# What deceased comedian are we most lost without? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2003, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489 "2003-11-16T01:52:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/41 "2003-11-16T22:54:23Z")
Sympathy vote for George Burns. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/42 "2003-11-16T22:55:40Z")
That’s 1960 BC, right? 😃 I’ll say Aristophanes. Who else can consistently raise a laugh 2500 years later? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/43 "2003-11-16T22:58:58Z")
I really miss “Mark Twain.” No! Seriously! Could he rip the current admin a new one or not? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/44 "2003-11-16T23:02:31Z")
Well, if we’re going back in time, the late, great [Bert Savoy](http://www.gvsu.edu/english/cummings/graphics/Savoy.html). ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/45 "2003-11-16T23:04:10Z")
Madeline Kahn - Crap, just seeing her name on this list makes me cry. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/46 "2003-11-16T23:09:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph \* > \*\*Bill Hicks’ IMDB entry seems to suggest he was more famous in the UK than the US: > > [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382805/bio](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382805/bio) > > \*\* Possibly, but I’m British and have never heard of him. At one time, I would have nominated Eric Morecambe, but his stuff seems terribly dated these days. So I have nothing to offer. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/47 "2003-11-17T01:45:20Z")
Let’s see, most of the comedians I would’ve listed (Bill Hicks, John Candy, Phil Hartman, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, etc.) have already been mentioned. > [@](#): > > As usual, I’m showing my age, but I thought Ernie Kovacs’ stuff was brilliant. Letterman, Monty Python, Satuday Night Live and Andy Kaufman all owe a debt to Ernie Kovacs in one way or another. His medium was television, and in 1962 when Kovacs died in a car crash at the age of 42, television was still in its technical infancy. It’s conceivable he could still be alive today at the age of 83, and who knows what he could have graced us with over the last 40 years? Agreed. Kovacs died before I was born but that doesn’t stop me from thinking that we still missed out on a lot in terms what he would’ve done on television. I sometimes wonder if–like his TV contemporaries Mel Brooks and Woody Allen–he would’ve branched out into movies and explored the possibilities in that medium as well. I’d also like to add Peter Sellers to the “gone before their time” list. It’s true he already had the Goons, _Dr. Strangelove_, Inspector Clouseau, and _Being There_ on his resume` by the time he died, but he was only 55 and his career was on the upswing again. I would’ve liked to have seen him perform with people like Robin Williams, Mike Myers, and others who’ve acknowledged his influence on their work. > [@](#): > > Andy Kaufman What’s he doing here? He’s not deceased. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/48 "2003-11-17T04:19:04Z")
> [@](#): > > ## \*Originally posted by NDP \* quote: > > ## Andy Kaufman > > \*\* > What’s he doing here? He’s not deceased. \*\* [Uh?](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001412/) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/49 "2003-11-17T04:30:37Z")
“Lost” without a comedian? Get a grip! ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/50 "2003-11-17T05:37:55Z")
In approx order: Spike Milligan Peter Cook Douglas Adams Peter Sellers ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/51 "2003-11-17T06:32:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph \* > \*\*I already like him because of his apparent disdain for the alleged “comedian” Gallagher. \*\* Hicks had good taste. He was also known to rant about a worthless hack by the name of Carrot Top. He was definitely more popular in Europe than he was in his home state of Texas or anywhere else in the U.S., despite several successful (but watered-down) Letterman appearances and three HBO specials. He gets my vote for the OP, hands down. ---
**Author:** ![DaveX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/96bed5/32.png) [@DaveX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveX)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/52 "2003-11-17T07:01:51Z")
Here, here **Avalonian** … Poor Douglas. When I first opened this thread, Bill Hicks was (obviously) the first person that came to mind. The _world_ could really use his voice right now, because he was more than just a comedian (I’m looking at you **astorian** …). Just take the Bush rants from 1990 and transfer them to today’s situation… so much is still relevant it’s scary. And Guantanamo Bay would most likely be his new _Waco_. But on a personal level, Douglas (DNA) Adams was my favorite. Here’s hoping we keep Pratchett around for a while longer to fill the void. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/53 "2003-11-17T08:00:51Z")
Another vote for Lenny Bruce. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/54 "2003-11-17T09:16:05Z")
How could I forget Spike Milligan? A personal hero. Read his war diaries, they’re superb. ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/55 "2003-11-17T10:39:08Z")
One lonely vote for Bob Hope. Trust me, he was a lot funnier in person than that pap they let you see on TV. ---
**Author:** ![starman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@starman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starman)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/56 "2003-11-17T11:58:12Z")
Douglas Adams comes to mind first. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/57 "2003-11-17T17:39:38Z")
Steve Lubetkin? sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/58 "2003-11-17T17:59:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NDP \* > \*\*What’s he [andy Kaufman] doing here? He’s not deceased. \*\* I think what **NDP** was referring to (and I think he had his tongue planted firmly in cheek) is that there are people out there who think Andy Kaufman faked his own death as part of an elaborate hoax, and that one day he will show up saying, “Ha! Fooled you!” They believe this is the type of ultimate practical joke that only Kaufman could pull off. They are not convinced by [this.](http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com/death.htm) ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/59 "2003-11-17T18:13:38Z")
I’d say Belushi. Sure, I miss Benny, Hope, Burns & Allen, etc., but they each “had a good run”. But Belushi died stupidly young, and we missed what might have been. Sure, Phil Hartman was funny, but he was best as a member of an ensemble, never a leading light. Andy Kaufman was funny as Latka, but was annoying as hell doing his other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![LadySybil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c89c15/32.png) [@LadySybil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LadySybil)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489/60 "2003-11-17T20:39:37Z")
All these votes for Andy Kaufman and Phil Hartman…I’m surprised \*\* Marty Feldman\*\* hasn’t been mentioned yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-deceased-comedian-are-we-most-lost-without/213489.md?page=4)