Laugh Tracks Legends of Comedy with Randy and Steve

Edgar Bergen

Take a wooden puppet, a guy who can't quite keep his lips from moving, and add impeccable comic timing and you just might come up with Edgar Bergen, often considered the premiere ventriloquist of the 20th century. With his "dummies" Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd, Bergen was a hit in vaudeville, then on radio -- quite a feat for someone whose act generally requires the audience to see the artist. But Bergen's rapid verbal repartee with his puppets -- especially Charlie McCarthy -- captivated audiences and led to movie roles and tv appearances down the line. Bergen earned not one, not two, but three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to movies, radio, and television. As always find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows.

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Here's a nice long sample of Edgar and Charlie in action, from their 1950 Thanksgiving special. https://youtu.be/oJVrK408nyQ?si=-nhi_PPPvj9JfsBZ

Bergen's other comic foil was Mortimer Snerd -- as slow-witted as Charlie McCarthy is quick-witted. It led to fun, as in this bit with Bing Crosby.https://youtu.be/_8YBiWU5Ok4?si=o-Dum7JIiABl9hVk

In 1939 Bergen and Charlie starred in You Can't Cheat on Honest Man with WC Fields and Charlie wasted no time in annoying his co-star. https://fb.watch/xQv-XqQbRm/

Bergen and McCarthy made their final screen appearance in 1978's The Muppet Movie -- a fitting farewell to a master puppeteer. https://youtu.be/5EDVCevIB-Q?si=sh9Nhmus0fSxWQ-P

Adam Hills

Let's venture downunder to meet Adam Hills, a superb standup comedian and television presenter who has charmed Australians since the late 1980s with comedy that is sharp and playful -- and by the way, that often focuses on the fact that since birth he has been missing a foot. After starting as a radio host, Hills turned to standup and was a smash in Australia, the UK, and Canada. He became host of a popular Aussie game show in 20005, followed by a talk show. At the same time, Adam has become a star in the world of Paralympic sports both as a player (rugby) and a commentator. His sports journey has been covered in a fine documentary (Adam Hills: Take His Legs) and a memoir (Best Foot Forward). As always, find extra cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows!

 

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Adam is a titan in the world of Paralympic sports as a participant (rugby), commentator, and advocate. Here's a fun recent interview (with comedy clips). https://youtu.be/74Ce7NH2C7o?si=NkrA4-MgK1m8l-3w

 

Adam is first and foremost a superb standup and this is a fun clip of him at work. https://youtu.be/NxpkgqBSOPY?si=BrurhBYHHTDawHIL

 

Adam continues as a top standup draw and this recent clip has a fun bit about the expectations of being an Aussie.https://youtu.be/z9xOIvVI1nw?si=rTQVdhQHh2oh5tJX

 

Will Rogers

Talk about political comedians and people are sure to mention Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, George Carlin and the like, but don't forget Will Rogers who blended sharp political points with homespun humor to become a huge star in the 1920s and 30s. From his beginnings as a vaudeville rope trick artist, Will developed patter that made his audience both laugh and think. When the Great Depression impoverished much of America he became a much more pointed commentator, especially about the inequality of rich and poor. In 1935 a tragic plane crash claimed Will's life, but his legacy lives on with a Broadway musical about his life, a one-man show starring James Whitmore as Will, and as the namesake for Route 66 -- The Will Rogers Highway -- proclaimed by Congress after his death. As always find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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Will's most famous line is "I never met a man I didn't like" and that became the title for a Tony Award-winning musical about his life. Here's the title song. https://youtu.be/UnyHX7LqIGM?si=Ub0gnCX_0nD1xYYZ

Will's weekly broadcasts were required listening in American households and Will was a master of the craft including this talk, recorded during the Depression. https://youtu.be/kyfvamwM4Yo?si=HliLiu6zp6yzUXJz

After the Great Depression impoverished much of the country Will became more overtly political, endorsing FDR in 1932 -- but not without a sharp line or two.https://youtu.be/sKxaqK2ggcA?si=Qmp4sUCRX4hS7M1e

Chris Farley

Each generation has their favorite SNL cast member and for those who started watching in the 1990s it wouldn't be surprising if Chris Farley topped their list. Chris' ability to match physical shtick with over the top characters was uncanny, whether Chris was doing a Chippendale's strip off with Patrick Swayze, extolling the superiority of Da' Bears, or ranting as Matt Foley, the world's most unlikely motivational speaker. A promising movie career (Tommy Boy, Black Sheep) had just begun when Chris followed his idol John Belushi (almost to the letter) and succumbed to an overdose at the age of 33. The death struck his cast members hard and they mourn him to this day with Adam Sandler providing a suitably goofy but thoughtful song about Chris when Adam hosted SNL in 2019. As always, find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows. And just make sure you don't end up living in a van down by the river!

