Laugh Tracks Legends of Comedy with Randy and Steve

Arsenio Hall

Get you best "woof woof woof" on for today's Legend, standup comic, television host, and television and movie star Arsenio Hall. From humble beginnings Arsenio graduated from Kent State University then headed west to follow his comedy dreams. After some early success, Arsenio vaulted to national prominence when he played Eddie Murphy's friend in the comedy hit Coming to America. Hall played several roles and was so popular that Fox tapped him as a late night host, first as a substitute for Joan Rivers, then with his own show -- one that opened with that "woof woof woof" chant. In later years, Arsenio has hosted a revival of Star Search, and had solid supporting roles in both tv shows and movies. A 2021 sequel to Coming to America restored Arsenio to prominence (and was a very nice surprise during the pandemic). As always find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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Arsenio's career breakout came In 1988's Coming to America -- he played several roles including the local pastor -- and his take on a black beauty pageant was a comic highlight of the film. https://youtu.be/ExG7Ut6DJ1E?si=pvHEKqMHqTGPI11R

Arsenio was an instant smash on late night tv with his energy and appeal to a younger demographic. Here's a taste of his show from 1991. https://youtu.be/jEdlsU7s-tA?si=cKeNKoayoCMEtWlV

In 2021, Arsenio had a major career boost when he reprised several roles in Coming 2 America, a sequel to the 1988 film Coming to America. Here's some fun bits with Arsenio and Eddie Murphy. https://youtu.be/-J4cPbGP4pA?si=209n5it4eKSoawHf

 

 

 

Ruth Buzzi

Ruth Buzzi has been on our episode schedule for a few weeks now, so we were both shocked and saddened to see the news of her passing -- but pleased that the response from the public was filled with so much admiration and affection. Best known for her stint on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In -- she was the only cast member to appear in every episode, Ruth's credits are much more extensive and diverse including appearing on Broadway, being a favorite on early variety shows (Gary Moore Show, Steve Allen Comedy Hour), and after Laugh-In, keeping a full slate of sitcom, variety show, and movie appearances. She even was a semi-regular on Sesame Street! Much beloved, Ruth is a reminder of when we all bonded over television -- all three or four channels of it -- and hit characters like Gladys Ormphby could take the nation by storm overnight. As always find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows. And Ruth, thanks for the laughs and say hi to Dick and Dan for us.

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Here is Ruth in full on Gladys Ormphby having a daydream about romancing John Wayne. Yes, the handbag is deployed. https://youtu.be/srA-w9W5yeM?si=kB0lce_Dd8a6qJcP

You can't think of Laugh In without thinking of Ruth, and here is a nice cut of some of her best bits. Bonus! It also feature some of the best of a fellow legend JoAnne Worley!https://youtu.be/fTdmORyVVg0?si=XNrlmMUJ_D2xoYL1

After Laugh In, Ruth was a regular on tv variety shows and specials such as the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. Here Ruth -- as Gladys Ormphby -- gives the business to Muhammed Ali. https://youtu.be/zC0If3uP85o?si=xT5MvuHHFm8To94J

Jimmy Kimmel

From shock jock to The Man Show -- to elder statesman of late night tv? That's the path Jimmy Kimmel has taken on his way to a legendary career. Along the way, Jimmy has also become a reliable and popular host for the Oscars and the Emmy -- as well as helping bring to the screen the Crank Yankers prank phone call show. A pretty diverse resume! As Kimmel has matured he has also developed a political voice which he deploys to great effect on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, most notably when he helped galvanize opposition to repealing Obamacare during the first Trump administration. Not to fear, Jimmy shows no signs of hanging up his microphone for a political career any time soon. As always find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our show.

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Every comic needs a faux running "feud" and Jimmy has a great one with Matt Damon -- and here is one of the videos that made it a comedy hit. https://youtu.be/eSfoF6MhgLA?si=kpspFQK___c54SG9

Jimmy got his start in commercial radio at just 22 -- and it didn't go great as he recently told Kelly and Mark. https://youtu.be/J3mmVviKRpg?si=rBb85ZDFmZg_xW5h

This is a great bit! From the 20th anniversary show of Jimmy Kimmel Live! 2023 Jimmy chats with 2003 Jimmy.https://youtu.be/oqZvxAQRU9A?si=F0RXi8oOnCJUw5e_

You know you are a big dog in Hollywood when you get to host the Oscars -- and for Jimmy Kimmel it was a comic's dream, especially helming the show after Will Smith infamously clocked Chris Rock. Here's Jimmy's monologue highlights from that show. https://youtu.be/Ylj_Omeqg0I?si=xgIyygmXxV950kiS

Caddyshack

OK, with golf season fully underway, it's time to salute Caddyshack, one of the classic 1980s comedy that featured the directorial debut of Harold Ramis, the big screen breakthrough for Rodney Dangerfield, some arrogant Ted Knight, some crazed Bill Murray and a lineage that drew heavily from both Saturday Night Live and the National Lampoon. Don't worry too much about the plot -- it's merely a launchpad for comedy bits galore. Whether you're a hacker, a duffer, or a scratch golfer, Caddyshack has something for you. And if you are a real big fan, you can watch it wearing your "William Murray" golf gear and finish with a pint at the "Murray Brothers Caddyshack Restaurant" (yes it's real). As always, find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows.

