Who is/are your favourite comedian/s?

**Monkeysee** · 10-10-2004, 01:57 PM

Rodney Dangerfield passed away this week at the age of 82:( Whether you liked his humour or not, everyone knew who he was.
There is a new standup comic Dane Cook (funny clips at www.danecook.com)

(some swearing), who I would have to say is my favourite, and Mo Collins of MadTV is my favourite female comic. (love "Lorraine"-used to work with someone just like that).
Carol Burnett and Tim Conway are my favourite "classics"
and Monty Python's Flying Circus is unbeatable.
just bored...waiting for Thanksgiving dinner, (Canada)....

**Joann Raytar** · 10-10-2004, 09:35 PM

I would have to say George Carlin, Robin Williams and Sam Kinison

Older favorites would have to be Bob Newhart, Lucille Ball and Red Skelton. I'm not sure if Newhart did standup though.

**JennyP** · 10-10-2004, 11:29 PM

Are we limiting the lists to "stand up"?
If not:
I loved Madeline Kahn. Really miss her!
Also have enjoyed Robin Williams (he never shuts off, does he?) Tom Hanks (he's another one who does quality comedy AND drama!) Michael J. Fox, Barbra Streisand, Ellen D'G, too many others to think of right now...

Anyone who can help us laugh and feel good for awhile is worth spending time with.

**Monkeysee** · 10-11-2004, 01:16 AM

..Madeline Kahn in "Young Frankenstein"! !! hilarious..

...One of my favourite MadTV sketches is with Newhart and Mo Collins-he's playing a psychiatrist curing her of an irrational fear..

..most of the funny people we are familiar with got their start in standup so there's no limits here...

**Spexvet** · 10-11-2004, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by Jo

I would have to say George Carlin, Robin Williams and Sam Kinison

Older favorites would have to be Bob Newhart, Lucille Ball and Red Skelton. I'm not sure if Newhart did standup though.

Newhart did some very funny standup. My father had an album of his - "The Button(ed?) down mind (circa 1961). He does get phone converstion bits, where you only hear his side, and his bus driver instructor bit is a classic - "you need to break harder when someone is walking down the aisle...see how Mrs. Jones only bounced off three seats before she fell?" (paraphrase).

**Texas Ranger** · 10-11-2004, 08:22 AM

Jo Bob Newhart was one of the 'original" stand up guys, even cut a few albums (on 331/3)...hilarious

**hcjilson** · 10-11-2004, 11:57 AM

Believe this or not, but Mike Nichols (of film directing fame ) together with Elaine May was a very funny duo. I'm surprised no one has said Johnathan Winters.If you want to see all of the great old timers in one place, rent Its a Mad Mad World. Jimmy Durante kicking the bucket in his death scene still brings laughter just thinking about it.....and Winters, taking the gas station apart was hilarious. This is a great thread.....brightened up my whole day!

**P Doble** · 10-11-2004, 05:59 PM

Bill Cosby and Jeff Foxworthy. Those guys make me cry. Rodney Dangerfield was funny... But I had no respect for the guy. That was bad, I know.

**chm2023** · 10-12-2004, 09:38 AM

Jonathan Winters, Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen. Today? Jon Stewart, Conan OBrien, Chris Rock.

**Monkeysee** · 10-12-2004, 11:32 PM

..just visited www.laugh.com they have George Carlin ecards, links to all comedians home pages, buy cd's etc..(Newhart, Winters and all the rest)...boy is this thread bringing back memories...:)

**Steve Machol** · 10-13-2004, 12:10 AM

I like virtually all the comedians mentioned. As for Monty Python's Flying Circus, I bought the complete DVD set of all 4 seasons and watch every single episode. (It was a quest!)

However I can say there was a severe drop-off in the quality during the last season without John Cleese who had left the show.

Just a bit of Python trivia. :)

**varmint** · 10-13-2004, 01:03 AM

I used to stay up as late as I have tonight just to watch Benny Hill. Some great names & memories here.

**Jedi** · 10-13-2004, 06:51 AM

Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy pretending to be Richard Pryor. Robin Williams on cocaine is pretty much the funniest thing you can see. Special mention to Dennis Leary, Norm Mac Donald and Bob Saget. Yeah Bob Saget, his sitcom work is a polar opposite of his stand-up.

**Jedi** · 10-13-2004, 06:52 AM

Originally Posted by Steve Machol

I like virtually all the comedians mentioned. As for Monty Python's Flying Circus, I bought the complete DVD set of all 4 seasons and watch every single episode. (It was a quest!)

