RIP
Sam Kenison
Chris Farley
John Belushi
Just thought they should be mentioned.
Just remembered Sid Ceasar & Imogene Coca’s “sl-o-o-o-wly I turned” routine, and Carol Burnett’s Scarlet O’Hara.
As all my old faves are mentioned I’ll mention two new faves.
Denis Leary and Lewis Black
Many fine names have been mentioned, but vintage Steve Martin would get my vote.
No question about it - George Carlin. He’s the king. But to me, it’s not so much his comedy, as much as it is his political takes. He may be a bit extreme on some issues (more than likely for comedic purposes), but he is just so right on. He just cuts through all the bullshit and really tells it like it is. He exposes religion, politicians, the environment, America and just hypocrisy in general. I’ve learned more from Carlin than anyone else. He’s brilliant and should run for president!
A close second is Chris Rock.
Billy Connolly is probably the funniest stand up I know.
Eddy Izzard can fall flat ocasionaly.
Would there also be a gold for pairs, and team events?
Pairs : Morcame and Wise
Team : Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In
Robin Williams, Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart.
classic: Bill Cosby, Harvey Korman & Tim Conway, Bill Murray
modern: Chris Rock, Jon Stewart
But you gotta love Paul Lynde as the Center Square on vintage Hollywood Squares!! I soil myself 8 times out of 10.:eek:
Thank you for mentioning this giant among comedians, summerbreeze. I saw him live and he was simply phenomenal. His ability to be suggestive without any crudity or foul language put him in a class by himself. An example:
“In the Danish language, there is no “th” sound. Th … Th … you have to stick your tongue out to say that. In a place like Denmark where it is so cold all of the time, you never want to leave anything out for very long or it will freeze!”
Unlike so many modern comedians, he was also adept at self deprecatory humor. Another example:
So, there I was in the airport waiting in line at the ticket counter. I hear a man standing in front of me say to his wife; “I wish we had the piano here with us.” I’m thinking to myself, “How nice! This man has recognized me as an international entertainer and wishes I could perform for him right now.”
Then his wife asks him, “Darling, why do you want the piano?” And the man says, “The plane tickets are sitting on top of it.”
Victor Borge had the longest running one man comedy show in the history of Broadway. That should provide a clue as to the huge talent this man possessed. He was also a qualified concert grade pianist. Sadly, his audiences would rarely, if ever, hear him complete a single piece. His ability to appreciably perform and simultaneously skewer the pretentiousness of classical music and its musicians was second to none.
Jim Gaffigan, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, Dave Chappelle, Mitch Hedberg, Dave Attell, Ellen and Lewis Black are current comedians I’m digging right now.
For sheer frenetic energy and fun, Stephen Banks. You have to wonder why Jim Carrey has never acknowledged that this guy was his inspiration. You have to search ebay for a copy of his one man show, but it is just hilarious.
Does anyone actually like Yakov Smirnoff? He gets made fun of a lot (especially by hip shows like Simpsons and Family Guy), but his old cliched schtick still cracks me up.*
“What a country! In America they deliver pizza. In Soviet Russia, pizza delivers YOU!”
“In Russia, car drives YOU!”
Smirnoff currently owns his own theater in Branson, Missouri, where he performs regularly. What a country!
*But the mention of “Deez nuts!” is a sure-fire way to crack me up too.