Is there a popular comedian that you don't think is funny?

[red dog 1]

Last edited Sat Aug 1, 2015, 03:55 PM - Edit history (1)

I never thought Bob Newhart was very funny.

I occasionally watched The Bob Newhart Show, where he played a psychologist, but I didn't like his next TV show, simply called called "Newhart" .where he played a Vermont innkeeper

I do think he was great in the role of the school principal in the Kevin Kline film "In And Out"...(a very funny movie where he co-starred with Joan Cusack, Matt Dillon and Tom Selleck)

[Jokerman]

1. Rosanne

I just never got her humor. I'm not saying anything bad about her, I just never liked her.

[red dog 1]

2. I agree

I never "got" her humor either.

However, as a huge fan of the sit-com "3rd Rock From the Sun"....I have to admit that she was very good in the one or two episodes of that show that she appeared in.

Also, she was very good in the 2 or 3 episodes she appeared in of the sit-com "My Name Is Earl"

[lame54]

106. thank you

[liberaltrucker]

3. Jimmy Fallon

I must be old.

[TexasBushwhacker]

71. Me too

He's pleasant, but not that funny. And yes, I am old.

I did like him in Fever Pitch though.

[PassingFair]

119. He tries too hard.

And his demeanor borders on sycophantic.

I always feel embarrassed for him.

[Arugula Latte]

187. I think he is at his best doing impressions of musicians, especially to their faces.

The bit where he was Mick Jagger's "mirror" was brilliant. Also when he appeared as young Neil Young with current Neil Young and they sang "Old Man" . The "Whip My Hair" (Willow Smith song) one was hilarious, too. He also sang as James Taylor with James Taylor while they were riding a see saw. Bizarre, but funny.

[Auggie]

4. Acting comedians: Will Farrell and especially Jason Segel

Segel is a fraud. I can't understand how his films ever find funding.

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

5. Emo Phillips and Sandra Bernhart

Just off the top of my head.

[IrishEyes]

6. Jerry Seinfeld

I can't stand him. I hated his TV show even though everyone in the world loved it.

[red dog 1]

13. I loved Seinfeld, (the TV show), but I can't stand Jerry Seinfeld's comedy act....

when he does stand-up comedy,...It's just not funny!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

39. I lived on the East Coast for nine years, and although I loved many things about it

Seinfeld's show reminded me of how I DIDN'T like the self-obsessive rants that many people out there seem to indulge in.

[eppur_se_muova]

46. I enjoyed the standup he did *before* the show, but couldn't stand the show.

He and his co-creator said the show was about "nothing". Problem was, I picked up on that right away, and I didn't want to watch "nothing".

[Initech]

67. Let's face it - Seinfeld was nothing without Larry David.

Curb Your Enthusiasm = way funnier show, and George Costanza was arguably the best character on Seinfeld.

[Xyzse]

125. I may actually have to agree with this.

[XemaSab]

141. Both shows are about violating unspoken social rules

But MAH GAWD "Curb" is hilarious!

[Initech]

146. Did you know that the Car Pool Lane episode got a guy out of a murder charge?

True story - the guy had an alibi that he was at the Dodgers - Braves game with his daughter. Unfortunately he didn't have a ticket or parking stub to prove he was at the game. So the prosecutors had no choice but to search tape of footage to find him at the game. So when they get to the HBO tapes, sure enough he's there, sitting two rows behind Bob Einstein (Marty Funkhauser).

[XemaSab]

148. I did, yes.

[ariesgem]

150. Same here...

He annoys the hell outta me.

[The Second Stone]

172. Jerry was the straightman character on the show, and the stand up comedian

and as a stand up, he said interesting and thoughtful things and I liked the schtick, but it wasn't really laughing material. More like a young Andy Rooney with thought pieces. His reactions on Seinfeld were priceless.

[U4ikLefty]

180. I too disliked his "straight guy" routine on that show.

Nothing annoyed me more than that look he gave when a gag went off. It was like he was prompting the audience to laugh, kinda like Krusty the Clown going "ahhh ahhh?"