However I can say there was a severe drop-off in the quality during the last season without John Cleese who had left the show.

Just a bit of Python trivia. :)

Steve,
Are you by chance a Fawlty Towers fan?

**hcjilson** · 10-13-2004, 12:54 PM

I forgot to mention Rowan Atkins........not as Bean, but as Black Adder.

**Spexvet** · 10-13-2004, 02:03 PM

The late Bill Hicks. Monty Python. Eddie Izzard (HBO special is hilarious).

**Steve Machol** · 10-13-2004, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by Jedi

Steve,
Are you by chance a Fawlty Towers fan?

Sorry to say I never watched that one.

**Jedi** · 10-13-2004, 06:50 PM

Steve,
PBS has often run marathons of Fawlty Towers. John Cleese is Basil Fawlty a bumbling innkeeper. My personal favorite episode is "The Germans".

**Joann Raytar** · 10-13-2004, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by Steve Machol

Sorry to say I never watched that one.

Steve - you must watch it.

**Robert Martellaro** · 10-14-2004, 04:42 PM

Curly, Carlin, and Hodgson (with MST3K).

Robert

**rinselberg** · 10-14-2004, 11:48 PM

If you all don't mind my "expanding the strike zone" a little, to people who are very funny but not out and out (professional) comedians: Keith Olberrman. The host of the "Countdown" hour long news report on MSNBC. His strong suit is irony, and he's very sharply comic, even during the segments that are intended as serious news. Format also includes some comic segments.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080446/
LIKE THOSE FRAMES?

And talk about "stand up!" Who could forget the man whose photograph I jacked for my OptiBoard avatar and profile photos? Follow my PURPLE Web link to A fellow of infinite jest for a brilliantly worded critical appraisal, and from there, you could jump directly to the best (IMHO) of the numerous "Baghdad Bob" web pages. These two made a co-appearance (so to speak) quite a few months ago, when Countdown did a tribute segment to Baghdad Bob. That was a crack up. I wish it were a streaming video somewhere on the Web, but I doubt it. Last I heard, "Bob" was a TV news commentator broadcasting from one of the Gulf States -- Quatar or UE, can't remember which.

The Great Karnac explores a scientific paradox involving the Washington Redskins. Rinselberg considers John Kerry's FUTURE military service. Follow the PURPLE web links to The Great Karnac and "Back to the Future!"

**rinselberg** · 10-15-2004, 09:16 PM

Check out Keith Olbermann's FRAMES in my previous post (above), where I added a photograph: Looks very stylish to me. And I found a TRANSCRIPT of the Countdown segment on Baghdad Bob from March 19, 2004. Not quite streaming video, but there are some very funny lines. Here are some excerpts:

OLBERMANN: Just one story to go, and here‘s the hint -- while we were watching these pictures, he told the world: “We have retaken the airport. There are no Americans here.”

...

But in our No. 1 story tonight, we can assert for perhaps the first time in human history that the only genuinely uniformly enjoyable part of this year of war has been the casualty that what one Iraqi officer made of the truth.

OLBERMANN: Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, quickly renamed Comical Ali, more quickly still renamed Baghdad Bob.

...

OLBERMANN: He was at times polite.

AL-SAHAF: Please. Thank you very much. And we will help in this.

OLBERMANN: Other times, he was sweetly irritating.

AL-SAHAF: I‘m -- I‘m talking. Just listen.

...

BUSH: He was my man. He was great. Somebody accused us of hiring him and putting him there.

...

OLBERMANN: He was welcome comic relief ... and like the legend of the Roman Emperor Nero, while the Baath Party burned, Baghdad Bob fiddled around.

AL-SAHAF: They are trapped everywhere in the country. We are going to target them and to destroy them. They are trapped in Umm Qasr. They are stupid and they will never succeed. They are trapped near Basra. They are surrounded and we are pounding them. If they have any prudence, they should leave. Saddam airport? Yes.

OLBERMANN: In less than a month‘s time, Al-Sahaf churned out an entire catalogue of hits.

...

OLBERMANN: Traffic and weather together.

AL-SAHAF: It‘s good, as you see it, as you see it, the traffic and everything.

TRAFFIC AND WEATHER, TOGETHER. The Iraqi Minister of Information's daily report from the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad.

OLBERMANN: I mock your slogan.

AL-SAHAF: They are still (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from Shock and Awe.

...

For the complete MSNBC Countdown transcript:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4578937/

That's rinselberg. Thanks for being part of it!