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Bill Murray has had far larger roles over time, but he makes the most of his Caddyshack persona Carl Spackler, a groundskeeper who is just a little, shall we say, disturbed. https://youtu.be/X48G7Y0VWW4?si=QGiCSvUEMJQYbGRo

Chevy Chase has never been better than as Ty Webb, a pro-level golfer who smirks his way through life. Here are some of Chevy's best bits. https://youtu.be/Al3Yt5gxExY?si=CwIlxkEJFpXJIbTG

Rodney Dangerfield was the perfect choice to play Al Czervik, a loud, crass, and hilarious "slob" dropped in the middle of a bunch of country club "snobs". Here Al tries to goad the arrogant Judge Smalls (a brilliant Ted Knight) into a slice. https://youtu.be/RrOhjHC28PQ?si=MFzVjclP0mKa6fxi

Fry and Laurie

Meet Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie -- known to comedy fans as Fry and Laurie -- one of the funniest and best loved British comedy duos to emerge in the 1980s. Introduced to each other by Emma Thompson when they were students at Cambridge, Stephen and Hugh got their biggest boost when BBC hosted A Bit of Fry and Laurie from 1989 to 1995. Their sketch interplay was stellar, as was their bit of breaking the fourth wall to address the audience directly. And their acting chops served them well when they were cast as Jeeves and Wooster in an adaptation of the PG Wodehouse "Jeeves stories". They also lent their wit to the Ben Elton "Black Adder" series, including some brutal satire in the final series, set in WW I. In recent years the lads have mostly performed solo, but they remain close friends and who knows, perhaps a Bit *More* of Fry and Laurie might be in our future -- at least we can hope. As always find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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As with many of their Brit contemporaries, Fry and Laurie were happy -- almost gleeful -- to smash comedy tradition including a gift for breaking the fourth wall. https://youtu.be/s4bPsGsNGi4?si=wgteHCLcf4ucTabu

Fry and Laurie were both excellent comic actors and their chemistry was put to good use when they starred in a television adaptation of the PG Wodehouse Jeeves and Wooster series. https://youtu.be/LObPaCloY8E?si=QlsCtBp0B2upTXZa

 

The Black Adder series of English historical comedies have a devoted fan base, and Fry and Laurie were right in the mix as in this darkly comic bit from the final series, Black Adder Goes Forth. https://youtu.be/RcIV5tU_Zik?si=R2o_WtJkMXwdadWq

Jon Stewart

Be honest, how many of you majored in bong hits at college? If so, you are in good company with today's legend -- Jon Stewart -- who claims he did just that back in the day. It doesn't seem to have lowered his productivity -- after three decades in the public eye Jon is as busy as ever with his second stint on the Daily Show. Since his early days, Jon has shown his ability to mix serious factual news with razor sharp satire first as a standup, then as an MTV host, and finally at the Daily Show where he turned a late night oddity into a cultural juggernaut. And, when he is in the mood, Jon can also conjure up a little Catskills comedy vibe as well. As always find extra cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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Jon's first national standup exposure was on David Letterman in 1992 -- from the start he was insightful, literate -- and very funny. https://youtu.be/wxUBJYzJrYg?si=zSUyqjkEqWIAkSXR

Jon had a much loved MTV talk show in the early 1990s and one of his guests was another tv legend -- Dick Clark! https://youtu.be/38BPMKLckVY?si=XMOA2PEzkwDnxJxj

Jon's second stint as Daily Show host was a delightful surprise that landed just before the 2024 presidential election -- and Jon's election night coverage was masterful. https://youtu.be/ZjMAfRq7V_s?si=DTiXEpJj73tg1YRa

 

Tim Meadows

Grab a bottle of Courvoisier and some "quiet storm" music because Leon Phelps, the Ladies' Man is in the house! Well, ok, it's actually Tim Meadows, the talent behind Leon who became an SNL favorite throughout the 1990s and who has built a solid career as a comic actor ever since. A product of Michigan, Tim learned improve there and at the Second City in Chicago where Lorne Michaels discovered him and added him to a strong cast. When Tim left he was (at that time) the longest serving SNL cast member and he turned that into a busy schedule of movie and TV appearances including Mean Girls, Inside Amy Schumer, The Goldbergs, and more. As always find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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Tim's SNL breakout character was the always smooth Leon Phelps -- here's a full sketch. https://youtu.be/UNVn-Rpl7DI?si=MqezkJyagXSWYlNY

Tim provided SNL with a lot of impersonations over the years, but perhaps none more pointed than his take on OJ Simpson lawyer Johnnie Cochran. https://www.reddit.com/.../tim_meadows_hilarious.../...

