Comedy History 101

Lenny Bruce was a comedian who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. And because of that, he became a martyr for free speech. Between 1961 to 1964, he was arrested on obscenity charges 8 times - for performing stand up comedy. You might have seen a fictional portrayal of Bruce on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. In this CH101 episode we dive into the history of Lenny Bruce, censorship, and free speech in sta...

The late George Martin will always be best remembered for his legendary work as the producer of The Beatles. Did you know that the man who made the Fab Four sound amazing got his start as a producer of comedy albums? Yes, the man behind creating the soundscape for A Day in the Life - also produced comedy albums for Peter Sellers, The Goon Show, and Beyond the Fringe (featuring Dudley Moore). Produ...

Roseanne was supposed to be the big comedy breakout star of Trump’s America… and look how that turned out. So, why are there so few right-wing Republican comedians who can extend the comedic olive branch across both sides of the political aisle? And how come every time there’s a Republican version of The Daily Show - it fails? We dive into the fine art of right-wing comedy and its proclivity to pu...

Tim Conway was one of the greatest second bananas in comedy history. Sadly, he passed away on May 14th at the age of 85. Conway’s comedy career started on a local TV station in Ohio, and he made his mark in sketches alongside Harvey Korman on the Carol Burnett Show. He also starred in the much overlooked TV movie: Roll Freddy, Roll. We love the comedy work of Tim Conway - and today’s CH101 episode...

Alex Jones began his career in Austin, Texas, back in the ’90s, as a local cable access cult figure - and He built a rabid national audience by spewing out conspiracy theories. To set the stage, ACTV (Austin Community Access TV) in the ’90s was pure Austin at it’s weirdest. Find out how Jones jumped on the scene as an amped up 22-year old - and originally wanted to be a standup comedian. Learn wha...

Since the beginning of the 20th century, slipping on a banana peel has been a fixture in physical comedy. A comedy trope, if you will. We’ve seen such legendary silent comedians as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Laurel and Hardy - all do a variation of the slipping on a banana peel gag. But how did the “slipping on a banana peel” gag come into our lexicon? And why don’t we see p...

Knock knock? Who’s there? It’s time for the history of knock-knock jokes… Knock-knock jokes are the classic question and answer kid joke. But did you know that its origin goes all the way back to Shakespeare’s Macbeth? Well it does. In the episode we dive into the joke’s origin - and how Rowen and Martin’s Laugh In - helped it’s comeback into pop culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

You know the classic childhood joke: Why did the chicken cross the road? Seems harmless, right? Well, this seemingly carefree joke has ugly disturbing origins - rooted in American racism. Eeewww! We dive into the origins of this anti-joke - and show how things aren’t what they seem to be… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...

Comedy History 101 Podcast: Live is coming to NYC: Tues, 3/19, 7pm, The PIT Loft Harmon Leon (Vice) and Scott Calonico (Sundance Film Festival) are joined by Chris O'Neil (StoryFest) will be bringing you: The History of XXX Party Records Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yes, we dive further into the history of the legendary San Francisco comedy club, The Purple Onion - up until it closed in 2012. In the early days, the club launched the careers of Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, and Phyllis Diller. In this episode we cover the decline of the Purple Onion in the 70s and 80s - and how it resurrected as a garage rock club, and eventually returned to its comedy roots in...

The Purple Onion was a legendary comedy club in San Francisco. It was a small, basement club that had its heyday in the 1950s and 60s -and helped launch the careers of Phyllis Diller, The Smothers Brothers, Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen, and Richard Pryor. Opened in 1952, the Purple Onion ran for roughly 60 years before closing its doors in 2012. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ran from 1967-1970. It was considered the edgiest comedy show of the time. It also launched the careers of Steve Martin - who was a writer for the show, along with Rob Reiner and Bob Einstein aka Super Dave Osborne. The Smothers Brothers constantly butt heads with the censors. But on November 12, 1987 President Ronald Reagan welcomed the duo into the White House....

We continue with Part 2 of our history of the National Lampoon Radio Hour; the show that evolved into Saturday Night Live and featured such iconic comedy figures as John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Christopher Guest, Richard Belzer, and Chevy Chase. We cover our favorite episodes of the NL Radio Hour and how Lorne Michaels scooped up all the talent for SNL. Learn more about y...