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Chris' most enduring character is Matt Foley, a highly unlikely motivational speaker with a great payoff line about his living situation. https://youtu.be/Xv2VIEY9-A8?si=WkmITF4d-mXk3RUQ

Chris had a promising start in the movies and his debut pairing with David Spade in Tommy Boy is a gem. https://youtu.be/S2XvxDaIwCw?si=Flg7OXRuxMDWBy-H

Adam Sandler has a way with songs, and his tribute to Chris Farley from SNL in 1989 is one of his best -- funny and touching. https://youtu.be/25IOsvWPQGQ?si=OHOd0Y3WfwJN33Xd

Danny Thomas

One of the titans of early tv sitcoms, as well as a massively successful producer, singer, and philanthropist, Danny Thomas earned his stripes as a radio comedian (especially on The Bickersons) in the 1940s, then hosted his own radio variety show, then in the early 1950s jumped to television and began his classic show "Make Room for Daddy". After that, while Danny would continue to make tv and stage appearances (including a 1970's reboot called Make Room for Granddaddy), he also conquered the tv production world with shows including The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Mod Squad, and That Girl (starring real-life daughter Marlo Thomas). Closest to Danny's heart, though, was the word he did to establish the world-famous St. Jude Children's Medical Center, the result of a promise a young and struggling Danny made to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of lost causes. As always find extra cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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A signature theme song was a must for early tv stars -- think of The Honeymooners -- and Danny Thomas was no exception with this fine jazz version of the Irish classic Danny Boy. https://youtu.be/rAMrzvqU2RQ?si=RutT59t7anfOh3_J

To get a feel for Danny's comedy style, here's a great full episode of Make Room for Daddy from season six, back before tv discovered the world was in color. https://youtu.be/sJjFeM9ZvbU?si=lGXBgUiHE9RvTDI_

Late in his career Danny would take the occasional guest spot, as he did in Happy Days in 1978. https://youtu.be/qWxNS202fV4?si=vZaFGX990ROP5vF0

As with may 1960s(ish) era tv stars, Danny was happy to be a pitchman when needed and this is a great example -- a Maxwell House Coffee ad. Sorry for the video quality, but enjoy the "Brady Bunch house" vibes of the set.https://youtu.be/sJjFeM9ZvbU?si=lGXBgUiHE9RvTDI_

Skiles and Henderson

A chance meeting in 1950s Orange County, California led Bill Skiles and Pete Henderson to create a comedy team that lasted all the way until 2010. Henderson was a singer and pianist who played the straight man, and Skiles was a sound effects madman who could punctuate (and puncture) anything Pete was trying to say or sing. The boys got their start at Disneyland as a song and dance team, then got their first Vegas break in 1960 at the Golden Nugget. Serving as regular openers for musicians such as Andy Williams and The Carpenters, Skiles and Henderson worked clean, making them regulars on tv variety and talk shows in the 1960s and 70s. In their later years they worked the showroom and corporate circuit, including stints in Branson, Missouri. As Pete Henderson described their act, "it was ad-libbing, very visual, and Bill was like something someone had left running." As always find extra cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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Many stars got their show business start at Disneyland -- Steve Martin worked in the magic store for example -- and Skiles and Henderson were no exception, being hired as a song and dance team back in 1958https://youtu.be/6R7HahXz1Bw?si=AA2L6v1AEur_3zFD.

kiles and Henderson were all over TV variety shows in the 70s and 80s -- here's what those spots looked like. https://youtu.be/eiF8CIqPiWo?si=drwm2pi3vvUDB7Bv

Bill Skiles was a sound effects master but he also was a superb impressionist including this bit which places John Wayne on the Mayflower.https://youtu.be/izjURzLAqKU?si=1UQPb-sFH8tLVAGp

Sheb Wooley

Time for some country comedy today, courtesy of the legendary Sheb Wooley who was a fine actor and songwriter as well as comic performer. Sheb started out as a rodeo rider, as well as a guitar and fiddle man. When injuries from the rodeo kept him out of the military in WWII, Sheb pivoted to music scoring his first his with a bona-fide rock and roll novelty classic, The Purple People Eater. From there Sheb kept racking up the hits, using the name Ben Colder when contractual issues kept him from issuing new material. He also was a solid western actor with key roles in Rawhide and High Noon and Sheb's theme song for the long-running show Hee Haw became an ear worm in the 1970s (and beyond). So with his singing, songwriting, and acting all winning awards you can say Sheb was a rural renaissance man. As always find extra cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows.