Tim had a key role in the 2004 hit Mean Girls playing a beleaguered high school principal -- here dressing down a gymnasium full of students for circulating a "burn book". https://youtu.be/GGGBbxXgFug?si=4499G0KGo0wPOJP0

Tim can still bring the sketch comedy as a recent appearance on Stephen Colbert's Late Show demonstrates. https://youtu.be/YT1uE5x4zNw?si=Pu2rDACaLS5JpaRm

Sandy Baron

The name may not ring too many bells today, but from the 1960s through the 1990s you just had to turn on your television or (hit up your local comedy record store) and you were sure to run into the work of Sandy Baron who rose from playing the Catskills "borscht belt", to improv and satirical shows (including the US version of "That Was The Week That Was), to becoming a fixture in Vegas, in movies, and on television talk and game shows. In 1984 Sandy was introduced to a new generation of fans with his a role in Broadway Danny Rose, Woody Allen's tribute to shtickmeisters (and struggling agents), then in the 1990s he had a juicy late-career triumph on Seinfeld as Jack Klompus who was a comic antagonist of Jerry's dad. As always find extra cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows.

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We don't usually include other artists in an episode, but how can we fail to give you the whole Lou Rawls classic "A Natural Man" -- with lyrics courtesy of Sandy Baron. https://youtu.be/y9tS0loD3vQ?si=BkE-OA-wTpBUV701

Sandy had one shot at his own sitcom (Hey Landlord!) and it tanked after just one year. Being a great standup comic, Sandy was able to turn his pain to laughs in this routine from shortly after the cancellation. https://youtu.be/jdr0GcxAoQo?si=q-YB2UAcumQDJTdK

Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose was a love letter to the shtickmeisters of the past (and their sometimes hapless agents). Much of the story is told in flashback during a gathering of comics at the Carnegie Deli -- and Sandy was right in the middle of it. https://youtu.be/mXIM1JXWjm4?si=ZViQ3NSLjeJ4R3-g

Longtime fans were delighted when Sandy surfaced in the 1990s playing a pesky rival of Jerry Seinfeld's dad on the classic sitcom Seinfeld. Here are some of of the best "Jack Klompus" moments from the show. https://youtu.be/XLK1eqK2kEo?si=-9LZ0EwUQ1o4BDVw

Chris O'Dowd

OK, we're a day late but it's still a Happy St. Patrick's Day here at Laugh Tracks. And why wouldn't it be when we are featuring Irish comedy star of the small and big screen, Chris O'Dowd. From early roles in British tv, Chris got his breakout role on the classic British sitcom The IT Crowd playing Roy Trenneman, an information tech worker who is a master at avoiding work. The show's success launched Chris onto the big screen with a number of juicy supporting roles before he scored the role of Officer Nathan Rhodes in the 2011 blockbuster Bridesmaids -- a role that earned him a Screen Actor's Guild award. Chris remains busy with tv work, recently appearing in the lead role of Get Shorty, a comedy-drama loosely based on the 1990 book. As always find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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Chris gained wide fame in Britain with his role as Roy Trenneman a snarky and slacking information tech worker in The IT Crowd. https://youtu.be/wXEsldiW9Xg?si=V4dkLgceu75UJ0e-

For American audiences, Chris had his breakout role in 2011's smash hit Bridesmaids. Chris played Officer Nathan Rhodes, winning a Screen Actor's Guild award for his work. https://youtu.be/6rJdK0_3BL0?si=0cy6Xpmlhiu4CYUF

Recently Chris could be seen in Apple TV's Get Shorty, a loose adaptation of the 1990 book. https://youtu.be/U-3gjXz_HJk?si=obwykf_M_XQA2EKw

 

 

 

 

Ryan Stiles

Have an extra cup of coffee because you are going to need to be on your toes to keep up with this week's Legend, improv comedy superstar, as well as a a fine television actor, Ryan Stiles. Born in the US, Ryan was raised in Vancouver, BC and got his start doing standup and writing for the CBC when he was tapped for the British version of Whose Line is it Anyway. He was lured back to the US as a regular in the Drew Carey show, then what do you know -- Drew launches a US "Whose Line" with Ryan front and center in the cast. That show has also spawned successful improv tours by the cast which continue to this day. Ryan also had a long run as a regular on the Two and a Half Men sitcom, and in his spare time he founded and occasionally appears at an improv comedy theater and school in his home of Bellingham, Washington. As always find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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Ryan is known for improv but this is a fun bit -- produced by the Second City in a film noir fashion. https://youtu.be/CpSXAO-N_qQ?si=wB6qeA8Neyl0AGQB

Whose Line started in the UK and one of the fun games was Questions Only! (yes, you can speak only in questions). Here's the UK cast in action (also including Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood). https://youtu.be/JcDzy6IgIcg?si=9NZHEC3T8sLr0lFF

On the Drew Carey show, Ryan played Lewis Kinski, a buddy of Drew's, who was known for having the lamest pickup lines in town. Here's a few to avoid!https://youtu.be/mzIYmvhyyDk?si=JJ3231qEynqn-GvK

Ryan is a community-minded guy, living in Bellingham, Washington. After his Whose Line fame he set up an improv theater where he occasionally appears as in this parody of a late night talk show -- Bellingham T'nite! https://youtu.be/tEc0mBm1lRs?si=FYLKnVH6nkNabWxx