[NV Whino]

7. Adam Sandler

Will Farrell.

Do they even qualify as comedians?

[Gidney N Cloyd]

11. Sandler tries too hard in his movies. His SNL stuff sometimes made me laugh.

[Arugula Latte]

16. I always despised Sandler and found him incredibly annoying and unfunny.

[Alfalfa]

32. +1

[we can do it]

68. Pathetically talentless.

[mackerel]

99. Sandler and David Spade

[irisblue]

181. true this^^

[Wounded Bear]

23. Ditto and ditto...

Frankly, I won't go to one of their movies, no matter how hyped. Some of the unfunniest stuff on the screen.

[Xipe Totec]

33. Sandler developed his comedy routines when he was 3 years old and hasn't updated them yet

His parents laughed and thought it was cute.

Hasn't figured out why people are no longer laughing.

[eppur_se_muova]

45. Does Sandler qualify as popular ?

I mean, outside the fraternities ?

[red dog 1]

58. Good question!

but I think the sheer number of movies he's made qualify him as "popular"

(The only Adam Sandler movie i ever liked was "Don't Mess With The Zohan&quot

[Ilios Meows]

50. Never liked Adam Sandler

except for Opera Man on SNL.

[Initech]

64. Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison were both great. Been downhill from there.

Although Billy Madison gave one of the best sound bites ever:

[fizzgig]

113. i love anchorman

only thing i've ever been able to tolerate will ferrell in.

[Laffy Kat]

127. Soooo agree with you on both counts. nt

[DawgHouse]

8. Lisa Lampanelli.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

10. Yeah. God, yeah.

I'm not offended by her humor either. But if the sole point of the humor is to be offensive then it's all kind of empty.

[MuttLikeMe]

184. Hell yeah, she's repulsive

[UTUSN]

9. All of the above, plus CARLIN, COSBY (from way back not news).

Back in my fringe-Hippie days I never could relate to my Hippie associates' tastes. Yet I'm a blood Lib.

I *did* like whassiname/junkyard/SANDFORDson - whassiname? Oh, Red FOXX. Jack BENNY. Bea ARTHUR.

[red dog 1]

14. I'm confused...

I "did" like whasssinaname/junkysrd/SANDFORDson -whassinaname? Oh, Red FOXX..
Jack Benny. Bea ARTHER".......???

Does that mean that you DO like Redd Foxx, Jack Benny & Bea Arthur?
or that you do NOT like them?

I can't believe you think George Carlin was not funny!
I think he may have been the funniest of them all..along with Robin Williams & Jonathan Winters.

[UTUSN]

37. "I "did" like" - maybe confusing due to past tense. I *still* love those.

I was a fringe Hippie during the CARLIN era so should have been expected to go along with the crowd, but the key word is "fringe" because I never really committed to anything. Btw, CARLIN mocked his own, didn't he, the "Hippie Dippy" types.

[red dog 1]

47. Carlin didn't really "mock his own"..

..except for the "Hippie Dippy Weather Man", the character he played on the
Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

He wore his hair in a pony tail up until he died; so, in that sense, he was a hippie himself.


"Don't sweat the petty things; and don't pet the sweaty things."......George Carlin


(For Carlin fans, his book "When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops" is hilarious!)

[BlueJazz]

136. David Letterman. Not my cup of tea.

[red dog 1]

138. + 1

I used to strongly dislike him, and very rarely ever switched channels to see who was on his show (I did enjoy the dogs who did tricks)

However, after seeing him in "Man On The Moon", (the film about Andy Kaufman), I don't dislike him anymore.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

41. When Cosby was first on TV, he was a refreshing change from the Alan King/Don Rickles types

But then his shtick became a conventional styel

[red dog 1]

48. I liked his first two or thre comedy albums.

[Initech]

65. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

(agree on Cosby though, especially with all the allegations that have come forward but that's a different topic)

[UTUSN]

79. I take it the angst is over CARLIN. I really ought to take myself out of this topic

Mainly, I don't follow *any* stand-ups (I've blurred the stand-ups with acting/comedians) outside of what meager times I've seen any on talk shows. Basically I don't know what I'm talking about. So there's that. All I go by is whether their personality rubs me the wrong way.

