Laugh Tracks Legends of Comedy with Randy and Steve

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 E...

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 cr...

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 t...

One of the most popular comics of the 2000s, Amy Schumer is gifted with a tart tongue, superb timing, and a willingness to put TMI out there in search of a laugh. Amy also has turned her comedy into television and movie gold with an Emmy winning tv show ("Inside Amy Schumer"), cable specials, and juicy roles in films such as "Trainwreck." Her memoir -- "The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo" was a N...

When we say today's comic is a real scream, we mean it! For most of us, our first introduction to Sam Kinison was his scream, often played as part of a radio station's "5:20 Funny". But there was so much more to Sam -- a bad boy who conquered the world of standup comedy (and music videos) for a few years back in the 1980s. Originally starting as a pentecostal preacher -- no doubt where he acquired...

In the 1950s Leslie Nielsen was best known as a dramatic actor in movies and on television. But in 1980, that was about to change. Leslie took a role in a new comedy movie that was looking for a solid, deadpan type to be in the center of "joke-a-minute" action. That movie was Airplane! and it launched Leslie on a comedic career that would include the Police Squad tv show and the Naked Gun movie fr...

When Chelsea Handler exploded onto the standup scene in 1994 her bracingly honest style was an instant hit with fans, launching a career as a standup comic and a talk show host that is still going 30 years later. Chelsea has always embraced her flaws -- her best selling memoir is "Are You There Vodka, It's Me, Chelsea" after all. But her candor also brought that out in her talk show guests startin...

Well it isn't St. Patrick's Day, but we still have the luck of the Irish with us because today's Legend is Brian Doyle-Murray. The older brother of Bill Murray, Brian has carved our a fine for career for himself with work at Second City, The National Lampoon Radio Hour, Saturday Night Live, and a slew of classic comedy flicks including Caddyshack, Wayne's World, and Groundhog Day. He even voices a...

Without these guys, there may well not have been Monty Python or Firesign Theatre yet to much of the world they are just a distant (and very funny) memory. Who are these titans? It's the Goon Show which tickled British comedy fans during the 1950s with comedy that was smart, surreal, and sometimes just plain silly. The core Goons -- Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, and Harry Secombe worked off scrip...

An absolute titan of 20th century comedy, Carl Reiner also was one of the most beloved writers/actors/producers/directors that Hollywood has ever produced beginning with his work on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, then creating The Dick Van Dyke Show, then directing Steve Martin in The Jerk and George Burns in Oh God! And, oh yeah, he also created The 2000 Year Old Man routine with his best frien...

One of the brightest stars in comedy today, Andy Samberg started out just wanting to make some funny experimental films with his buddies. When some of those films reached Lorne Michaels he recognized the talent behind the movies and signed Andy (and his Lonely Island comedy mates) up as SNL writers, also adding Andy to the cast. A couple of years later Andy (teaming with Chris Parnell) unleashed a...

Fans of classic Vegas lounge comics rejoice, one of your idols awaits this week and we guarantee a "slap-happy" time. We refer, of course, to Slappy White -- a legendary standup who opened for (among others) Dean Martin and Dinah Washington as well as headlining the big rooms himself. A veteran of the "chitlin' circuit" Slappy also became a frequent guest star in 1970s movies and tv shows with a p...

This week we meet an architect of 1960s British Satire and a titan of 20th century media, Sir David Frost. From humble beginnings, David found his true course in college where he edited the school paper, edited the literary magazine, and for our purposes most importantly joined the Cambridge Footlights Society where he dove head first into the evolving British comedy scene. A genial presenter, Dav...

The 50th (!) anniversary of Saturday Night Live has spawned a "biopic" focused on the debut show and the original cast. A fond look back is certainly deserved for Garrett Morris who battled stereotypes (think Chico Escuela and "Beisbol has been bery-bery good to me") to become part of television history. A fine actor and singer, Garrett was initially hired as part of the writing staff, then added...

