Any Standup Comedy fans?

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

Yeah, something like that. She yelled “Take it off!” and I think it was Charlie Murphy who yelled “Shut up *****!” from the side of the stage.

That's fantastic. Never knew it was Charlie.

 

[qtlaw]

When I was working down in the Bay Area somebody in the newsroom put an entire STACK of passes to the Half-Hour Comedy Hours they were taping for HBO in SF at the Fillmore - they'd shoot two comedians a night. You look at the list of people and I kick myself for not grabbing a handful.

HBO Comedy Half-Hour - Wikipedia

Dammit!! No one told me they were in the house!! Time machine, stat!

 

[Songbird]

Tight bit.

 

[MisterCreosote]

That's fantastic. Never knew it was Charlie.

So, I went to the film archives last night on this one. The lady didn’t say “Take it off!” She apparently said, “Do Mr. Rob!” As in, Eddie’s “Mr. Robinson” bit from SNL.

Before the show, Eddie allegedly said he’d walk off the stage if anyone started yelling for him to do specific bits. That’s why Charlie said what he said — to save the show.

 

[Songbird]

Cutthroat.

 

[Batman]

Carlos Mencia might be working on some new prison bits.

https://ktla.com/news/comedian-carlos-mencia-charged-with-felony-tax-fraud/

L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced 12 felony counts of tax fraud against comedian Carlos Mencia during a news conference on Thursday.
Hochman said six charges are related to Mencia’s personal taxes that he failed to file, and the other six are related to his corporate tax returns.
The amount of income Mencia allegedly failed to report over six years between 2019 and 2024 is $8.7 million, adding up to more than $300,000 in state tax that he allegedly failed to pay.

 

[qtlaw]

Going through the series now, Romano and Garafalo were very funny.

 

[DanOregon]

Listened to the James Burrows Smartless episode - highly recommended. His quote about "surprise" being a big part of the equation of comedy, the pauses to build to the payoff, - and watching that guy do Seinfeld. The verbal tics Seinfeld uses were dead on.

 

[DanOregon]

Given that we've now seen Bill Maher win the Mark Twain prize, maybe its time to honor some standouts posthumously before we see Dane Cook or Shane Gillis honored.

Robin Williams, Lenny Bruce, Joan Rivers, Rodney Dangerfield, throw Bob Hope and Lucille Ball in there, Will Rogers.. There are a bunch of deserving names. I realize the Kennedy Center uses the event as a fundraiser, and likes the recipients to you know, be alive to get it. But having current comic legends talk about the greats of comedy past would probably give the award more weight than it currently has.

 

[wicked]

Robin Williams never won the Mark Twain Prize? What are we even doing out here, man?

 

[DanOregon]

I'm sure they thought he would be around a few more years. Shoot, I can't think of anyone similar Williams since he came along. He was a one-off. Did he steal bits? Sure. Also probably the first comedian of his era to cross-over into drama with GARP.

 

[Slacker]

Jonathan Winters was Robin Williams first. So it's no one-off.

 

[sgreenwell]

Robin Williams never won the Mark Twain Prize? What are we even doing out here, man?

Wikipedia, citing "The Man Who Made Mark Twain Famous," said Williams and Mel Brooks turned it down at various points. No further explanation provided for the "why" of that decision, though.

 

[garrow]

Just listened to the entirety of Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart on YouTube. Holds up remarkably well considering that it is more than 65 years old.

What a talent. And he went from complete obscurity to having the number one album in the land (and later album of the year). It was recorded at his first nightclub gig (Tidelands in Houston)!