[Initech]

80. I'm just wondering how it's possible to be liberal and not like George Carlin.

I get some of the others on the list but George Carlin slammed the uber rich and the 1%ers later in life, both on stand up and in interviews.

[UTUSN]

83. Whoa, now that's getting below the belt. As I said, I know nothing beyond a line or two of his stuff

Plus, personal likes are not scientific, scholarly examinations of intellectual consistency. I guess it will be even more traitorous that I dislike LENNON and ONO.

I'm way not big on laundry lists of issues and don't care about almost all lyrics of songs (except "Imagine&quot .

Here're a couple of quotations that fit here: something about "a foolish consistency." And Dr JOHNSON said (the only thing I know about him, "What is too silly to be SAID is SUNG" (my caps).

If my sub-thread here gets more in the way of the OP, I'll self-delete.

[Initech]

84. OK yeah I didn't mean to go there.

I get that personal tastes are subjective, and if you don't like something you don't like it.

I do like the Beatles but I didn't like much of John Lennon's post-Beatles solo career so I am with you there.

[clarice]

129. His humor came from anger. Not funny

[Lil Missy]

12. Seinfeld, Jay Leno ...

[red dog 1]

15. Good picks!

[AngryOldDem]

43. +1

Never got Seinfeld and I think Leno is a jerk.

[TexasBushwhacker]

72. Never liked Leno

I'm a Letterman gal.

I like Seinfeld though. I think the think the thing that the show work was that he was basically the straight man. His co-stars got all the best bits.

[NightWatcher]

17. Newhart's bits were great

He'd do how he thought various phone conversations would go, but where the crowd only heard his half of the conversation.

You should YouTube a couple of them sometime.

[kwassa]

18. Newhart can be hysterical.

We had a great comedy album by him, too.

[Brother Buzz]

25. The Button-Down Mind - The Driving Instructor

Well, no, no, actually it was partially my fault, you see, but, uh, you were in the left hand lane and you were signaling left, and I just more or less assumed you were going to turn left.

Deadpan delivery at its finest

[FSogol]

132. Yes, you are right, I should have said turn left at the next street...

Newhart was hilarious.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

40. His piece on Sir Walter Raleigh introducing tobacco to England

was also hysterical.

[Orrex]

118. Those are some of the least funny bits I've ever heard

It's agony to sit through them. Utterly horrible.

Maybe they're simply out of date at this point, but I couldn't stand them when I first heard them 30 years ago, either.

[Doc_Technical]

19. Louis CK

There is nothing funny about child abuse.

[TexasBushwhacker]

73. I must have missed that one

I find him quite funny, sometimes laugh out loud funny.

[SwankyXomb]

115. I've tried to listen to him a few times

but it just doesn't click with me at all.

[olddots]

20. Donald Trump

but that Sarah Palin is a laugh riot .

[pinboy3niner]

26. Figures you'd beat me to it

[red dog 1]

60. The funniest thing about Trump is that squirrel on top of his head.

[vanlassie]

21. Dennis Miller

[Cheese Sandwich]

22. +1

The only way he could be funny is by being so horrible that it's funny

[red dog 1]

49. + 1000

Last edited Sat Aug 1, 2015, 03:16 PM - Edit history (1)

I'd forgotten about that asshole, or I would have chosen him instead of Bob Newhart.

But, give the devil his due, (as an actor)
I thought he was pretty good in that small role he had in "Meet The Parents"

[Initech]

66. Used to like him until he went full Freeper.

Now...

[annabanana]

69. I think he actually shit himself on 9/11

and hasn't been funny since.

[Initech]

70. Maybe he developed a bad case of Corpro Encephalopathy.

Where the colon recirculates fecal matter to the cranial cavity. Or as it's known in layman's terms "shit for brains".

