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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 Jul 18, 2023
Ernie Kovacs
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
Say the name "Ernie Kovacs" today and you may well be met with a quizzical look. But say "the video art pioneer who inspired SNL, Python, Laugh In, and MST3K among many others" and you'll be in business! Smart-ass adlibs, odd ball musical acts, and numerous (and sometimes surreal) camera tricks that we take for granted today were all part of Ernie's toolkit, and he was ubiquitous on 1950s tv. He also became a superb character actor and sketch comic, and - not surprisingly -- he was an early inductee into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame. Find more clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!
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Ernie had a gift for improv and his early talk shows take full advantage. This clip catches some of Ernie's best for NBC, including a great bit with a malfunctioning camera (it starts about 5:40 in). https://youtu.be/GSH8L2zmtaM
We like to say "all comedy is derivative" -- in the best way of course! You can see that premise in action here with Ernie's "Mr. Question Man" -- the foundation for Steve Allen's Answer Man and Johnny Carson's Carnac. https://youtu.be/Tz_C4ZEwFm4
Ernie was also a fine character actor with a standout role in Bell, Book and Candle among his highlights. But he couldn't stop being Ernie as seen in this faux trailer for his first film role in Operation Mad Ball. https://youtu.be/QuVhvH4NHNc

Tuesday Jul 11, 2023
Iliza Shlesinger
Tuesday Jul 11, 2023
Tuesday Jul 11, 2023
Meet Iliza Shlesinger, one of the breakout comics of the last decade, who has ridden sharp character voices, a prowling stage presence, and pointed observations about millennial life to the top. But there is more to Iliza than her fantastic standup including starring in her own sketch comedy show and inhabiting great character roles on film and tv. As always you can find more Iliza below and thanks for sharing our shows!
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NBC's Last Comic Standing comedy competition has launched numerous careers, including Iliza who was the first female and youngest-ever winner back in 2008. https://youtu.be/WCclz_TxY9o
Iliza has the gift of making comedy about the smallest everyday dilemma -- like what to do when you first get to a bar. Adjust your lipliner, of course!https://music.apple.com/.../plunge-that.../1520110602...
Iliza does a lot of character work on stage, so it's no wonder she has begun to make a mark with character roles in film and tv. In 2020, Netflix released Spenser Confidential, a Mark Wahlberg led take on the beloved mystery novel series. The movie wasn't great -- but Iliza was as Spenser's salty ex-girlfriend. https://youtu.be/csAReby4VF8

Tuesday Jul 04, 2023
Julia Louis Dreyfus
Tuesday Jul 04, 2023
Tuesday Jul 04, 2023
Meet Julia Louis Dreyfus who rose from a 21 year old SNL cast member to starring turns on Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and most recently Veep, earning enough awards hardware to require another room! A gifted producer as well as actor and writer, Julia has the gift of balancing world class snark with just the right amount of sweetness to make enduring and lovable characters. No wonder she won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2018! As always, find more clips below and thanks for sharing our shows.
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At the tender age of 21, Julia was plucked from The Second City to join the SNL cast. It was a transitional time but there were still many highlights, including this great bit with Mary Gross and Jim Belushi about a newly liberal and vegetarian daughter coming home for Thanksgiving. Bon Appetit! https://youtu.be/gsTckudUVL8
After her role on Seinfeld, Julia hit TV paydirt again with the New Adventures of Old Christine, in which she plays a single mom running a gym. Sure it's a network sitcom, but the writing is solid and the interplay between Christine and her best friend -- played by Wanda Sykes (!) -- is great fun. Here's some highlights. https://youtu.be/T8yrCzyzZ44
In Veep, Julia created the role of a lifetime -- that of Vice President Selina Meyer. With the help of a gifted supporting cast, Julia nailed the thankless and irrelevant role of a VP -- except when it's not! Here's a nice sample of some of Selina's best lines. https://youtu.be/YtRVGdT6c3E

Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
The Arrogant Worms
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
Meet some nice guys from Canada who once on stage turn into some arrogant worms. Make that THE Arrogant Worms -- a long running musical comedy trio who blend bouncy melodies and sharp lyrics. From their humble roots on college radio, the Worms have gone on to release nearly two dozen albums and compilations and they remain a top touring act to this day. As always find extra clips below (including one that finds the true culprit behind climate change) and thanks for sharing our shows.
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One of the Worms' most popular songs takes concerns over animal welfare and extends them to the next logical place, asking the question: What if veggies have feelings? https://youtu.be/KmK0bZl4ILM
When it was revealed that methane from cow farts was harming the Ozone layer every middle school boy came up with a joke and the Worms -- well they came up with a novelty music classic. https://youtu.be/JohcbfO0OjA
Have you ever wondered the best way to make it into the history books? If so, the Worms have you covered! https://youtu.be/xgun4yFSsuU

Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
Benny Hill
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
For Decades Alfred Hawthorne Hill -- known to us as Benny Hill -- was a titan of British (and later American) television comedy with a show that blended slapstick, parody, mime, and a generous helping of double entendre. Benny presided over the show with a rascally gleam in his eye and Boots Randolph's hit "Yakety Sax" was used as the theme -- to the point people had no idea it wasn't written just for the show. Feeling Benny had run his course (after 35 years!) tv bigwigs axed the program in 1989, but the British public begged to differ, keeping it popular in reruns and DVD reissues to this day. As always, find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!
Want more Benny Hill?
Benny was a high energy host and this 1965 clip catches a bit of that, along with a great take on a German English instructor.https://youtu.be/EmMZ9J-EKlQ
Benny's shows always featured a lot of double entendre and general naughtiness. That style eventually fell out of favor, though Hill noted the butt of his "hanky panky" jokes always were the guys. Here's Benny in a sketch about a reluctant bridegroom. https://youtu.be/jZMcP9SoTVc
Parodies of American television were stock in trade for Benny Hill, particularly of crime and detective shows. Hill was a fine mimic, and here he takes on three top cops -- Frank Cannon, McCloud, and Hercule Poirot. https://youtu.be/EMId43b-fWA

Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Tracey Ullman
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Meet one of the most talented and creative comics around, the legendary Tracey Ullman. A master of sketch comedy and impersonation (and a fine singer to boot), Tracey has racked up dozens of awards over a career now spanning 40 years. From her early days in West End Musicals, to her breakthrough Fox TV show (with also saw the debut of The Simpsons) to her current sketch comedy work, Tracey has built a truly global following. As always, find extra cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows!
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Tracey's first breakthrough in the US actually came via the radio airwaves. Signed to Stiff Records (home of Elvis Costello and many other new wave giants), Tracey hit the charts with "I Know What Boys Like" back in 1984. Get your skinny ties out for this one. https://youtu.be/ww2R2q_w7JU
Tracey isn't a standup comic. Rather, she lets the comedy flow from perfectly realized characters as in this bit in which Tracey's very drunk driver tries to talk her way out of a ticket. https://youtu.be/64mlGnEEAF8
A lot of impressionists can do the classics but how many can deliver a spot on Angela Merkel? The answer is "Tracey Ullman". In this bit from her most recent HBO series, Tracey envisions a Skype call between Merkel and then-newly elected US President Donald Trump. Needless to say, it's delicious! https://youtu.be/-rMo87P-nDc

Tuesday Jun 06, 2023
Dickie Goodman
Tuesday Jun 06, 2023
Tuesday Jun 06, 2023
You may never have heard the name Dickie Goodman, but no doubt you've heard his work -- at least if you have heard any comedy bit that has someone ask a question that is rapidly answered by a snippet of a popular song. It's called cut-in comedy and Dickie was the pioneer, releasing records from the 1950s into the 1980s and scoring the occasional hit along the way. From an early smash envisioning the first flying saucer landing on earth to later discs parodying Watergate, Jaws, and King Kong, Dickie was one of the pioneers of sampling (even if he didn't know it at the time). As always find extra cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows!
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Dickie's first hit (with Bill Buchanan) capitalized on UFO mania, envisioning the first visit by a space alien to earth. It was a smash and launched a career that lasted 40 years. https://youtu.be/A1s8vsWP7sY
The success of Dickie's records usually was correlated to the success of his underlying topic -- so hit movies were fertile ground indeed. One of his biggest hits riffed of the smash movie Jaws. https://youtu.be/JeYCOFblZRg
When Dickie passed on it seemed that his style of comedy might fade away but examples still pop up from time to time including some from his son Jon who has kept Dickie's original recording in circulation, updating some along the way, and issuing new cut in discs including this recent take on events in Ukraine. https://youtu.be/KGRQCiylMRg