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One bit of Sheb trivia -- he was responsible for recording a scream that was subsequently used in many movies over the years. Known as the Wilhelm scream, Sheb laid it to tape back in 1951. https://youtu.be/rksd5v43zxI?si=ZiKwMhgjmzNQoLMj

Sheb's first hit was a rock and roll novelty classic -- The Purple People Eater. Here's Sheb performing the song on The Ed Sullivan Show back in 1958.https://youtu.be/67tKNEsJjTI?si=flFb593sqlzYaWwO

When legal issues prevented Sheb from releasing songs under his own name it was no problem -- Sheb simply morphed into Ben Colder -- a parody of a frequently inebriated country songwriter -- who would lampoon the country hits of the day. Sheb continued to release songs under both names for the rest of his career. https://youtu.be/NVGtxbN2yGs?si=7Ah1rXPiCxd0qKeE

If you have ever had the theme to the television show Hee Haw stuck in your brain you have Sheb to thank or curse. Besides being a frequent guest, Sheb composed the theme way back in 1969. https://youtu.be/KBEreTkQbds?si=RTvcGJfy6VZom0mr

 

 

 

Ron White

Take a cigar, a tumbler of scotch, a twinkle in the eye. and some salty opinions and you get Ron White, a stand-up star for nearly 40 years and one of the original "Blue Collar" comedians who mounted one of the most successful comedy tours ever back in the early 2000s. Ron's most famous catch phrase is "you can't fix stupid" which fit right in with Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck," Bill Engvall's "Here's your sign" and Larry the Cable Guy's "Get R Done" delighting the audience and turning a 26 show tour into six years of shows. Since Blue Collar, Ron has continued as a top standup draw and occasional guest star in television comedies. in 2020, he announced, then abandoned plans to retire from the road, a relief to fans who like their southern-style comedy with a bit of edge. As always find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows.

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Ron's right on this point. https://youtu.be/UQv7Tr8HbGE?si=9LCrjh0_m1IfF69V

People who haven't seen clips of early Ron White are surprised to see a long-haired wild man in place of the nattily attired gentleman who appears today. https://youtu.be/uOQHwiiI9nU?si=66f2T7EXTd3JN9Ow

Ron has the ability to connect with every person who just wants to get a beer on a hot day. Case in point. https://youtu.be/ClQuI8ds_dg?si=0ZgAlK-sVmqQOj0R

Ron's most recent Netflix special finds him in fine form, tumbler and cigar still in hand (though more for props now). https://youtu.be/68hvA_vR-0Q?si=rn8KY4Ssk-EVCKe-

 

Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis

In the 1940s and 50s Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were on top of the comedy world with a smash act that dominated nightclubs, the silver screen, and that new-fangled television thing. The premise was simple -- Dean was a crooner and straight man who tried to keep the show going according to plan, while Jerry was an overactive man-child who would mug shamelessly, croon off key, walk around in the crowd, and generally cause chaos. The crowds loved it, but as you can imagine those were two large talents (and in Jerry's case ego) to contain in one act. They split after a decade with both going on to solo success but never quite recapturing the magic they had as a duo. Thanks to Frank Sinatra they reconciled though they never re-teamed -- but there is a lot of video that captures Dean and Jerry in action during their heyday. As always, find extra cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows.

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Dean and Jerry got their big nightclub break at Atlantic City's famed 500 Club. The picture quality on this one is poor, but it's fascinating -- an episode of the Today Show from 1956 featuring a number of stars from the club including Martin & Lewis who appear about 40 minutes in. https://youtu.be/x-2BHMfa5do?si=flVl7TyFSC4EPkUU

Martin & Lewis were mainstays of early television with numerous guest shot on the top shows of the day along with their own series. This bit from Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theater is from 1949. https://youtu.be/u7O3I0uww3U?si=PiWtq_-Qhfixq-Ap

Jerry and Dean were big screen sensations, eventually making 16 features. 1953's The Caddy is one of their best -- dip in anywhere to get a taste of the boys in action. https://youtu.be/qrlbr4ziDL0?si=iwQBxX8lc2z_w5sp

After splitting up Martin and Lewis famously didn't speak for 20 years, but that changed at the 1976 Jerry Lewis MDA telethon, courtesy of the Chairman of the Board. https://youtu.be/RRq2ed1fK2k?si=hj1l5xCFC_JCHoT0

Neil Innes

This time out we have a real treat from across the pond. Neil Innes may not be the most recognizable name in comedy, but without him the Monty Python movies would be much the poorer (and we wouldn't have a Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band at all). Coming up as part of the British satire boom of the early 1960s, Neil was an artist and musician with a flair for the absurd. That certainly came to the fore in the Bonzos, where Neil often sang lead and wrote their biggest hit. He soon crossed paths with the Pythons who used his music in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (among others), and he later collaborated with Eric Idle on the faux-Beatles parody, The Rutles. An all-around good bloke, Neil remained a well-loved fixture in British comedy, including Bonzos and Rutles reunions, for the rest of his life. As always, find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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Neil was a key member of the dada-influenced rockers The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. He wrote and sang lead on their biggest hit -- I'm The Urban Spaceman. https://youtu.be/olGXtohOs7c?si=C-yLWjWHi27hxE_u

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is beloved by fans and the clever tunes by Neil are part of the reason why. Here Neil foretells the fate of his boss, the very very brave Sir Robin. https://youtu.be/ACajzIlzvH0?si=ZdJZ8X2TpQzpP1M

George Harrison was a great patron of the Pythons and was always ready to take a piss out of his old band. This clip from Eric Idle's Rutland Weekend Television finds George in fine voice singing . . .what?https://youtu.be/zJFLiW10ZrE?si=MOI5msq9MPQUaHHp