[WinkyDink]

90. Likewise. His pre-RW rants were AWESOME.

[Enthusiast]

103. Something went full wrong with Dennis Miller. Apparently he bought into all the lies.

[Arugula Latte]

189. I sometimes wonder if he realizes he made a huge mistake, but

it's too embarrassing to backtrack. Plus, he's making easy money off of idiots.

[Enthusiast]

191. I got the impression he thought W Bush was a huge hero after 9/11.

I thought Dennis was more intelligent than that. Maybe he does recognize his mistake now. One thing for sure, he is no longer funny.

[NewJeffCT]

122. I feel the same way

about Miller - used to like him back in the 90s and on SNL, though I think he sometimes tried too hard to drop seemingly intellectual references into his comedy even back then.

[Wounded Bear]

24. Borat, or whatever that guy's name is that played him...

never watched it, but got the impression it was a bad rendition of Jackass with a rudimentary script.

I've left most racial/ethnic humor behind, or maybe it left me behind. Either way, crap is crap.

[red dog 1]

52. Sacha Baron Cohen

Borat was one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, and I've seen it at least 20 times.

"Jackass" is not funny at all, IMO.

I haven't seen "Bruno" yet; but I want to.
In "Bruno" he got a packed nightclub to sing along with him on a song he made up called
"Throw The Jew Down The Well"

Throw the Jew down the well
So my country can be free
Just grab him by the horns
Then we'll have a big party


Borat got standing ovations at theaters across Israel when it first came out.

[NV Whino]

63. I agree with you on that one

Very juvenile humor, using the term humor very loosely.

[TexasBushwhacker]

74. Yuck n/t

[XemaSab]

144. .

[madamesilverspurs]

27. Carrot Top. Totally don't get him.

As for Newhart --- his drab persona sold the humor, same time that others like Alan King and Jackie Mason were being a bit too abrasive on our old black and white teevee. I'll admit that I wasn't a huge fan of his sitcoms, but I've rarely been into the genre at large. More recently, Newhart has quietly sparkled in the "Librarian" movies; the scene where he showed up for a fight and quietly intoned "Anybody want a piece of me?" had me nearly falling off the couch.

[red dog 1]

56. I'm with you on that one.

IMO, Carrot Top is the least funny comedian to ever play Las Vegas.

Even Tiny Tim was funnier than him.

[Bosonic]

28. Robin Williams, Demetri Martin,Jimmy Fallon,Jack Black,Amy Schumer

Last edited Sat Aug 1, 2015, 04:30 AM - Edit history (2)

[Alfalfa]

30. I was wondering if he'd been dead long enough yet to say it

But totally agree about Robin Williams.

[red dog 1]

57. I agree with you about Jack Black & Amy Schumer

I don't know who Demetri Martin is.

Jimmy Fallon's parodies of Neil Young are hilarious, especially "Pants on the Ground"

As far as Robin Williams, I consider him to be one of the funniest comedians ever, and a damn good actor as well, especially "Good Morning Vietnam" & "Mrs. Doubtfire"

[TexasBushwhacker]

76. Never liked Robin Williams brand of comedy

My dad was bipolar and Robin just seemed manic to me. However, I thought he was quite gifted as a dramatic actor. Awakenings, Good Will Hunting and Moscow on the Hudson are some of my favorites.

[smirkymonkey]

152. Same here. I feel terrible about his suffering as a human being, but he always just seemed like

a hyper, obnoxious little kid to me. However, I also found him to be a more than decent dramatic actor.

[TexasBushwhacker]

166. Yeah, his history of drug and alcohol abuse could

mean he was self medicating. Use alcohol to calm his mania, use cocaine to lift his depression. I don't think he was ever formally diagnosed or if he was, he didn't admit it. Bipolar folks love their highs. Interesting article here:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/carrie-fisher-robin-williams-he-725201

[Smarmie Doofus]

102. Robin Williams... as a comedian....made my skin crawl.

8th grade humor on steroids. Painful to watch.

He was, paradoxically, a good impressionist and , imo, an excellent actor.