Tuesday May 30, 2023
Dave Barry
Tuesday May 30, 2023
Tuesday May 30, 2023
Here's a guy who has been a Pulitzer-winning columnist, a best-selling novelist, a much sought-after speaker, and guitarist in a garage band that also features Stephen King. It's Dave Barry and his one of a kind career makes him a legend of comedy. From humble beginnings as a beat reporter, Dave eventually became the king of newspaper humor columnists and his affectionately irreverent humor connect with a boomer audience from the start. While he has dialed back his output in recent years, fans still look forward to his annual year in review column and snarky holiday gift guide and he found a new outlet during the pandemic cutting short videos for the Miami Herald filled with the patented Barry wit. Find more Dave Barry below and thanks for sharing our shows.
Want more Dave?
Dave isn't a standup comic, but his popular keynote speeches are filled with humor nonetheless. Here a slice of Dave talking about one of his favorite topics -- adulthood! https://youtu.be/mlBvneYoH0E
Dave's World was a sitcom based loosely on Barry's life, starring Night Court vet Harry Anderson as Dave. This bit features costars Shadoe Stevens and Meshach Taylor on Dave's decision to get a vasectomy.https://youtu.be/iEM69OSqi3A
Dave Barry still surfaces from time to time with a special column or video and his dispatches during Covid were classic -- especially this one on America's rarest and most valuable commodity -- TP! https://www.youtube.com/live/w5IE

Tuesday May 23, 2023
Roy D. Mercer
Tuesday May 23, 2023
Tuesday May 23, 2023
If that guy on the phone starts to threaten you with "opening a can of whup-ass" don't panic -- you probably just got a call from Roy D. Mercer, the king of countrified prank phone calls. The invention of two Tulsa DJs, Brent Douglas and Phil Stone, Roy was first unleashed on the public 30 years ago and he soon caught on with listeners, particularly long-distance truckers who sent album sales into gold record territory. 24 albums and a music video (with Charlie Daniels!) later, Brent and Phil "retired" Roy, but his catalog lives on anywhere a little "whup-ass" is needed. As always find more cuts below and thank you for sharing our shows!
Want more Roy?
Roy's setups usually revolve around some minor dispute which soon escalates into Roy threatening to open a can of "whup-ass" on the other party. Part of the reasons these work is that friends of the victim usually provided Brent and Phil with some insider knowledge. Here's a bit where Roy wants his money after a fender bender. https://youtu.be/68cflgA-2wo
One of Roy's greatest bits involved a dead hamster and a guy with the most infectious laugh on the other end of the line. https://youtu.be/VA4DUYwoJWs
Back in the 80s a star-studded music video was a must for any comic (see "Rappin' Rodney"). Most weren't very good, but Brent and Phil pulled it off in style by having country star Charlie Daniels provide the music while some of Roy's greatest bits floated through.https://youtu.be/kUqMDamYMkM

Tuesday May 16, 2023
Chris Rock
Tuesday May 16, 2023
Tuesday May 16, 2023
Chris Rock is one of the greatest standup comics of all time, and he has parlayed that success into a career that has lasted 40 years (and counting). His standup style is edgy and NSFW, but his tv and movie work has something for all ages -- from flamethrower HBO specials to the sweet and funny sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris" to an animated role as a zebra in Madagascar to recent dramatic turns in Fargo and Spiral. And we feel safe in predicting that Chris will always have a singular accomplishment -- that of being the only person slapped by a nominee on an Oscar stage! As always find extra cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows.
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