to know this.” He leaned closer and whispered in my ear: “You know, I think _Achy Breaky Heart_ is a piece of shit.” That was pure Al Lohman, set you up and knock you down laughing. He passed away about a year ago. I miss you, my friend. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-guy-first-in-billing-comedy-teams/212229/9 "2003-11-09T19:25:29Z")
The straight man not only always got top billing, but often received 60% of the money as well (as Abbott demanded of Costello). This is a tribute to how hard it is to be a good straight man - and also an acknowledgement that the straight man often was the guiding force behind the act. George Burns wrote all the comedy and managed the act and Bud Abbott handled all the details. It’s interesting that the one exception to the general rule is Laurel and Hardy and Laurel was the comic mind behind the act, while Hardy had to be coaxed in off the golf course to do the filming. Jerry Lewis is one of the few stooges who did the bulk of the comedy writing. I’m looking through Leonard Maltin’s _Movie Comedy Teams_ and he has small sections - even large ones - on teams that even **Eve** may not have heard of. Moran and Mack. Smith and Dale. Clark and McCullough. Wheeler and Wolsey. Noonan and Carney. Only in that last team did the straight man take second billing. Hope and Crosby were never a comedy team, no matter how often they were paired together. (William Powell and Myrna Loy were paired so often so successfully that people thought they were married in real life, but they weren’t a team either.) And I’m not sure I’ll even accept the statement that Hope got top billing. IIRC, they had to get equal billing in all movies. Hope is just usually mentioned first because Hope and Crosby just plain sounds better than Crosby and Hope. And if Groucho, Chico and Harpo was the “usual order” how come Joe Adamson’s magnificent book on their films is titled _Groucho, Harpo, Chico & sometimes Zeppo_?