[lame54]

107. I much prefer his dramatic roles

[ailsagirl]

182. Hear, hear

"Dead Poets Society" was a splendid movie.

As a comedian... well, I could barely keep up with him

Still sad that he's gone.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

29. Don Rickles.

I don't know why anybody ever let him on TV. Hateful bastard. Hated everyone.

Joan Rivers when she was being nasty.

Jay Leno, Johnny Carson.

The ventriloquist guy Jeff Dunham. Makes me long for the days of Waylon and Madame.

The two Conchords guys.

Craig Ferguson. Watched his opening monologue quite a few times. He was smiling and agreeable, but I don't think I laughed a single time. His skeleton sidekick, Geoff, didn't make me laugh either.

Larry the Cable Guy. Too gross.

I have been to several standup shows in the last couple of months. Lots of standup "comedians" do gross routines about gross sex, and use indecipherable slang. Slang that I am glad I did not understand, because it was gross and not funny. I am utterly sick of hearing the word "pussy". Sarah Silverman does a bit about how ridiculous guys sound when they blow up their cheeks and say they are looking for "puuutthy". Makes a good point.

I understand when people say "shit" and "fuck" for emphasis, but profanity alone is not funny. You need solid material that is funny on its own first. Lewis Black restrains himself on network TV and doesn't cuss, and still manages to be funny, which means his material is inherently funny. He uses anger as the basis of his routines, but he is not mad at anyone personally. He's just expressing mass frustration with societal trends. I met him after a show once and he is the nicest, kindest person to his fans that anyone would ever meet.

I don't like long involved stories of "he said this and I said that". Too hard to follow.

Men and women too. I don't like women who say "Oh I was so ugly in high school but I had a crush on this hot guy". I was hoping women could get beyond making fun of their appearance. Phyllis Diller was the first comedienne that made it big on TV as a solo act and she had to make fun of her appearance. But that was fifty years ago.

I don't like people with a flat affect. People who are blah about what they say, don't move around at all, and roll their eyes.

I like people who do social commentary/current events like Bill Maher/John Oliver/George Carlin/Lewis Black, and who are not mean-spirited towards specific people, but I have not seen any of that in the comedy shows I have been to.

I like people who talk about everyday experiences, like getting older, and being too short to reach stuff on the top shelf at the store.

[hollysmom]

53. The thing about Rickles was that he made fun of people to their face.

not like a bunch of cowardly comedians who make fun but suckup when they see the person. I will say his friends loved it when Rickles joked about them, And,even though he was mean, it was not mean spirited meanness, like he did not make fun of disabilities except in a general way, i.e. you would not see him with someone with downs syndrome making jokes about that, not that he would not make fun of it in a general, just not to specific people. It would be like making fun of me for being cheap, I don't mind it even though I just think of myself as thrifty. like I don't throw out rotten fruit or rinds, but mix it in my soil, ditto with tea bags and coffee, great for the soil. I don't throw out old clothes, but rip them up for rags. So mock me for that, but if you start going after me for some of my less good habits, you are in for a fight. Not a perfect person, but I could accept him because of that. But Lisa Lamparelli - not funny ever any way any how, Joan Rivers actually did stuff to hurt other people's career, I know she got screwed, but she passed on that meanness. But I do like a lot of female jokesters. many of whom are listed above, just not these two.

[red dog 1]

59. I"m with you on Joan Rivers & Lisa Lamparelli

You're right about Rickles, he made fun of people in the audience, but he did it with "taste",
and not with any "meanness" at all.

[hollysmom]

61. I don't know about taste.,

he would tell people they were fat or ugly. but it was usually because they started it by heckling. And I think people did that to get insulted. But there are some that insult children or have no boundaries. I can't see Rickles attacking a child.

[red dog 1]

62. Well, Rickles would sometimes "imply" that someone was ugly,

for example, he'd ask a man in one of the front rows:"Is that your wife, sir?"
and then he'd grimace.

I know of people who went to see him and would TRY to get seats down front, so that he
WOULD pick them out & make fun of them.

