Classic Comedy Blog

George Carlin

2008-02-03T21:48:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-27T22:20:00.000-08:00

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."

Rodney Dangerfield

2007-06-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

Best known for "I Don't Get No Respect," the catch-phrase that summed up his comic persona, Rodney Dangerfield was a marvel to watch. His bulging eyes and nervous mannerisms were the perfect complement to his rapid-fire, self-deprecating jokes about his looks, sex life, kids, wife and every other aspect of his life. Many comedy aficionados consider the "no respect" persona the most brilliant comic device since Jack Benney's "cheap" character. It served as a justification for many of Dangerfield's jokes and tied his whole act together.

Jonathan Winters

2007-04-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Winters special comic genius was his ability to improvise. If he reminds you of Robin Williams that shouldn't be a surprise. Williams grew up watching Winters TV show and has often acknowledged the impact that Winters had on him. In this clip, Winters is handed an object and expected to be funny.

Jean Shepherd

2007-04-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Jean Shepherd was a popular radio personality in New York City during the 1950s and 60s. His late night show featured several hours of him "riffing" about the world and telling stories about his childhood. The now classic Christmas movie "A Christmas Story" was based on books of stories that Shepherd wrote about his experiences growing up in Indiana. The voice narrating the movie is Jean Shepherd himself. This clip comes from a performance he did for college students.

Victor Borge: Phonetic Punctuation

2007-04-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

Victor Borge combined comedy with his training as a classical pianist. He's best known for playing classical music that gets interupted by jokes and shtick. But one of his most famous routines didn't include music. In Phonetic Punctuation, Borge shows us what it would be like if punctuation marks had their own special sounds.

Lily Tomlin: Ernestine the Telephone Operator

2007-04-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

In the late 1960s, Lily Tomlin became one of the breakout stars of the breakout comedy show "Laugh-In." One of her classic characters was Ernestine, an obnoxious telephone operator who wielded the power of the phone company as adroitly as any corrupt CEO.

Ernie Kovacs: The Nairobi Trio

2007-04-17T08:30:00.001-07:00

Ernie Kovacs was a pioneer in early television comedy. In the Nairobi Trio sketch, he's the gorilla in the middle with his trademark cigar protruding from the mask. His friend Jack Lemmon is reported to have occasionally filled the gorilla suit on the left.

The Three Stooges

2007-04-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

Widely regarded as low-brow comedians, the Three Stooges have some high-brow distinctions. Their short film Men In Black (1934) was nominated for an academy award. And their short You Nazty Spy! (1940) was the first Hollywood film to poke fun at Hitler. (It preceded Charlie Chaplain's The Great Dictator by nine months.)

Abbott & Costello: Who's On First

2007-04-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

In 1999, Time magazine named Abbott & Costello's "Who's On First" the best comedy sketch of the 20th century. A video of it plays continuously at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Variations of the sketch include:

Hu's On First

Video Rental On First

Abbott & Costello Learn Hebrew

Marx Brothers: Mirror Scene from Duck Soup

2007-04-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

In 2000, the American Film Institute announced the 100 funniest films of the century. Duck Soup (1933) starring the Marx Brothers was rated #5. In this classic scene, Harpo (dressed as Groucho) must avoid detection by the real Groucho. The routine was later repeated in the 1950s on I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball dressed as Harpo.