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Randy Hodgins and Steve McLellan’s lifelong love of comedy was kindled when they met more than 40 years ago in graduate school in Seattle. While managing family and professional work responsibilities, they hosted a one hour comedy radio program on Saturday mornings for 10 years on a small radio station in Olympia, WA and also co-authored two books on northwest popular culture – Seattle on Film (1995) and Wet and Wired (2000). Stuck at home during the early days of the pandemic with hundreds of comedy albums, cassettes and CD’s gathering dust on their shelves, they launched Laugh Tracks Legends of Comedy in May 2020, a weekly mini-program featuring a different comedy icon, with biographical bits and a nice slice of the comedy that made them famous. From standup stars, to stellar sketch teams, to novelty music maestros -- they are all part of our Legends.
Episodes
Tuesday Aug 19, 2025
Tuesday Aug 19, 2025
There are legends and then there are LEGENDS -- and Chicago's Second City comedy troupe is the second kind. This episode we focus on Second City in the 1960s - before they became known as a talent pool for SNL and SCTV! After morphing from the Compass Players improv troupe, Second City became known for finely tuned sketches -- often deriving absurd and hilarious results from a normal setting (or vice versa). And the name itself -- The Second City -- had its own comedy meaning, having been pulled from a series of unflattering articles about Chicago in the New Yorker in 1952. The impact of Second City on the comedy world has been immense with players from Robert Klein to Joan Rivers to Harold Ramis to John and Jim Belushi to Bill and Brian Doyle-Murray gracing the stage over time. So, if you are ever in Chicago, make a pilgrimage to 1616 North Wells Street where the Second City awaits, busy at work training the next generation of sketch comedy stars! As always, find extended cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows.
Want more Second City?
An early classic from Second City asked the question "What would happen if the University of Chicago had a football team? Ask no longer!https://vimeo.com/195830483?fl=pl&fe=sh
Fred Willard and Robert Klein are two of our favorite comics -- and they both worked the boards at Second City early in their careers. This bit features both men in a parody of Ripley's Believe It or Not! https://youtu.be/MAB4ZIgL6j0?si=rVahywZ8OBrtpTa7&t=1115
It's always fun to go back in time and listen to future comedy stars honing their craft. This fine collection gathers sketches from throughout the years (and thanks for the time stamps!). Dip in anywhere and laughter will follow! https://youtu.be/MAB4ZIgL6j0?si=cgNkZeeM4Hk4Qqkk
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