The National Lampoon Radio Hour hit the airwaves in 1973 and was a direct offshoot of National Lampoon magazine. But it gets better - the evolved into the first season of Saturday Night Live and launched the careers of John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, and Chevy Chase. When the National Lampoon Radio Hour ran its course, nearly everyone involved - both writers and performers -...

It’s Part Two of our episode on comedy that crosses the line. You know, the edggggy comedy that goes too far for the times. We dive into Bill Hicks getting censored on the David Letterman show to the revolutionary comedy of Dick Gregory in the early ‘60s - to the cartoons of Charlie Hebdo. Like us on iTunes - and please subscribe and comments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

On this episode of CH101, we explore the history of comedy that crosses the line. You know, the edggggy comedy. Sometimes it’s comedy that’s revolutionary and creates change, such as the comedy of George Carlin and Lenny Bruce. And sometimes, its comedy that goes too far - and is there just for shock value. (Michael Richards - we are talking to you.) Please subscribe and “like” on iTunes! Learn mo...

Rachel Brosnahan won for Best Actress at the Golden Globes for her portrayal of the Mrs. Maisel. On this episode, we dive into Part Two of the real-life comedy influences on the fictional Mrs. Maisel - and cover such legendary comics as Joan Rivers, Phyllis Diller, Anne Meara, Moms Mabley, Elaine May, Totie Fields, and Jean Carroll. Please subscribe and ‘like” use on iTunes. Learn more about your...

Did you see the Golden Globe Awards? The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was nominated for several. Rachel Brosnahan won for Best Actress for her portrayal of the Mrs. Maisel. The show is about a stand up comedian in New York City during the 1950s. But who were the real-life standup comedy influences on the fictional character? We do a deep dive into the comedians that helped shape the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel...

We continue with Part Two of our history of SCTV, the iconic TV comedy sketch show that launched the careers of John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Rick Moranis, and Dave Thomas. This episode we dive into the later years of SCTV with such movie spinoffs as Strange Brew, starring Bob and Doug Mackenzie. Be sure to subscribe and like us on iTunes. We love you comm...

We dive into the history behind the legendary sketch comedy show: SCTV. Learn how SCTV was an offshoot of the original Toronto company of Second City - and find out more about the original SCTV cast that consisted of John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Harold Ramis, and Dave Thomas. Hear what about our favorite episodes - and learn the meaning behind, "Crane sho...

We continue with Part Two of our history of the pilot for the American version of Peep Show. How did they take one of the funniest shows ever and turn it into one of the most unfunniest TV pilots of all time? David Mitchell and Robert Webb must be rolling in their graves. (Despite the fact that they are still very much alive.) We love your comments - and please subscribe on iTunes! Learn more abou...

Peep Show is one the greatest British comedy shows of all time. So what did they do? They tried to bring the beloved show to the U.S. and make an American version. Do you know what? They failed miserably. We dive into the history of the Peep Show American pilot and other British comedy shows that came stateside and completely missed the mark; including The IT Crowd, Spaced, and Fawlty Towers. Lear...

National Lampoon: Lemming was a 1973 live stage show that spun out of National Lampoon magazine - and helped launch the careers of John Belushi, Christopher Guest, and Chevy Chase. Lemmings was a take-off of Woodstock - and was toted as three days of peace, love and death - and Belushi acted as the festival emcee who encouraged everyone to kill themselves. Lorne Michaels saw the show and scooped t...

Kentucky Fried Movie is a flick that not only launched the career of the Zucker Brothers but also film director John Landis. The movie was made in 1977 right before their comedies, Animal House and Airplane, became international sensations. We dive into the origins of Kentucky Fried Movie, what it took to get made, and it’s place in comedy history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...

Tunnel Vision is a 1976 movie that tried to predict what television would be like in 1985. It also laid the groundwork for the humor of early Saturday Night Live. Basically, it’s a sketch comedy movie that features cameos from such future comedy stars before they were famous: John Candy, Chevy Chase, Joe Flaherty, Laraine Newman, and Al Franken. Much like SCTV, the movie follows a typical day's pr...