Who are your favorite comedians?

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I'd be interested to know who are your favorite comedians and who are your least favorite. I'd like to know why too but I realize it's not always possible to define why something is funny.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 13, 2001

Answers

Short and sweet:

Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters... Hands down.

snickerin' at the idiot on TV...

The Dog

-- The Dog (dogdesert@hotmail.com), January 13, 2001.


OK, I'll start. These are off the top of my head. I'm sure I'm forgetting many. In no special order (these are comedians and comic actors)---

Favorites

The ensemble from SNL in the late 70s (Aykroyd, Murray, Radner, Curtain, Newman)

The early Steve Martin

Mike Myers

Dana Carvey

Martin Short

The early Eddie Murphy

Phil Hartman (deceased)

Jack Benny (deceased)

Chris Farley (decease)

Bob Newhart

Johnny Carson

David Letterman

the early David Steinberg

Jerry Seinfeld

Lucille Ball

Helen Hunt

Least favorite

Chris Rock

Dennis Miller

Bill Maher

Paula Poundstone

the current Robin Williams

Middle ground

George Carlin

David Brenner

Bette Midler

Billy Crystal

John Belushi (deceased)

Nora Dunn

-- Lars (lars@yahoo.com), January 13, 2001.


Dog--

Yes, I forgot Jonathon Winters. Brilliant. The early Robin Williams was great too and he gave much credit to JW for his improvs. For some reason I don't enjoy Williams as much anymore.

It's interesting how one comedian will influense a younger. Winters > Williams; Benny > Carson and Newhart; Steve Allen > Letterman

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 13, 2001.


Eddie Izzard, the British transvestite comic, is BRILLIANT!

-- LaughingSoHard (CoffeeSquirtsOuttaMy@Nose.com), January 13, 2001.

Victor Borge (deceased) definitely deserves mention too!

-- IntelligentComedy (IsNotAn@Oxymoron.com), January 13, 2001.


"Laughing so hard"--

I never heard of Eddie Izzard. Where do you see him?

You made me realize that I had not mentioned any British comedians. I like Monty Python, Benny Hill and Tracy Ullman.

-- (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 13, 2001.


I just thought of another personal UNfavorite---everybody's least favorite comedian, Jerry Lewis. What do the French see in him? Even Rupert Pupkin is funnier than Jerry Lewis.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 13, 2001.

Lars -

Eddie Izzard just won two Emmy's for his HBO special "Dressed to Kill".

-- HTH (.@StillLaughing.com), January 13, 2001.


...me...

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), January 13, 2001.

Robin Williams and Jonathon Winters. Absotively screaming funny. Eyes running, snot-streaming funny.

Also Bill Cosby, Stephen Wright (where DID he go?), the whole Python ensemble, Gallagher (when I was a stoner he was the MAN).

Who remembers Red Button's performances on Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts? "... never got a dinner!" I was very young, but found him to be quite funny. It seemed he was one of the few on those shows who really got the rest of the roasters laughing their asses off.

George Carlin was phenomenal. Now he kinda bores me.

I've always wondered how Steve Martin ever made a living.

Frank Zappa and his long list of band members deserve a mention. Great music combined with hilarious, eclectic themes. Gross at times, searingly deep cuts taken at the main stream, sleepwalking culture at large. No sacred cows.

Robin Williams is the greatest entertainer of my lifetime, IMO, when his body of acting work is taken into account.

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), January 13, 2001.



FAvorites...Sarah Brady, Jesse Jackson, Alcee hastings, Tom Dashle, Maxine Waters, Gray Davis, Win Ho Lee, Johny Chung, Monica, and David Ives.

Least favorite ....Peter Jennings

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), January 13, 2001.


Mike Meyers rocks!!! I also like Dana Carvey, Tracy Ullman, Ellen, Roseanne, the whole cast of Mad TV

Eddie Izzard huh. I saw that HBO special, it was "fabulous!" I was seriously rollin, very funny guy. I just never remembered his name. "Cake or death? Well I'll take cake, thank you very much" heh

Least favorite? hmmm ...Seinfeld, David Letterman, and Howard Stern all bug

-- (cin@cin.cin), January 13, 2001.


Uncle Bob.

And of the not-so-famous variety: Will Durst, Richard Pryor (in his day), Stephen Wright, Chris Rock, Dennis Miller, Larry Miller (The Five Levels of Drinking), Lily Tomlin, Rita Rudner, the duo of Harvey Korman/Tim Conway, Robin Williams/Jonathan Winters -- NO ONE is funnier than these two together -- Pythons, original SNL crew, Al Franken, George Carlin (in his day), French & Saunders, Dennis Leary, Howie Mandel (used to be funny -- where the hell has he been?) ..... I'm sure there are others.

-- (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), January 13, 2001.


