Laugh Tracks Legends of Comedy with Randy and Steve

Chuck Jones

If you grew up watching Looney Tunes, the name Chuck Jones is sure to bring a big smile. As a director, Chuck helmed so many of the classic episodes, from Duck Amuck and Barbary Coast Bunny to What's Opera Doc and The Rabbit of Seville. Plus, if you love the animated version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, you can thank Chuck Jones for the animation wizardry that brought that story to life. As Robin Williams said when he awarded Chuck a lifetime achievement Oscar, "we have a jones for Chuck Jones". As always, find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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Chuck Jones' Duck Amuck is often listed at the greatest Looney Tunes episode and its easy to see why. The visual comedy is inventive and relentless and coupled with Daffy's slow burn it makes a potent combo. All together now -- "All right wise guy, where's the rest of me?" https://vimeo.com/403771824

We hope that these extra clips inspire you to search out more! And here is a great starting point -- Barbary Coast Bunny -- featuring Bugs Bunny taking on Nasty Canasta as only he can -- with wit and grit! https://dai.ly/x8e0pyk

The music was as much a part of the comedy as the animation in many of the Looney Tunes shorts and nowhere was that more apparent than in the great classical music parody The Rabbit of Seville. https://vimeo.com/456078993

Because animation wasn't looked upon in Hollywood as "serious art" the Oscars ignored Looney Tunes, even though they have lasted longer than most of the movies! in 1996 they made amends by awarding an honorary Oscar, presented by a man many called a living cartoon -- Robin Williams! https://youtu.be/UZ1xZsv5t6A

Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah is on top of the comedy world and there is no wonder why. From building a career in South Africa as a disc jockey and stand up, Trevor came to America and became the first South African comic to appear on the Tonight Show, built a huge fan base with his warm and witty shows, was selected to replace Jon Stewart as host of the Daily Show, left the Daily Show to return to global stand up touring, became an in-demand awards show host, and during all of that penned a best-selling autobiography. And you get the sense he hasn't yet reached cruising altitude. As always, find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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Trevor was the first South African featured on the Tonight Show, and his early standup work was full of warm, witty, and occasionally sharp edged observations. Here's a longer taste of his early US gigs. https://youtu.be/yhKBbBaMYcA

People wondered if anyone could take Jon Stewart's place hosting The Daily Show -- especially a comic from another country who was unknown to much of America. Well, Trevor more than filled the bill, reinventing the show to have a more global focus and a more diverse correspondent pool. And he had the good sense to keep the closing "moment of zen"! Here is a nice cut of some of Trevor's best from The Daily Show. https://youtu.be/IaomieIezI8

Trevor has been a popular awards show host (The Grammys!) and keynote speaker, and one of his best was his turn at the White House Correspondents' Dinner (The Nerd Prom) in 2022. Here are some of Trevor's best jokes nicely compiled.https://youtu.be/-KvCKeQfHIY

Yakov Smirnoff

"What a country!" has turned into "What a career!" for Yakov Smirnoff who emigrated to the US from Ukraine in the 1970s and built a career out of playful but pointed jabs at Russia and great "fish out of water" bits about himself. Along the way, Yakov has also managed to become a US citizen, earn a PhD in psychology, become an in-demand keynote speaker, score a number of juicy film and tv roles, and establish a long-running comedy theater in Branson, Missouri. We're not sure where he finds time to sleep! As always, find extra cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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In the 1980s headlining at Dangerfield's was a mark a comic had arrived (much like getting invited to Johnny Carson's Tonight Show couch). Here's a bit of Yakov (introduced by Rodney himself) from 1984. https://youtu.be/QboXCnKpgtU

In the 1980s, Chrysler/Plymouth was fighting for its financial life and its line up of inexpensive cars helped pull them back from the brink (along with some help from the government). Were the cars good? Not really. Were they cheap? Oh, yeah! And did they have Yakov as a spokesperson? Of course! https://youtu.be/hkcImMNx3SU

Yakov was a frequent and popular guest on American tv, including this appearance on one of Dick Clark's many variety shows, this one from 1988. https://youtu.be/22VI3eN5r9k

Ernie Kovacs

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

 

 

Iliza Shlesinger

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

Julia Louis Dreyfus

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

 

The Arrogant Worms

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

Benny Hill

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!

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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

Tracey Ullman

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

Dickie Goodman

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