THIS is why we need threads resuscitated occasionally! I’ve now got so many great comedians to find.
I agree with those who had to make lists; there are dozens of amazing comedians out there. From different eras… I was raised on Bob & Ray and Jack Benny, then memorized everything Bill Cosby did. Later, I loved the more conceptual comics (although not sure I’d pay to sit through hours of Mitch Hedberg or Steven Wright… or Emo Phillips).
And I learned a lot about black/white culture from Pryor and Murphy’s movies… (yes, kids, before the internet you had to go to a movie theater to hear their routines).
Well, that narrows it down…
(Before his TV shows that was almost all he did. He’d come out on a stage with two stools. One for him, one for a classic dial phone)
(oops, just re-read the thread and I was ninja’d over two decades years ago!)
What’s the matter with Groucho? You Bet Your Life was essentially stand-up, and ad-libbed the whole way through to boot. Perhaps the others just don’t look as good in comparison.
I’m guessing you mean the late Mitch Hedberg. He did these observational humor stream-of-consciousness one-liners. The closest thing to him was Steven Wright but Hedberg was not deadpan and not in another universe.
Edit: I did not realize I was responding to a post that’s old enough to drink.
Norm MacDonald has to be up there somewhere. The guy would go on talk shows and tell the funniest shaggy dog stories, ad-libbing much of it, that were hilarious.
For all time, I have to give a nod to Cosby, though. The man was both clean and hilarious and sold millions of albums over the years. I owned a lot of them. Yeah, he screwed himself over eventually, but his humorous stories about his childhood were very funny and the man could come out onto a stage and do an hour cold without preparation. Most comedians were in awe of his talent.
I see he’s already been lauded several times over in this thread, but I have a deep appreciation for the comic genius of Bob Newhart. His ability to wringing big laughs out of only one half of a conversation where he’s playing the straight man is incredible. Imagine listening to the “Who’s on first?” routine but only hearing Bud Abbott’s lines.
Robin Williams-He was on a benefit with Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg. Those two tried to keep up but ended up just standing back and watching him.
Bill Hicks
Sam Kinison
Andy Kaufman
Rodney Dangerfield
Jonathan Winters
Steven Wright
Bill Cosby