Whenever he made an appearance on The Tonight Show, he would always make Johnny Carson crack up (laughing)

[Alfalfa]

31. Sarah Silverman

She's just vulgar.

[hollysmom]

54. sometimes, other times she hits her targets.

I believe her act is to be clueless. once I accepted that, some things could be very funny.

[red dog 1]

55. I love Sarah Silverman

She's also the best looking comedienne I've ever seen.
and a good actress too ("School of Rock&quot

To me, "vulgar' = early Richard Belzer, Andrew Dice Clay, Gilbert Gottfried,
and a ventriloquist act called "Otto & George"....all of which I love too, especially Gilbert.

[astral]

100. I went full circle with Sarah Silverman

I first rented a video having no clue who she was. I thought it was so vulgar and gross i couldnt finish it. Then somehow i started seeing her online as i am a big fan of standup comedy. She did a thing about child molestation and it just made me cry. She had the courage to do a monologue (I think this one involved her playing her guitar) where she had no intention of being funny, when she knew everyone was waiting for her to be funny.

Ever since that moment, i have utmost respect and admiration for this woman, although i have never seen her in other than standup comedy.

I also love Amy Schumer in spite of her gross sense of humor, because she IS funny as hell.

Usually i seek comedians who can be funny without being totally disgusting. They are two distinct artforms, IMO.

And who was that guy i heard compare himself to George Carlin -- now George Carlin is a genius as well as a gutter-humor sort, he has been hard to take at times but he IS a genius (ok, was) and nobody is gonna compare themselves to him and have my respect. Oh it was Louis CK, not even a little bit funny.

But i do love Bob Newhart, his one-sided conversation acts are seriously hilarious, try listening to that thing about the driving instructor, for instance.

I never cared for the Seinfield tv show thing, but his standup comedy is pretty good.

Its amazing on how much people can disagree on what they (we) find as funny.

[TexasBushwhacker]

77. Me too n/t

[Inkfreak]

34. Kathy Griffin.

She just grates on my nerves. Unfunny & an annoying voice to boot. Ymmv.

[bigwillq]

35. Kevin Hart

I find him annoying.

[ariesgem]

151. You beat me to it.

n/t

[Ino]

36. Seinfeld

Never liked Cosby (smug & arrogant)
Don Rickles
Jackie Gleason
Lucille Ball

[Alfalfa]

42. +1

[azurnoir]

38. Napoleon Dynamite

ya it's a movie but I've never thought it was funny

[eppur_se_muova]

44. I always found Bob Newhart very funny.

A lot of it's chuckle humor, some of it's guffaw humor. But you often have to think twice to get it.

MeTV is running some of the old BNS eps, and it's been a real pleasure.

[hollysmom]

51. Love Newhart, hated Bill Murray,except in Groundhog day, everything else he ruins for me.

[WinkyDink]

88. But...but...."Stripes"! "There she goes, just a-walkin' down the street,..."!

[hollysmom]

91. hated stripes. just hated it.

I watched and wondered why people thought those losers were cool. ugh. I thought they were not rebellious, but horribly selfish and cruel. But to tell the truth I was seeing a lot of misogyny praised at that time. I had subscribe to a scifi magazine and finally came to the conclusion that a lot of men hated and disrespected women and thought that was normal.

[malthaussen]

130. Hated Stripes myself.

Not so much for the misogyny, which I figured was just Murray's wish-fulfilment, and what can you expect of an imbecile? But the whole movie was a terrible cliche from start to finish. What about it was supposed to be funny?

Dislike Bill Murray intently.

-- Mal

[WinkyDink]

175. Whoa. It was just a light-hearted comedy, not a documentary.

[Pool Hall Ace]

75. I believe I am the only person on the planet who never found Andy Kaufman funny.

Also -- Sam Kinison, Andrew Dice Clay

[hollysmom]

92. no you are not.

[Boomerproud]

112. You hit my un-faves.

Andy Kauffman-just strange, not interesting or funny.
Sam Kinison- didn't get why screaming was considered funny. Also the man had no neck.
Andrew Dice Clay-no expanation needed.

