George Carlin

A legendary stand-up comedian, George Carlin may be best known for his routine about the seven dirty words you can't say on radio or television. It was the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court case. His observations about politics, religion and modern culture have kept him on comedy's cutting edge for several decades. A love of language and wordplay are a constant theme throughout his work. You can see it on display in this bit about the difference between baseball and football.

Woody Allen

Known now primarily as a film director, actor and writer, Woody Allen has devoted his life to comedy. As a a teenager he gained fame contributing one-liners to Walter Winchell's influential newspaper column. He then became a TV comedy writer working on Sid Caesar's legendary "Your Show Of Show's." Taking a giant risk, he abandoned the high paid world of television writing to try his luck as a stand-up comedian. The rest, as they say, is history. Here's a typical Woody Allen stand-up routine from an appearance on "The Dean Martin Show."