The Funniest People of All Time
Robin Williams – I’ve been a fan of his since I was 12 and his comedy helped me with my depression. Some of my favorite roles of his are in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Good Morning Vietnam,” “The Bird Cage,” and “Robots.” One of the amusing scenes in “Mrs. Doubtfire” was when Williams’ character drops his face mold out his apartment window which is very high off the ground and it gets ruined. Another entertaining scene is in “Good Morning Vietnam” when Williams’ attempts to teach English to some Asians to the tune of an old hit pop song.
George Carlin – I was introduced to his comedy back when I was a teenager and loved his style immediately. We’re both Aries so I related to some of his views and opinions. His facial expressions are what make a lot of his musings so hilarious. And his political satire is timeless and priceless. He never changed his comic style which is one of the reasons I like him so much. Hard to believe he’s my mom’s age because the words senior citizen don’t apply to him. I got to see him live back in 1987 for a 21st birthday present from my sister and she and a group of her friends and I got really great seats. He was hysterical and brought down the house.
Richard Pryor – It was so sad when he died. I like to remember him in his prime, strutting around the stage, self-assured as a lion in a forest of babes. I remember seeing him in an interview once and noted how he could make even tragedy funny. I always wished I could have seen him live. So many comics say they owe their careers to him. His daughter, Rain has gone into stand-up herself now but says she has her own comedy stylings that are different from her dad’s. Even during his illness he still performed at various times in his life and you could still see that edge that made him a bright flame in the fire of comedy.
Rodney Dangerfield – Another sad passing of a great comedian. His one-liners and self-depreciation put a spin on low or no self-esteem. I’ve read that he was a big-hearted guy who thought Jim Carrey was fantastic and whose star many aspiring comedians strived to be like. I remember seeing him in “Back To School” and “Caddyshack” and enjoyed how he grabbed the film. He made numerous appearances on “The Howard Stern Show” while he was alive and a few years ago Carrey presented him with an award but not before singing his own personal praises to the man who inspired him. Dangerfield was one of those late bloomers but when he flourished he bloomed brightly.
Jim Carrey – I used to watch Carrey in the t.v. show “In Living Color” and it was easy to see that he clearly was going to go places. How far I had no idea and it was great to follow his career as he graduated from t.v. to film. One of my favorite characters of his on the t.v. show was “Fire Marshall Bill” where he would eagerly and eerily “Lemmee show you something!” His physical endurance and far-reaching talent has brought him far from his humble beginnings in Canada where he and his family lived out of a van and did janitorial work for a long period of time. He credits his late father with his humor gift and said his dad kept him going during his childhood poverty.
John Belushi – I first saw him on “Second City Television” then avidly watched him on “Saturday Night Live.” Seeing him in “Animal House” which launched his career always brings a smile to my face and I hate that his flame had to burn out so soon. I sometimes think about where his career would be now if he were still alive. One of my favorite characters he did on “SNL” was the Samurai and he was so adept at it. Another great one was the donuts cereal ad he did which was a take-off of a Wheaties commercial featuring an Olympic athlete. Then there was his signature, “But nooooooooo!” which he used in a particular role on “Saturday Night Live” and no one delivered the line like him.
Eddie Murphy – A former foster child, Murphy burst on to the scene in 1982 on “Saturday Night Live” playing such characters as “Gumby” and a poor Mr. Rogers who was getting his lights cut off by the landlord. Then I saw him in “Trading Places” which launched his career and “Beverly Hills Cop” but before the latter, I got to see his stand-up routine on cable and never tired of watching it. My cousin and I used to watch it over and over and had a lot of the routines memorized. One of my favorite family stories of his that he used in his routine was about how his father had a barbecue and the size of the fire.
Gilda Radner – Another one who died too soon and also of “Saturday Night Live” fame. I loved her “Rosanna Rosanna Danna” character and my sister and I used to spout lines from her newscasts on “Weekend Update” from the show all the time. She’s another one whose career would have been interesting to follow longer. Another great character she had on the show was the Campbell Soup girl who was talked into putting some of the alphabet letters in the meal up her nose on camera by an invisible narrator.
Steve Martin – Someone said that when you meet him he’s as quiet as an accountant would be – unassuming and almost shy. Hard to believe when you see him on screen in such great roles as in “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” “Roxanne,” “The Jerk,” and in “Saturday Night Live,” the latter of which he made the famous character King Tut come alive before a captive audience. Then, of course he was one half of the pair of “Wild and Crazy Guys” on that show partnering with “SNL” alum Dan Akroyd. He was also terrific in “L.A. Story,” a movie he wrote beautifully and one you want to add to your video collection for sure.
Carol Burnett – My sisters and I grew up watching her variety show every Saturday night when we would make hot pudding on the stove or Jell-O, pop popcorn, and generally laugh ourselves silly at the antics of the array of colorful characters of “Mama, “Eunice,” “Mrs. Wiggins,” and others. The “Mama” and “Eunice” roles were derived directly from Burnett’s real family she grew up with.
Dana Carvey – I watched him religiously on “Saturday Night Live” and one of my favorite characters he played was “Church Lady.” In college my friends and I used to run around saying the lady’s signature line – “Well, isn’t that special?” A cancer survivor and father of two, Carvey is another one who is supposedly quiet in person but underneath all that bashfulness is a huge talent. He also did a great impression of George Bush while on “SNL” and I did get to see his stand-up routine on video once and it was incredible.
Sam Kinison – I loved his yelling routine which would start out with a soft murmur, some quiet musing or opinion then he would let you have it with both barrels with his “Oh, oh oh!!!” at the top of his lungs. Tragically he died in a car accident in 1992 shortly after getting clean and sober and marrying his long-time love. Oddly enough he used to be a preacher which is stunning to realize when you see his stand-up routine. At the peak of his career he did social commentary talking about such issues as feeding Ethiopia. One good point he made with regard to this topic that I never forgot and that has always stayed with me whenever I see these relief t.v. commercials: Couldn’t that cameraman give that kid a sandwich or something? Because you know that camera guy’s not out there by himself (with nothing to eat)!”
There are others of course, but wrapping it up for me is Chris Rock. I’ve seen a couple of his stand-up routines on DVD and he is another one who grew up dirt poor but laughed and worked his way out of it. Behind all that is his sincerity and compassion for others who grew up like him or who are victims of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. Father of two daughters, his wife calls him “a great dad” and he has made his mom, who he has always been close to, proud. His t.v. show “Everybody Hates Chris” was nominated for an Emmy last year and tells the true story of how he grew up and the funny experiences he lived through all the while being watched constantly by his sharp, yet loving mother.
