What types of comedy are their? Slapstick, Parody/Spoof, Stand up comedy, Black humor/Dark humor, Comedy reality shows, Dramedy, Silent comedy, Candid camera, Cartoons.
What different comedians are their? Michael Mclntyre – Birthday: 21 February, 1976 (Age 46), Birthplace: London, England. Although only releasing 2 live DVDs, Michael Mclntyre is often considered as one of the funniest recent comedians in the UK. His big break came from appearing on comedy shows such as Live At The Apollo and The Royal Variety Performance from 2006. He also appeared as a judge on the talent show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ in 2011. He embarks on a new sand up tour in 2012. He’s also a very energetic performer, and his comedic style is very much observational comedy.
Ricky Gervais – Birthday: 25 June, 1961 (Age 61), Birthplace: Whitley, Reading, England. Is a British actor, writer, comedian, producer and was even once a radio presenter! He started out working for British radio station XFM, but found mainstream such as Writer, Director, and a lead role in The Office. He has gone on to write and star in other Tv series, named Extras, Life’s Too Short and The Ricky Gervais show – an animated series based on podcasts he recorded with friends Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington. He has released 4 stand up DVDs to date, with a fifth in the pipeline. Gervais is an incredible writer, and a sharp-witted comedian with a real smartness to his writing and comedy style a well.
Bill Bailey – Birthday: 13 January,1965 (Age 57), Birthplace: Bath, Somerset, England. Is a comedian, actor, and talented musician. After being nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award in 2006, his profile began to rise and appearances on several comedy quiz panels (and a part in the fantastic TV series ‘spaced‘ alongside Simon Pegg) led into a part in the comedy ‘Black Books‘. His live concerts feature quirky jokes about kebab photographers and Glastonbury hippies, and a musical section which includes covers of famous songs performed as different genres, and original songs about punk singers selling butter and insects taking over the world.
Peter Kay – Birthday: 2 July, 1973 (Age 49), Birthplace: Bolton, Lancashire, England. Is a writer and stand up comedian from Bolton. He first got into comedy after studying a module in stand-up at the University of Salford. After winning a stand up competition in the late 90’s, and several appearances on TV comedy shows, his career has gone from strength to strength. He’s also written and starred in several TV series, including ‘That Peter Kay Thing’ and ‘Phoenix Nights’. A lot of his comedy is based on real-life experiences, such as his childhood and family. Very often he makes jokes about thing that his audience can relate to, for example, how your drunk dad acts at family weddings.
How hard is stand-up comedy? It is hard to keep the jokes fresh and the laughs coming. So many stand up comedians blow up after telling a few good jokes on stage and quickly fade into obscurity because everyone has heard their schtick and nobody finds it funny anymore. If a comedian has staying power, they are a master of their craft.
Then vs now comedy? Then: Homosexuality, Race, Sexism, Poverty, Religion, Body image. Now: Phones/Tech, Politics, News, Homo phobia, War/History, Celebs, Life/Mental health, Games, Social media, education, clothes, illnesses.
1920s – The Vaudeville Stars Some of the biggest stars in the nation were clean comedians like Will Rogers. Before movie became popular, live entertainment was king. Vaudeville was the big scene. People flocked to theaters large and small to see live performances by comedians, singers, dancers, magicians, and variety shows. Comic jugglers like the cantankerous W.C. Fields left audiences howling. Showmen like escape artists extraordinaire Harry Houdini became world famous.
Variety was the spice of life in the roaring 20s. And in Vaudeville, variety acts were the name game. Will “I never met a man I didn’t like” Rogers performed dazzling rope tricks while spouting funny one-liners. (Here’s a zinger from this likeable wise guy: “Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.”)
Rogers amused the American public with his warmth and topical wit. Though he poked good clean fun at just about everybody, audiences knew that he was a kind-hearted humorist. Though Rogers became a much bigger star, is was Frank Fay who was likely American’s first “stand up” comedian. Though forgotten today, during the Vaudeville era he became a wildly popular master of ceremonies at the Palace in New York. In the 1920s he delighted audiences with his ability to host a show and adlib jokes right on the spot in between the other acts. Fay became one of the highest paid Vaudeville. He earned over $17,000 per week, a small fortune at the time. According to his performer peers, Fay was also known as a bitter and self-centered human being. Fellow Vaudevillian comedian Fred Allen once quipped about Frank Fay: “The last time I saw him he was walking down Lover’s lane, holding his own hand.”
Comedy abounded with racial stereotypes at this time (A young Bob Hope performed in black face in his early days). But sexual language and obscenity was frowned upon. While many comedians swore up a storm off stage, they were what would later be called “fun for the whole family” onstage. Clean comedians were the norm. In fact, the concept of “blue” material goes back to this period. When a comedian used raunchy or sexually explicit material, he would get a warning notice from the theater in a blue envelope. The message was clear: cut the raunchy materteral or you’ll be cut from the show.
While there were many “off colors” entertainers to choose from, the general public appreciated the clean comedies. In fact, local papers promoted “clean bills” which referred to shows where good clean fun was guaranteed. These shows were packed with big variety without the vulgarity.
