# Whom would you consider comedic geniuses from this era? Of All Time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 27, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594 "2010-01-27T00:23:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594/61 "2010-01-28T13:25:44Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Chris Morris is the daddy on this side of the pond. Don’t forget Armando Ianucci! ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594/62 "2010-01-28T13:26:02Z")
Surprised nobody has mentioned Jackie Gleason. He’s way up there for me. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594/63 "2010-01-28T14:20:01Z")
One cannot mention Mark Twain with mentioned his Yiddish counterpart [Shalem Aleichem](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sholem_Aleichem). There’s a story that when they were introduced the following dialogue accured: Aleichem: People call me the Yiddish Mark Twain. Twain: People call me the English Sholem Alecihem. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594/64 "2010-01-28T14:49:35Z")
This thread also demonstrates why there will never be World Peace. We can’t even agree on what’s funny - how are we ever going to agree on the little shit, like nuclear weapons? I’ll bet that most of us, while reading this thread, kept saying to ourselves “He thinks X is funny? No accounting for taste, I guess.” Some of the names listed by others I consider to be Anti-Funny. The Earth is doomed. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594/65 "2010-01-28T15:46:13Z")
No one mentioned Ernie Kovacs? And from Britain, Alexei Sayle. I tend to prefer British comedy; must have been because of living in Canada during the heyday of Monty Python, and being introduced to Stanley Holloway at a very young age. On TV we were able to get stuff like _Not the Nine O’Clock News_ and _Spitting Image_ as well as all of those great British shows in the late 60s and early 70s: _Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em_, _Man About the House_ (which was much funnier than _Three’s Company_, IMHO), _The Goodies_, _On the Buses_, etc. It’s not that I wasn’t exposed to American comedy (my dad absolutely loved The Three Stooges and my mom told me how she howled when she heard George Carlin’s Class Clown – which made me go out and buy it, and I heard all the biggies over time), but I always found British comedy to be deeper and more multi-levelled whereas American comedy was so obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594/66 "2010-01-28T19:20:32Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > (Mel Brooks the actor isn’t in the same league as Mel Brooks the writer but I’ll give him the respect.) I was thinking of parts like Rabbi Tuchman and Gov. Lepetomaine when I wrote this, but I didn’t think of The 2,000-Year-Old Man. That was a pretty stupid oversight. > [@In\_Winnipeg](#): > > No one mentioned Ernie Kovacs? Two people mentioned him on page one, but other than that, no. ---
**Author:** ![Trick\_Rider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Trick\_Rider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trick_Rider)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594/67 "2010-01-28T19:32:53Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > There’s that bullshit kid ripping them both off on Comedy Central… oh the twist is he carries a guitar! What’s his name? Unpronouncable generic New York kid. Demetri Martin? Sounds like the stuff I’ve heard about him. Another vote for Mitch Hedberg and Ron White for current comedians. I’ll throw in Elvira Kurt too. As for all time, I can’t think of anyone that hasn’t been mentioned yet, so I’ll jump on the Monty Python and Buster Keaton bandwagons. ---
**Author:** ![GregH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@GregH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GregH)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594/68 "2010-01-28T22:50:36Z")
Any such discussion has to include Jack Benny. A true legend. ---
**Author:** ![Lethal\_Babydoll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@Lethal\_Babydoll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lethal_Babydoll)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594/69 "2010-01-28T22:52:28Z")
Top 5 funniest folks ever: 1. Steve Martin 2. Me 3. Candy Billips 4. Michael Palin 5. Hawkeye Pierce ---
**Author:** ![Mannish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mannish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mannish)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594/70 "2010-01-28T23:27:48Z")
Allow me to be the first to submit Louis CK… ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594/71 "2010-01-29T00:17:02Z")
> [@GregH](#): > > Any such discussion has to include Jack Benny. A true legend. Seconded. Very good call! ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594/72 "2010-01-29T03:31:01Z")
Some overlooked names in the All-Time Department… Moliere Will Rogers E.C Segar Walt Kelly Peter Sellers Jim Henson Bill Watterson [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-would-you-consider-comedic-geniuses-from-this-era-of-all-time/526594.md?page=3)