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31-666: Norman Lawrence Crosby (September 15, 1927 – November 7, 2020) was an American comedian born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was often referred to as "The Master of Malaprop". Crosby went solo as a stand-up comedian , adopting a friendly, blue collar , guy-next-door persona in the 1950s. Crosby refined his standup monologues by interpolating malapropisms . He first appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in December 1964. In late-1968, he co-starred on The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show , an NBC twelve-week series. In 1974, he co-hosted

62-458: A Canadian variety television series, Everything Goes . From 1974 through 1984 he was on over half a dozen Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts including one of George Burns and two separate ones of Redd Foxx . From 1978 through 1981, he hosted a nationally syndicated series, The Comedy Shop , in which a mix of up-and-coming stand-up comics and vaudeville legends presented their material. In

93-449: A Wodehouse-style novel. Mark Twain (pen name of Samuel Langhorn Clemens, 1835–1910) was widely considered the "greatest humorist" the U.S. ever produced, as noted in his New York Times obituary. It's a distinction that garnered wide agreement, as William Faulkner called him "the father of American literature ". The United States national cultural center, the John F. Kennedy Center for

124-610: A book of humorous essays and short stories, in 1977 (published 1979). He wrote his first humorous play Picasso at the Lapin Agile in 1993, and wrote various pieces in The New Yorker magazine in the 1990s. He later wrote more humorous plays and two novellas. Hugh Laurie (born 1959) is an English comic actor who worked for many years in partnership with Stephen Fry . He is a fan of the English humorist P. G. Wodehouse , and has written

155-430: A buffoon, a patsy, a performer, he is out in the open and his audience, unlike a humorist's, becomes necessarily half-friend and half-enemy. Sometimes a comedian will adopt a writing career and gain notability as a humorist. Some examples are: Will Rogers (1879–1935) was a vaudeville comedian who started doing humorous political and social commentary, and became a famous newspaper columnist and radio personality during

186-399: A concussion he received from the depth charges that exploded while he was on anti-submarine patrol. He did not notice hearing problems until long after he had returned home and wore a hearing aid onstage. In 1966, Crosby married Joan Crane Foley. They had two children. He became a Freemason in 1956, and served as Master of at least one lodge and participated in many charitable activities. He

217-530: A lecture or narrate a written work. The comedian always performs for an audience, either in live performance, audio recording, radio, television, or film. Phil Austin , of the comedy group the Firesign Theatre , expressed his thoughts about the difference in 1993 liner notes to the Fighting Clowns album: To me, there is a great difference between a humorist and a clown, and I had hoped that life for

248-528: A live audience for the same reason. Jessica Delfino holds the record for most comedy sets performed in one night by a female comedian. Phyllis Diller holds the Guinness World Record for most laughs per minute, with 12. Taylor Goodwin holds the Guinness World Record for most jokes told in an hour with 550. Lee Evans sold £7 million worth of tickets for his 2011 tour in a day,

279-421: A specified number of paying guests with them to receive stage time. As well as being a mainstay of the comedy circuit, festivals often also showcase up-and-coming acts, with promoters and agents using the festivals to seek out new talent. Experienced comics with a following may produce a television special or a comedy album . It may be recorded on tour or at a show advertised and performed specifically for

310-614: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6560 Hollywood Boulevard . He appeared in two films with Adam Sandler – Eight Crazy Nights (2002). [1] , and Grown Ups 2 (2013) Crosby was born to a Jewish family and was raised in Dorchester, Boston , the son of Ann (née Lansky) and John Crosby. During World War II, he served aboard a Coast Guard submarine chaser in the North Atlantic. He suffered permanent damage of his hearing from

341-593: A television comedian who hosted several variety and game shows , after his 1977 retirement became a regular humor columnist for the newspaper The Island Packet of Northeast Harbor, Maine , with a column titled "Mumble, Mumble". He later released a book of his columns under the same name in the early 1980s. Victor Borge (1909–2000) was a Danish-American comedian known for bringing humor to classical music . He wrote three books, My Favorite Intermissions and My Favorite Comedies in Music (both with Robert Sherman ), and