Meet Margaret Cho who emerged in the 1990s from a difficult childhood in San Francico to become a quadruple threat: stand-up comedian; actress; musician; and activist. In 1994 Margaret became the first Asian American to have her own TV sitcom (All American Girl) and after that was cancelled, she endured a period of drug and alcohol addiction before resurfacing with comedy that was far more pointed...

A master of improv, sketch comedy, and impressions, Phil Hartman was the "glue" that held Saturday Night Live together in the 1980s and early 90s. He also was part of the Groundlings Improv troupe, helping Paul Reubens develop his Pee Wee Herman show, he was a frequent voice actor on the Simpsons, and he had a juicy role in the hit sitcom Newsradio. And oh yeah, he also was a fine graphic designer...

Nate Bargatze's career has taken a rocket ride over the last few years from small comedy clubs to selling out big arenas including the Hollywood Bowl. Nate's comedy is playful and observational, and it's clean to boot, making it easy for radio to feature a cut now and then. Nate's Dad is a performing magician and motivational speaker, so getting up on stage and making people laugh is in the family...

Meet Richard Lewis, most recently of Curb Your Enthusiasm, but before that a groundbreaking comic considered a key influence on modern humor. From befriending Larry David at summer camp in the early 1960s, Richard might have been expected to have a comic career. He was "discovered" by fellow Legend David Brenner in Greenwich Village where Richard's dark sense of humor was a major hit. Later work i...

If you like your comedy with a healthy dose of snarking on celebrities, this week's Legend is right down your alley. Kathy Griffin likes to style herself as a "D-List" comic -- but one completely unafraid to share here thoughts. Coming out of the Groundlings improv company in the 1980s, Kathy rode her quick wit and self-described "potty mouth" to a stellar standup career and her own Bravo reality...

Dave Broadfoot was a stalwart of Canadian comedy for years, from his work with the Royal Canadian Air Farce, to solo tours and well-received books. Part of the secret was that Dave was proudly Canadian in his craft -- he once said he didn't want to do "Americana" comedy -- his roots and humor were strictly north of the border. It showed in his classic characters including hockey legend Bobby Clobb...

Prepare to get a bit silly as we salute a Python -- Eric Idle! While best known for his stint in Monty Python's Flying Circus, Eric has carved out a fine solo career including creating a stellar Beatles parody (The Rutles), writing the Broadway version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Spamalot), penning books, and touring the world. Oh yeah, he also was the creative force behind Monty Python's...

Bold and bawdy, for a time in the 1970's LaWanda Page was the Queen of Comedy -- at least the type featured on numerous x-rated "party records". From early days as a "Fire Dancer", LaWanda worked the "chitlin' circuit" of clubs in the south, developing her standup act and developing friendships with other comics including Redd Foxx. After issuing a number of naughty albums on the Laff label, LaWan...

Sometimes you know someone will be a star just because of their voice. In Carol Kane's case that's true, but she is also a superb comic actress who has been a welcome fixture on tv and movie screens since the early 1970s. While her early dramatic work in "Carnal Knowledge" and "Hester Street (for which she scored an Oscar nomination) was promising, it was" her turn to comedy in the late 1970s that...

This time out we meet a man who turned a sly wit and mild disposition into a top flight comic acting career -- plus an unlikely and enduring friendship with on of Hollywood's leading tough guy actors. We speak of the great Wally Cox, a midwestern boy who got his career break, as so many did back in the day, on the old Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts show. He parlayed that break into a steady stream o...

Set the dials of the Wayback Machine for 1973 because the National Lampoon Radio Hour is on the air. In the early 1970s the NatLamp was at the top of the magazine world with content that was outrageous, satirical, and rendered with loving detail. To expand their empire, the 'Poon hired Michael O'Donoghue to create and produce an audio version. With studios located in the Lampoon headquarters in Ne...