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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 Mar 30, 2021
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Meet Carol Burnett, television comedy legend, in this miniprogram. Few comedians have had as strong a hold on the public as Carol Burnett and its no wonder. From her early days on Broadway, to frequent guest spots with Lucille Ball, to her pioneering TV variety show, Carol Burnett has built a career that is truly legendary. As always, find extra clips in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows.
Tuesday Mar 23, 2021
Tuesday Mar 23, 2021
Dan Rowan and Dick Martin were a classic nightclub comedy duo in the 1950s and 60s which made them the perfect glue to hold together the comedy mayhem that was Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Laugh-In ruled the airwaves in the late 1960s and early 1970s, spawning stars such as Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn, and catch phrases galore. Meet Dan and Dick in this week's mini program and, as always, find extra cuts in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows!
Tuesday Mar 16, 2021
Tuesday Mar 16, 2021
This week's miniprogram features "The Big Yin" -- Scottish comedian Billy Connolly. A lovable rogue with a gift for being hilariously offensive, Billy overcame a tough childhood with humor -- first as part of Scotland's folk music scene, then as a star of concert tours, tv, and movies. Find extended cuts in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and a heads up -- at least a couple may be NSFW -- but funny! And, as always, thanks for sharing our shows!
Tuesday Mar 09, 2021
Tuesday Mar 09, 2021
In this miniprogram we meet Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong -- better known as Cheech and Chong -- who took their stoner comedy act to the top of the charts in the 1970s and beyond. From the never-home "Dave" to "Pedro and Man" to "Sister Mary Elephant", Cheech and Chong's characters were a staple of FM airwaves, assuming you could get off the couch to turn on the stereo! As always find extended cuts in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows.
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
In this mini program, we meet the delightful Maria Bamford, who blends phenomenal voice skills, performance art chops, and a fearless willingness to talk on stage about her personal struggles into a singular and hilarious comedy act. As always, find extended clips in the comments at laughtrackscomedy.com and thanks for sharing our shows!
Tuesday Feb 23, 2021
Tuesday Feb 23, 2021
Meet Ray Stevens, titan of comedy music for over 50 years, in this miniprogram. Starting as a teen rocker back in the 1950s, Ray's gift for witty novelty tunes soon became apparent -- and he rode that talent to top 40 radio with Gitarzan and The Streak, to his own wildly successful nightclub in Branson, and to a huge recording, publishing, performing and songwriting empire in Nashville. And he's still at it! As always, find extended cuts in the comments at laughtrackscomedy.com and thanks for sharing our shows.
Tuesday Feb 16, 2021
Tuesday Feb 16, 2021
This time out we show some respect to Rodney Dangerfield, he of the bug eyes, wild hair, and weapons-grade self deprecation. Following a failed first attempt at a comedy career, and a detour into selling aluminum siding, Rodney's second shot at fame paid off like gangbusters. From sold out theater shows, to movies, to a namesake comedy club, to 70 appearances on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show -- Rodney was a force of nature from the 1970s through the 1990s. As always, find a video version with extended cuts in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows!
Tuesday Feb 09, 2021
Tuesday Feb 09, 2021
Meet a truly great Dane -- the clown prince of Denmark, Victor Borge in this miniprogram. A musical prodigy, Victor had one of the most unusual and beloved comedy acts of all time, mixing superb classical piano with very clever comedy bits. A fixture for decades on stages and television shows around the world, Borge also invented "phonetic punctuation" in which he would substitute exaggerated sound effects for all the punctuation in a story. As always, find additional clips in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thank you for sharing our shows.
Tuesday Feb 02, 2021
Tuesday Feb 02, 2021
You may not know Julius Russell, but if we use his more famous nickname -- "Nipsey" -- it's sure to bring a smile. A veteran of party records, game shows, variety programs, and films, Nipsey specialized in witty wordplay (not to mention song and dance). As always, find additional clips in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows!
Thursday Jan 28, 2021
Thursday Jan 28, 2021
Young Lindley Jones was so thin his father, a railroad worker, nicknamed him "Spike". The nickname stuck, as did his twisted take on popular music. Spike would demolish pop hits with sound effects, wild comic voices, and frantic chord changes. His music became a staple of the early Dr. Demento radio show as new ears found big laughs in Spike's musical mayhem. As always, find extended cuts in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows!