The Comedians
Page 51
Reiner, Carl, 105, 108, 196
Reiner, Rob
in All in the Family, 288
on comedy club exploitation, 306
friendship with Brooks, 278
writing for The Committee, 244
Rexroth, Kenneth, 242
Rich, John, 285
Richard Pryor Show, The, 301
Richards, Michael, 312
Richardson, T. Warner, 232–233
Richter, Andy, 340
Rickles, Don
act straightened out by Scandore, 151–152
early, non-insult, act of, 150
Friars Club roast of, 154
insult shtick born from response to hecklers, 150
Leonard imitated by, 149, 153–154
schooling in acting, 149
at the Slate Brothers nightclub, 163
social ineptitude of, 150
sued by Weber, 151
work for Weber, 149–151
Riordan, Irene, 241
Ripley, Ray, 5
risqué language. See dirty talk
Rivers, Joan
Bruce’s encouragement of, 183
Carroll’s influence on, 80
on Cavett compared to Carson, 240
with Connell and Holmes, 182–183
determination of, 183, 184
difficult early years of, 181–184
material stolen by, 183–184
other names for, 181
with Second City, 182
work for Candid Camera, 177
Roach, Hal, 37–38
Robinson, Hubbell Jr., 102
Rock, Chris, 326, 330, 331, 332
Rogers, Timmie, 186
Rollins, Jack, 94, 178, 181
Roman, Freddie
on Berle’s large cock, 288
on Catskill comedians, 75
on Hackett’s dirty language, 144
Mason disliked by, 210
on Podell, 63–64
on Pully’s lewdness, 69
Roman, Lulu, 257
Roman, Murray, 252–253
Romano, Ray, 311
Rooney, Kevin, 316
Rooney, Mickey, 134
Roseanne, 337
Roselli, Johnny, 232–233
Rose Marie, 56
Rosen, Arnie, 105
Ross, Joe E., 103–104, 314–315
Ross, Lenny, 67–68
Rossi, Steve, 294, 315–316
Rothstein, Arnold, 85
rotten food, throwing in vaudeville, 8
Roulette records, 193–194
Rowe, Mike, 311
Roxy presentation house, NY, 77
Roy, Jack. See Dangerfield, Rodney
Ruben, Aaron, 104
Rubin, Benny, 11, 34, 58, 77
Ruby, Harry, 42
Rudner, Rita, 323
Ruggles, Wesley, 15
Rush, Chris, 246
Russell, Nipsey, 188–189, 237
Sahl, Mort
Bruce and Winters compared to, 165
Burns & Carlin helped by, 176
called by Bruce after arrests, 225
comedy changed by, 157, 159, 160–162, 166
comedy record by, 192
emulated by Woody Allen, 179
fast patter of, 160–161
at the hungry i, 160
influence of, 166
Mob threats and, 199
panned by Time, 164
politics and fading career of, 262
red sweater vest of, 161
sick humor of, 164
theft-proof material of, 159
as Tonight Show host, 206
Woody Allen influenced by, 161
Saks, Sol, 36–37
Sands, Harvey, 40
Sanford, John. See Foxx, Redd
Sanford and Son, 290–291
Saturday Night Live
becoming mainstream, 353
Clay booked on, 327
disparaged by Berle, 313
drug use by performers, 316
first show after 9/11, 346–347, 348
Rock on, 331, 332
writers for, 337, 338
Savo, Jimmy, 67
Sawyer, Connie, 78
Scandore, Joe, 151, 152
Schell, Ronnie, 314–315
Schlatter, George
on Groucho Marx’s use of LSD, 245
on Hughes in Vegas, 234
JFK’s assassination and, 199–200
Laugh-In produced by, 199, 255
on Raskin’s brilliance, 256
Williams asked to clean up by, 298–299
schoolroom acts in vaudeville, 9–10
Schreiber, Avery, 271
Schultz, George, 274–275
Schultz, Marty, 275
Schultz, Set, 275
Schwartz, Sherwood, 260, 261
Second City
Bruce’s influence on, 204
Jack Burns with, 177
in New York, 204–205
Odenkirk at, 338
The Premise compared to, 202, 204
Rivers with, 182
socialist vibe of, 204
Willard with, 173
Seinfeld, Jerry
act cleaned up by, 309
on Catch a Rising Star and the Comic Strip, 308–309
on the Comedy Store culture, 308
on David’s fragility onstage, 310
Klein’s influence on, 275
on The Last Laugh, 305
Tonight Show appearances by, 321
Sennes, Frank, 280
Sennet, Mack, 4
September 11, 2001, 345–349
Shandling, Garry, 332, 339
Shapiro, Nathan, 35
Shatner, William, 337
Sheedy, Michael R., 3
Shepherd, David, 169, 170
Sherman, Allan, 127
Sherman, Don
on comedians’ names, 157
exchange with Podell by, 63
on Greene’s anxiety, 146–147
on Hanson’s Drugstore, 88
on NY presentation houses, 78
on Orben’s joke books, 156
on Weber, 149
Ship, Reuben, 118
Shore, Mitzi, 284, 307, 308
Shore, Sammie
Comedy Store opened with De Luca, 282–284
De Luca as writer for, 282
divorce of, 284
falling out with De Luca, 284
first Los Angeles comedy club opened by, 280, 281
Four Star International opened by, 284
on Greene’s hate for show business, 146
as last Band Box comedian, 280
the Mob and, 66
on Pully’s lewdness, 69
on Rickles, 150, 153
on Ross’s death, 314–315
Shuster, Rosie, 248
sick humor, 164
Silverman, Allison, 350, 351
Silverman, Phil, 317, 318
Silvers, Phil
anxiety disorder of, 104–105
on Berle’s abusive rehearsals, 98
Berle’s ratings beaten by, 101
in Broadway productions, 102
child act featuring, 8
on the end of vaudeville, 25
friendship with Berle, 101
as a Hollywood regular, 101–102
on the Jerry Lewis Theater, 207
Phil Silvers Show, The, 101–105
scammed by the Mob, 232, 233
television success of, 97
at White Ho
use Correspondents’ Dinner, 102
Silverstein, Andrew, 326–327
Simmons, Russell, 332
Simon, Danny, 122–123
Simon, Neil, 122, 143
Simon, Paul, 346
Sinatra, Frank, 148
Sinbad, 325
Singleton, Penny, 64
Skidoo, 244–245
Skillet & Leroy, 292
Skutch, Ira, 118
Slate Brothers nightclub, 163
Slavin, Slick, 158, 227–228, 238
Sloate, Maynard
on Berman’s difficult personality, 211
on Bruce, 159, 162
on Rickles, 163
on Strip City comics, 159, 188
Smigel, Robert
as Conan O’Brien writer, 339–341
“Da Bears” screenplay by, 337, 342–343
as Dana Carvey Show creator, 343, 344
on The Onion after 9/11, 348
as SNL writer, 337–338
on writing comedy after 9/11, 348
Smith, Fletcher, 192
Smothers, Tom
Another Nice Mess produced by, 267
The Committee loved by, 243
creative control not given to, 249
Cy Howard hired by, 252
delay tactics to avoid censorship, 254
distrust between show writers and, 249
drug use by, 253, 254
first editorial on the show and, 250
Joey Bishop Show appearance by, 238
on Miller’s change after 9/11, 349
mini-empire of, 254
musicians hired as writers by, 252
on Music Scene, 255
new writers hired by, 251
targeted by Nixon, 267
on their sitcom, 248
Smothers Brothers
seen as harmless by the industry, 249
sitcom in mid-’60s by, 248
Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The, 249–255
start on Paar show, 135
Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The
cancellation of, 254–255
as controversial from the start, 249
first editorial on the show, 250
Paulsen’s subversion on, 250, 251
third season controversies, 253–254
writers for, 249, 251
Snyder, Tom, 319
Sobel, Jack, 10
Sobol, Louis, 85
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (S.P.C.C.), 9
Solomon, Leo, 118
Southern, Terry, 227
South Florida nightclubs, 58–61
Stack, Brian, 342, 345
Stage Delicatessen, 86–87
stand-up. See also Comedy Boom; nightclubs; specific comedians
Bruce’s influence on, 157–159, 166
on cable TV, 323
change to personal point of view, 155, 159
changing attitude toward joke thievery, 156
Compass Players, 168–170
at the Crescendo, 162
at the Crystal Palace, 170–171
early Black comedians, 184–190
Fay as originator in vaudeville, 14–16, 155
HBO specials, 299–301
at the hungry i, 160, 161–162
as inexpensive entertainment, 324
joke books used for, 155–156
The Last Laugh on, 304–305
name created by the Mob, 53
obstacles for women, 183
Sahl’s influence on, 159, 160–162, 166
Winters’s influence on, 157, 159, 166
Stanfield, Richard, 191–192, 294
Stan Freberg Show, The, 167–168
Stang, Arnold, 50–51, 52
Stanwyk, Barbara, 15
Starr, Ben, 109
Star Search, 325
Stein, Joe, 50–51
Steinberg, David
Bruce’s influence on, 204
HBO special hosted by, 300
in Music Scene, 255
with Second City, 173
Smothers Brothers cancellation and, 254
targeted by Nixon, 266
Stern, Leonard, 105
Steve Allen Show, The, 130–131
Stewart, Bob, 318
Stewart, Jon
break on Letterman’s show, 334–335
as Caroline’s Comedy Hour writer, 334
at the Comedy Cellar, 334
Daily Show, The, 347–348, 349–350
evolution of his act, 334
first gig of (disabled puppets), 334
first show after 9/11, 347–348
first stand-up by, 334
Jon Stewart Show, The, 335
as television writer, 334
Stiller, Ben, 336–337
Stiller, Jerry, 170
Stone, Harvey, 39–40
Stone, Sid, 100
Storm, Howard, 10, 65–66, 92–93
Storm, Morty, 75
Strip City, 159, 188
studio audience
for late night TV, 127
for radio, 30, 46–47, 113
Sullivan, Ed, 111–113, 120, 172–173, 179
Sultan, Arne, 142
supper clubs. See nightclubs
Swain’s Rats and Cats, 8
Tambor, Jeffrey, 332
Tamiment, 106
Tannen, Julius, 18
Tarloff, Frank, 118–119
Taylor, Rip, 69
television, 95–124. See also late night TV; specific shows and entertainers
Bruce’s appearances on, 163
Caesar as star of, 105–111
careers boosted by, 95
comedy channels on cable TV, 327–328
comedy stagnation in the ’60s, 205
demographics in 1948, 95–96
laugh track on, 113–114
movie industry threatened by, 96
pace altered by Laugh-In, 256
radio compared to, 95
significant comedians during first full decade of, 97
sitcoms of the ’50s, 102–103
stars hired in Las Vegas, 140
unaffected by the ’60s, 248
vaudeville comedians on, 97
Winters not understood by, 165
Tennis, Craig, 321
Texaco Star Theater, 97–101
Thomas, Danny, 118–119, 140, 285
Thomerson, Tim, 276, 304
Thompson, Bill, 42
Three Bananas, 281
Three Keatons act, 8–9
Three Stooges
on Berle’s television show, 98–99
Healy left by, 13
Healy’s creation of, 12
on Hitler’s death list, 38
Tim Conway Comedy Hour, The, 281–282
Tolkin, Mel, 105, 106, 195
Tomlin, Lily
comedy record by, 255
drug use by, 272
in Laugh-In, 255
Lily show, 272, 273
on Michaels, 272
in Music Scene, 255
telephone operator act of, 255
Tonight! America After Dark, 131
Tonight Show, The, 129–137
Allen as first host of, 129–130
Brenner as star due to, 275
Burns & Carlin on, 176
Carson as host of, 248
Cavett as writer for, 181
competition for spots on, 321–322
Cosby on, 224
dress code on, 248
influence of, 125
&
nbsp; Letterman’s first appearance on, 317
many hosts after Paar left, 205–206
McCawley as producer, 321–322
moved to Burbank, 294
new comedians on, 294
not a star maker, 320–321
other names for, 133
Paar as host of, 132–137
rules for Late Night with David Letterman and, 319
variable length of, 135
Weaver’s memo about, 128
Willard & Grecco on, 173
Torn, Rip, 332
Tracy, Spencer, 38
Troubadour, The, 276
Tucker, Larry, 160
Twitter, 354
Tyler, Willie, 184, 221, 222
Unknown Comic act, 301–302
Upright Citizens Brigade, 342
Vagabond Club, 60
Vallee, Rudy, 29–30
Van Dyke, Jerry, 307
vaudeville, 1–25. See also specific entertainers
burlesque compared to, 6–7
chaste policy in, 1–2, 7
child acts in, 8–10
circuit contracts in, 2–3
competing circuits in, 2, 3
cruelty in, 7–8, 9, 12
dope fiend genre in, 5
drug and alcohol use in, 5–6
elaborate theaters of, 23–24, 25
joke books used for, 155–156
kinship with prostitutes and drug dealers, 5
miserable conditions for comedians, 1, 3–4
money struggles in, 23–24
nightclubs compared to, 55
number of U.S. theaters, 1
racism and racial stereotypes in, 10–11
radio and the end of, 24–25, 26
so-rotten-they’re-good performers, 8
television comedians from, 97
thievery in, 18–19, 20
transportation challenges in, 4
Vernon, Jeremy, 281, 283
Verve Records, 194, 200
Vietnam War
Benny on, 264–265
Carlin on, 259
The Committee’s act and, 242
Freberg’s support for McGovern-Hatfield Ammendment, 265
Hope’s support for, 236, 262, 263–264
Lewis as critic of, 264
Sullivan on, 179
Wald, Jerry, 220
Waldron, Jack, 57–58
Walker, Jimmie
Chitlin’ Circuit played by, 184–185
Comedy Store strike and, 308
on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, 287
on FM radio’s benefit to comedians, 247
in Good Times, 296
on Prinze, 297
start at the Improv, 296
television debut of, 285
Walker, T-Bone, 221, 222
Wallace, George, 239
Wallace, Mike, 61–62
Warren, Fuller, 61
Warren, Rusty, 192, 193, 235
Watkins, Ralph, 189
Wayans, Keenen Ivory, 331–332
Wayans, Marlon, 331–332
Wayne, Marty, 67
Weber, Willie, 149–150, 151
Weinstein, Sol, 65