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372-511: Is considered America's first stand-up comedian. The first documented use of "stand-up" appeared in The Stage in 1911, describing Nellie Perrier delivering 'stand-up comic ditties in a chic and charming manner'. However, this referred to a performance of comedy songs rather than stand-up comedy in its modern form. The term appeared again in the “Stage Gossip” column of The Yorkshire Evening Post on November 10, 1917. The article discussed

403-455: Is difficult to successfully sue for joke theft regardless due to the idea–expression distinction . According to Anna Spagnolli, stand-up comedy audiences "are both 'co-constructors of the situation' and 'co-responsible for it ' ". In stand-up comedy, an unspoken contract with the audience allows for the exploration of unexpected, controversial, or scandalous subjects. The reception of a joke, whether met with laughter or disapproval, hinges on

434-567: Is followed by the opener, the feature, and then the headliner. The host may also act as the opener for smaller shows. Proven comics tend to earn regular bookings at clubs that are part of a chain and comedy venues. Jobbing stand-ups may perform sets at two or more venues on the same day. Clubs and small venues often run open mic events; these slots may be booked in advance or left for walk-ins. Comedians use open mics to work on material or to show off their skills to get an opener slot. "Bringer shows" are shows that require amateur performers to bring

465-439: Is one who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way. Henri Bergson writes that a humorist's work grows from viewing the morals of society. The term comedian is generally applied to one who is performing to an audience for laughter. Humor is the quality which makes experiences provoke laughter or amusement, while comedy is a performing art . The nineteenth-century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer lamented

496-475: The Great Depression . He is an exception to the education rule, as he only completed a tenth grade education. Cal Stewart (1856–1919) was a vaudeville comedian who created the character Uncle Josh Weathersby and toured circuses and medicine shows . He befriended Twain and Rogers, and in 1898 became the first comedian to make sound recordings , on Edison Records . Garry Moore (1915–1993), known as

527-507: The jester's privilege , which is the right to discuss and mock anything freely without being punished. Social commentators have referred to the concepts of "punching up" and "punching down" in attempting to describe who should be the "butt of the joke". This carries the assumption that, relative to the comedian's own socio-political identity , comedy should "punch up" at the rich and powerful without "punching down" at those who are marginalized and less fortunate. Many comedians have criticized

558-409: The Firesign Theatre would have led more toward the world of Mark Twain than the world of Beepo. The humorist is a happy soul; he comments from the sidelines of life, safe behind the keyboard or pen; not forced to mold his thinking to the direct response of an audience, he has indirection on his side. He has time to think. Beepo, on the other hand, takes his chances directly facing—or mooning—the audience;

589-559: The appeal of stand up is in appreciation of the skill of the performer, as studies have shown that many people find the idea of standing on stage daunting; research on the subject has consistently found that the fear of public speaking is more intense than the fear of dying . The audience is integral to live comedy, both as a foil to the comedian and as a contributing factor to the overall experience. The use of canned laughter in television comedy reveals this, with shows often seeming "dry" or dull without it. Shows may be filmed in front of

620-399: The audience's understanding of the premise and appreciation of the punchline. A seasoned comic is able to instantly react to the audience's reaction and use it to further the narrative. Stand-up comedy, distinct from traditional performing arts, features a lone comedian directly engaging the audience. Success hinges on creating spontaneity, fostering intimacy, and deterring heckling. Part of

651-587: The autobiography Smilet er den korteste afstand ("The Smile is the Shortest Distance") with Niels-Jørgen Kaiser. Peter Ustinov (1921–2004) was an English comic actor who wrote several humorous plays and film scripts. Woody Allen (born 1935), known as a comedian and filmmaker, early in his career worked as a staff writer for humorist Herb Shriner . He also wrote short stories and cartoon captions for magazines such as The New Yorker . Steve Martin (born 1945), comedian and actor, wrote Cruel Shoes ,

