Philosophy
My Fellow Comedists,
This week saw the feast day of Saint Carl. Carl Reiner turned 89 this week. Reiner was a member of that legendary group of writers for Sid Caeser including Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart, and, of course, Mel Brooks, who was to become his comic partner.
My favorite Reiner/Brroks story: Mel was always cracking Carl up and one day while the two were on the road in a hotel, Carl Reiner decided he was going to turn the tables. He called over to Mel Brooks and asked him if he'd come over to his room for a minute. Reiner strips naked, stands on the coffee table in the middle of the room with a water pitcher and a bunch of grapes posing as a Greek statue. There's a knock at the door and Reiner tells Brooks to come on in, but it wasn't him -- Mel Brooks had sent over the maid.
The two would go on to do magnificent work, most memorably the 2,000 year old man albums. Reiner thought his Sid Caesar days so funny, that he made it into a sit-com and thus The Dick Van Dyke Show was born.
In the 70s he turned to directing and gave us the classics "Where's Poppa?" and "Oh God." Then he became co-writer and director for Steve Martin's "The Jerk," "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid," "The Man with Two Brains," and "All of Me."
Little known Carl Riener fact: he had a straight role in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" -- he was the air traffic controller when Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett were trying to land the plane.
Happy birthday, Carl Reiner.
Live, laugh, and love,
Irreverend Steve
- Feast Of Saint Foster
My Comedist Brethren, This week brings us the feast of Saint Foster. This would be Foster Brooks' 99th birthday. Beginning work as an announcer and news reporter, he began doing stand-up. Steve Allen and Perry Como launched his career, but it was...
- Feast Of Saint Dick
My Fellow Comedists, This week is brings us the birthday of Dick Smothers, straight man and stand-up bass player with his brother Tommy as part, of course, of the legendary Smothers Brothers. Before there was Saturday Night Live, before there was Laugh...
- Rip Larry Gelbart
My Fellow Comedists, We lost a good one this week. Larry Gelbart died. Amember of Sid Caesar's legendary writing team, he went on to give us A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Tootsie, and most memorably, he was the creative mind behind...
- Who's On First?: Hyperbole Or Not?
My Fellow Comedists, Let's put up the Comedist post a little early this week since we're on a roll of baseball questions. Showed the short people "who's on first" and, of course, they loved it. They've asked to see it five more times since....
- Feast Of Saint Dan
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, This week saw the birthday of Dan Aykroyd. Born on July 1, 1952 in Ottawa, he gave us some of the finest comedy of the late 20th century. Intending to be a Catholic priest...until he was expelled...
Philosophy
The Feast of Saint Carl
My Fellow Comedists,
This week saw the feast day of Saint Carl. Carl Reiner turned 89 this week. Reiner was a member of that legendary group of writers for Sid Caeser including Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart, and, of course, Mel Brooks, who was to become his comic partner.
My favorite Reiner/Brroks story: Mel was always cracking Carl up and one day while the two were on the road in a hotel, Carl Reiner decided he was going to turn the tables. He called over to Mel Brooks and asked him if he'd come over to his room for a minute. Reiner strips naked, stands on the coffee table in the middle of the room with a water pitcher and a bunch of grapes posing as a Greek statue. There's a knock at the door and Reiner tells Brooks to come on in, but it wasn't him -- Mel Brooks had sent over the maid.
The two would go on to do magnificent work, most memorably the 2,000 year old man albums. Reiner thought his Sid Caesar days so funny, that he made it into a sit-com and thus The Dick Van Dyke Show was born.
In the 70s he turned to directing and gave us the classics "Where's Poppa?" and "Oh God." Then he became co-writer and director for Steve Martin's "The Jerk," "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid," "The Man with Two Brains," and "All of Me."
Little known Carl Riener fact: he had a straight role in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" -- he was the air traffic controller when Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett were trying to land the plane.
Happy birthday, Carl Reiner.
Live, laugh, and love,
Irreverend Steve
- Feast Of Saint Foster
My Comedist Brethren, This week brings us the feast of Saint Foster. This would be Foster Brooks' 99th birthday. Beginning work as an announcer and news reporter, he began doing stand-up. Steve Allen and Perry Como launched his career, but it was...
- Feast Of Saint Dick
My Fellow Comedists, This week is brings us the birthday of Dick Smothers, straight man and stand-up bass player with his brother Tommy as part, of course, of the legendary Smothers Brothers. Before there was Saturday Night Live, before there was Laugh...
- Rip Larry Gelbart
My Fellow Comedists, We lost a good one this week. Larry Gelbart died. Amember of Sid Caesar's legendary writing team, he went on to give us A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Tootsie, and most memorably, he was the creative mind behind...
- Who's On First?: Hyperbole Or Not?
My Fellow Comedists, Let's put up the Comedist post a little early this week since we're on a roll of baseball questions. Showed the short people "who's on first" and, of course, they loved it. They've asked to see it five more times since....
- Feast Of Saint Dan
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, This week saw the birthday of Dan Aykroyd. Born on July 1, 1952 in Ottawa, he gave us some of the finest comedy of the late 20th century. Intending to be a Catholic priest...until he was expelled...