[smirkymonkey]

153. Ugh! I hated all of them!

Sam Kinison especially drove me insane. I can't stand loud obnoxious people and that was his whole schtick.

[Pool Hall Ace]

154. Well, it's good to know I'm not alone!

Some people used to say, "Oh! You've got to see the Andy Kaufman's Mighty Mouse routine!"

Okay, I did . . . still not funny! And though no fault of his own, Andy Kaufman always makes me think of David Berkowitz.

[smirkymonkey]

168. Yes! That's it! He totally reminds me of David Berkowitz!

I knew I found him creepy for a reason.

[TexasBushwhacker]

78. Jeff Ross and Bob Saget n/t

[Initech]

81. Bob Saget can be relentless when he has no filter.

Plus he's also Hollywood's pot dealer.

[TexasBushwhacker]

82. I didn't know that

I do know he's VERY tall. I stood by him at a Goo Goo Dolls concert in LA. He was there with Jeff Ross - LOL.

[Initech]

86. I don't know if you have heard of Brad Williams...

He's a comedian who I do like and actually met after a show one time. He's 4'2. He had a bit where he was talking about how he did a show with Bob Saget one time. And John Stamos and Dave Coulier were hanging out with him back stage. And Saget told Brad that John Stamos is absolutely terrified of little people. So Saget gets the idea to have Brad go in and start humping Stamos' leg. And then he comes in and starts laughing his ass off. Then Dave Coulier busts in and says something completely ridiculous that I can't remember, but it was pretty funny.

[TexasBushwhacker]

89. Why would someone be afraid of little people?

That's an odd phobia. But I knew a woman who had a phobia of pregnant women. She got her tubes tied when she was 21.

[Initech]

95. Yeah that is an odd phobia.

But that story is hilarious when Brad tells it.

[hibbing]

85. Dane Cook

Rather unfunny

Peace

[MrScorpio]

186. You and me both.

I don't get the guy

[WinkyDink]

87. Newhart was an original as a stand-up, though.

[hollysmom]

93. I loved his 15 minute show. remember 15 minute shows because news was only 15 minutes.

He had one and so did Jonathan Winters and both of these guys were funny without being mean.

[WinkyDink]

176. I've been watching news since Huntley-Brinkley, and i can't recall any less than a half-hour!

[hollysmom]

179. try 1950 51 52 etc.

Last edited Thu Aug 6, 2015, 11:49 PM - Edit history (1)

news was 15 minutes so they had entertainment shows on for 15 minutes. One was Jonathan Winters with a random table of props, His staff would prepare it and he would see it for the first time when they hweeled itout and then he would go crazy with what every prop he chose for the non advertising part of 15 minute show.
Bob Newharts show was him doing one monologue.
These shows were fantastic, and than at night we would watch the show of show with Sid Ceaser and the Ernie Kovak's show,.

There was a lot of talented comedians around then.

I think you might be too young to remember when someone finally decided that howdy Doody ws too ugly,but how to change the star of the year round children's show? - hee, they gave him plastic surgery,his head was in bandaids for weeks. This is so long ago, I can barely remember it, I must have been 4. probably not even the 50's yet. 49?
from wikipedia

This Jonathan Winters Show was aired at the beginning of prime time, from 7:30 to 7:45 PM Eastern time on Tuesday nights, to round out the half hour containing NBC's evening newscast, which was at the time, like all similar programs, likewise only 15 minutes long.

[oasis]

94. "Mr. Unfunny" Carrot Top. Steve Martin is barely tolerable.

[Tikki]

96. Jay Leno

[Agschmid]

97. Conan... no thank you.

[UrbScotty]

98. Conan O'Boredom. I mean, O'Brien.

I used to like him for a few months way back when.

His routine soon seemed kind of bland.

[astral]

101. But i luvs him!

His funny faces and body moves and mannerisms are just fun for me to watch.