1930s – motion pictures Laurel & Hardy were arguably the greatest comedy duo of al-time. Unlike the master clown Charlies Chaplin, they were able to succeed in both silent and “talkie” movies. In the 1930s, vaudeville began to wane as more and more theatergoers were excited about seeing motion pictures. In 1935 Laurel & Hardy won an Academy Award for their hysterical short film The Music Box, where the boys unsuccessfully attempt to hoist a grand piano up an enormous set of stairs.
Stan Laurel was the comic-genius behind the duo’s legacy of laughter. Laurel wrote nearly all of the team’s gags and directed many of their films. Hardy was a tremendous comic-actor and quite a good singer to boot. Laurel & Hardy’s delightful, iconic dance was captured in Way Out West, one of their two masterpiece full length feature film. Their other full-length classic was Sons of the Desert which also became the name of their popular fan club that still meets in local chapters around the world. The Great Depression was afflicting Americans in the 1930s. Laurel & Hardy and other clean comedians knew it was laughter the people were after. Laurel later said about their work, “We never dealt with suggestive material… there was no conscious attempt at being either sarcastic or offensive. “Other great comedians from this time include. Buster “Stone Face” Keaton, Charlie Chase, The Little Rascals, and possibly the funniest act of them all: The Marx Brothers.
Like Laurel & Hardy, the Marx Brothers relied on character and exaggeration as the basis for their comedy antics. Harpo was the silent one. Chico the zany piano player. And Groucho Marx was the witty master of the one-liner (“I would never belong to a club that would have me as a member”. “Those are my principles. If you don’t like them, I have others.”) Many of the comedy films from this era, including The Marx Brothers Duck Soup hold up and are still funny four generations after they were made!
1940s – Radio Stars Radio ruled the media in the 1940s. Jack Benny, Fred Allen, Bob Hope and other clean comedians cracked up the entire country. Benny, who would later become a big star on television, made his mark on the radio airwaves in the 40s. Millions of Americans would tune in each week to hear his side-splitting shtick as the king of all cheapskates. One of the longest laughs ever recorded by a comedian happened on March 28,1948 on Jack Benny’s radio program. Benny was held up by an armed robber on his show. Mugger: Your money or your life. Mugger: (After a long, awkward pause) Look bud. I said, your money or your life. Jack: I’m thinking it over. Listeners loved him. They felt like they knew him. Along with his stinginess, Jack Benny and another classic running gag: he joked about being 39 for many years. Although he lived to be 80, he seems to be eternally 39 (at least in his own mind). Radio was a very competitive medium during its golden age. But Benny wasn’t worried. He once said, “When another comedian has a lousy show, I’m the first one to admit it.”
1950s – TV shows Just as radio had been the dominated vehicle for laughter in the 1940s, in the 50s TV became the medium for merry making. Radio comedian Fred Allen once quipped, “I’ve decided why they call television a medium. It’s because nothing on it is well done.”
Maybe Allen was jealous. Comedy turned out to be the key to the “Golden Age” of Television. And there were many clean comedians leading the charge. It is nearly impossible to focus on just one funny performer from this decade. Andy Griffith parlayed his storytelling comedy act into an all-time classic TV show co-starring the brilliant Don Knott’s as Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show.
Red Skelton, who honed his craft as a great comedian in Vaudeville, movies, and on the radio, also landed his own popular TV show in the 1950s. Americans loved the comic personalities he portrayed on The Red Skelton Show including Freddie the freeloader and the unforgettable Clem Kadiddlehopper. Lucille Ball became a comedian for the. How? By playing a highly exaggerated version of herself and her marriage with the underrated performer Desi Arnaz.
Though not an improviser, ad-libber, or stand up, Lucille Ball was truly a comic wizard. Her slapstick as featured on I Love Lucy for six seasons (180 episodes!) was shot on film and has enthralled audiences via re-runs ever since. There are three things that made Lucille Ball one of the top comedians of the 20th century. First, Lucy was a Master of Physical comedy. Think back to the hysterical candy factory episode with Ethel (Vivian Vance) where she frantically stuffs dozens of chocolates into her hat and mouth. Second, she created an unforgettable character. she desperately wanted to be in show business and never stopped trying to sneak her way into her husband Ricky’s (Desi Aznaz’s) nightclub act. Finally, “I Love Lucy” became the template for classic situation comedies that would become legendary shows following her examples (M.A.S.H, All In The Family, and later Seinfeld).
And talk about tasteful and timeless humor. I Love Lucy never hinted at innuendo, cursing, or obscenity of any kind. The network sponsors didn’t even want the cast to use the word “pregnant.” Lucille Ball had another secret weapon. She knew about the power of connecting with a live audience. In 1953 she said, “I am a real ham. I love an audience. I am dead, in fact without one.” She recorded all her shows with studio audiences.
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Charleston dance 1920s – The Charleston is a dance named after the harbor city of Charleston on South Carolina. The rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance music in the United States by a 1923 tune called “The Charleston” by composer/ pianist James P.Johnson, which originated in the Broadway show running wild. The dance probably came from the “Star” or challenge dances that were all part of the African American dance called Juda.