Rich, a few years ago, Carlin gave a performance at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden. A friend of mine went. He said the first hour was classic Carlin. The second hour consisted of a diatribe against golf courses.

He said at least half the audience got up and walked out.

-- (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), January 13, 2001.


As a kid, Andy Kaufman doing "Latka" and "Mighty Mouse". Carlin when I was a young teen and he was saying the 7 words you can't say on TV on HBO. PeeWee Herman only on PeeWee's Playhouse. Steven Wright the first few times I heard him. Bill Cosby's standup, when I became a parent and could relate. The first time I saw Eddie Murphys stand up routine. Goldie Hawn in movies. Mad TV every Saturday night. Robin Williams the first season of Mork and Mindy. Gallagers sledge o matic every time I see it, still. Richard Jenni, a local Jersey boy clawing his way up.

-- kirsten (kritter@adelphia.net), January 14, 2001.


Patricia, yes the Carol Burnett team were great. Burnett was great and now she seems so hard. Too many face lifts?

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 14, 2001.

Mopping my brow, pullin my tie, "I never get no respect"

-- (nemesis@awol.com), January 14, 2001.

Any other Lenny Bruce fans out there?

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), January 14, 2001.

Carlos, I was too young to have known what he was about at the time, but what I've heard in "retrospectives" has been quite impressive. He was so far ahead of his time, it seems.

Lars, I don't know about "facelifts" (has she had any? I hadn't thought so...), but I saw her back in the Fall (?) talking about the Carol Burnett Show; specifically, the discussion centered around Korman/Conway. She seemed OK, if a bit melancholy (understandable).

Jeez, I was laughing just as hard at the skits as I did the first time around.....

-- (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), January 14, 2001.


I wish I could join in but I find no humor in life...it is a deadly serious business, and those who waste time laughing are going to regret it, mark my words.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), January 14, 2001.

Then there are the tele-evangelists. Go ahead. Pick one.

How could I forget Conway/Korman? Time to break out the hair shirt.

Red Foxx was a giant in his day. A bit too risque for my sensitive disposition.

The original cast of SNL. "New, improved Shimmer. It's a floor wax AND a dessert topping!"

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), January 14, 2001.


What was that cereal -- the one that was mined from the quarry? Jeez, between that and the Bass-O-Matic.....

Someone sent me this in email the other day:

And I need to add Paula Poundstone and A. Whitney Brown to my list of favorites.

-- (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), January 14, 2001.


(Can I add Unk to my list, as well?)

-- not enough coffee yet..... (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), January 14, 2001.


...David Letterman...

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), January 14, 2001.

Let me add Dennis Miller, Abbott & Costello, and Richard Pryor...

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), January 14, 2001.

What, no Ernie Kovacks?

{Lon must be on the road}

-- flora (***@__._), January 14, 2001.


Admittedly, I haven't really watched Letterman since he left NBC (and I'm just sound asleep by the time it comes on -- wimp). I watched the first show on CBS (which was pretty lame, except for the beginning when Tom Brokaw confiscated the Jumbo Joke Cards (tm) as being "the intellectual property of NBC").

I went to see the show with a group of people a couple of years ago, but it just wasn't the same.

Stuff I miss about the NBC Letterman:

I'm sure there's more........

-- (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), January 14, 2001.


Oh, I forgot Stephen Wright...

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), January 14, 2001.

oH yES,tHA'TS right! I also want to nominate Unk, for his performance on January 12th at Boks. After extolling the virtues of the beautiful Asian movie "Crouching Tiger" to the chat room, Unk replied "Me rove you rong time", and continued to spiral downwards from there. It was classic Unk..Yup..Unk wins!

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), January 14, 2001.

Patricia--

Remember when he wore a velcro suit and vaulted against a velcro wall? Too funny.

Larry Bud Melman

The gal in the office building window next door

So many more, I wish NBC would do re-runs of that show

I still like Letterman but he has lost some of his manic zaniness and I don't get the throat-clearing schtick. Yeah, you must be gettin old if you used to watch the Late Show and now you are asleep for the earlier show. It happens.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 15, 2001.


Larry David / Seinfeld (sorry cin ;-) / Paula Poundstone / Colin Mochary ("Whose Line Is It?") / Bob Newhart / Dennis Leary / Lenny Clark / Steve Sweeney, and so many others already mentioned!

Mar.

-- Not now, not like this (AgentSmith0110@aol.com), January 15, 2001.


Lars, I just remembered the Alka-Seltzer Suit -- LOL!!

-- (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), January 15, 2001.


Cheech and Chong...saw Tommy Chong in person here in Cleveland at comedy club....what a riot.!!

-- sumer (shh@aol.con), January 15, 2001.

Boswell Did your parents have any children that lived?

-- Uncle Bob

OH and beyond a doubt, uncle bob and Nemisis.

-- sumer (shh@aol.con), January 15, 2001.


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