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682-552: The biggest first-day sale of a British comedy tour. Ricky Gervais set a new Guinness World Record for the highest gross from a single stand-up performance with his tour "Armageddon." The performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, on May 6, 2023, garnered £1,410,000 ($ 1,790,206.50). Humorist A humorist is an intellectual who uses humor , or wit , in writing or public speaking . A raconteur

713-404: The career of a comedian Finlay Dunn, stating that Dunn was "what he calls a stand-up comedian'" during the latter part of the 19th century. However, the term may have been used retrospectively. Stand-up has multiple genres and styles with their formats. Common ones include: In a typical stand-up show, the host, compere, or emcee "warms up" the audience and introduces the other performers. This

744-510: The cultural rhetoric concerning "punching up" and "punching down", including Colin Quinn , who described the terms as a product of activism and "not created by humorous people." Appropriation and plagiarism are considered "social crimes" by most stand-ups. There have been several high-profile accusations of joke theft, some ending in lawsuits for copyright infringement. Those accused will sometimes claim cryptomnesia or parallel thinking, but it

775-460: The development of routines, which they construct and refine with jokes and interconnected "bits." These bits form an interwoven narrative, leading to the "closer," the final joke that ties the show's themes together for a satisfying conclusion. Most jokes are the juxtaposition of two incongruous things and are made up of the premise, set-up, and punchline , often adding a twist, topper ,or tagline for an intensified or extra laugh. Delivery relies on

806-456: The late 1970s and early 1980s, Crosby became a commercial pitchman for Anheuser-Busch Natural Light beer. During this time, he also appeared as a celebrity guest on a number of game shows , including Celebrity Bowling , Liar's Club , Tattletales , and Hollywood Squares . From 1983 until the program's dissociation from Jerry Lewis in 2010, Crosby co-hosted and contributed to the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon . He has

837-575: The late 19th century. These include vaudeville , the stump-speech monologues of minstrel shows, dime museums , concert saloons , freak shows , variety shows , medicine shows , American burlesque , English music halls , circus clown antics , Chautauqua , and humorist monologues, such as those delivered by Mark Twain in his 1866 touring show Our Fellow Savages of the Sandwich Islands . Charles Farrar Browne (April 26, 1834 – March 6, 1867), better known by his nom de plume , Artemus Ward,

868-464: The misuse of humor (a German loanword from English) to mean any type of comedy. A humorist is adept at seeing the humor in a situation or aspect of life and relating it, usually through a story; the comedian generally concentrates on jokes designed to invoke instantaneous laughter. The humorist is primarily a writer of books, newspaper or magazine articles or columns , stage or screen plays, and may occasionally appear before an audience to deliver

899-427: The purpose. A TV special originally released on television, video on demand , or in film theatre's may be re-released as an album on audio CD , LP record , or audio streaming . A "half-hour special" is typically between 20 and 35 minutes in runtime excluding commercial breaks and an "hour-long special" is typically between 40 and 65 minutes excluding commercial breaks. Stand-up comedians define their craft through

930-426: The use of intonation, inflection, attitude, and timing as well as other stylistic devices, such as the rule of three , idioms, archetypes, or wordplay. Another popular joke structure is the paraprosdokian , a surprising punchline that changes the context or meaning of the setup. In order to falsely frame their stories as true or to free themselves of responsibility for breaking social conventions, comedians can use

961-657: Was a member of Ionic Composite Lodge #520 in Los Angeles, California . On November 7, 2020, Crosby died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles , California , at the age of 93. Stand-up comedy A performer in this genre can be known by the masculine and gender-neutral terms stand-up comedian and stand-up comic , or by the feminine term stand-up comedienne . Performances can take place in various venues, including comedy clubs , comedy festivals , bars, nightclubs , colleges, or theaters . Stand-up comedy originated in various traditions of popular entertainment in

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