[Enthusiast]

104. Me too.

[Arugula Latte]

116. I heart Conan ... more and more as time goes on.

[Angry Dragon]

142. +23000

[Bluzmann57]

105. David Spade

He has never done anything funny in his life as far as I can see.
I suppose he's technically a movie star rather than a comedian, but either way, he's just not funny.

[PufPuf23]

108. Leno, Rickles, CarrotTop, Sinbad

[Gidney N Cloyd]

109. "Frangela"

Frances Callier and Angela V. Shelton
I only know them from the Stephanie Miller show so they may be funny in other venues.

[Populist_Prole]

110. Leno

Saw him live doing standup in NYC decades ago, and I thought he was a riot. His TV show however, I just couldn't get into: He wasn't clever funny, it was more like mean-spirited smartassery.

'Borat' wins the award for the biggest disconnect between what was highly recommended and my eventual massive disappointment. It was terrible! I'm not a "humor snob", as it were, but the "humor" in 'Borat' was so lame I couldn't manage even a half-hearted chuckle if I tried to scrape together whatever vestiges of mirth their were in the entire movie.

[cemaphonic]

139. Borat had the SNL movie syndrome in spades.

The 5 minute Borat sketches on his old show were really funny, but you just can't stretch that into a full-length movie. Plus, a lot of the humor in the sketches derived from the idea that he was provoking unscripted responses from real people (and if he wasn't really doing it, it was a very convincing illusion). Lots of the "funny" scenes in the movie were obviously scripted performances by actors.

[olddots]

111. is Jerry Lewis still alive ?

Familiarity grows contempt even Lenny Bruce could get boring and now we live in overkill times.

[red dog 1]

114. "Jerry Lewis is still alive....and still a piece of shit"

http://www.vice.com/read/jerry-lewis-is-still-alive

[T_i_B]

117. Ricky Gervais & Frankie Boyle

[Mr.Bill]

120. Eddie Izzard, Bill Maher before his talk shows.

I don't get the British concept that a man dressed in drag is somehow inherently funny.

And Bill Maher was never funny as a stand up comic. How he is with political talk shows is a discussion for another thread. The ironic thing is, as liberal as he is, as a stand up and on the monologues on his talk show, he is imitating Bob Hope. His mannerisms, his timing, etc., are a complete rip-off of Hope.

[OriginalGeek]

123. I find Eddie to be hilariously funny

and it has absolutely nothing to do with how he dresses. I don't think the drag bit is supposed to be the butt of the joke - I think he just likes to dress in drag.

At least, I never really thought about him being in drag while he was doing his act - except when he was specifically talking about being in drag but that was such a small part of one show (that I have seen. maybe there's more) that it never occurred to me that being in drag was the joke.

Plus he's been pretty great in the couple movies I've seen him in.

But I grew up loving Monty Python from a young age of sneaking to watch it on a tiny 13" B/W tv in my bedroom late at night when I was supposed to be asleep so maybe I am pre-disposed to liking Eddie's act.

[OriginalGeek]

121. Damn, with the exception of Dane Cook

I love (or at least like) almost every comedian mentioned so far.

How popular is Jeff Dunham? I hate that dimwit.

As a general rule I don't like puppeteers or impressionists. Both have the same problem: They are amazing at speaking in another's voice, but they never have anything funny to say. I don't care if your lips aren't moving or you sound just like Nixon. No matter whose voice you use, use it to be funny.


Sarah Silverman is God-tier funny to me. I would worship her if I believed in worshiping. I might anyway.
And I love Bob Newhart.

[annabanana]

124. LARRY DAVID

I dislike him so much, I feel entitled to shout.

[Laffy Kat]

126. Where to begin?

Bob Hope tops the list--NEVER got him. More contemporary comics I don't think are funny: Dennis Miller; Emo Phillips (that sing-song voice nauseates me); Larry the Cable Guy (please).

[red dog 1]

131. "Did Bob Hope Ever Say Anything Funny?"

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2003/08/hopeless.html

I agree with you about the other three:
Dennis Miller, Emo Phillips & Larry the Cable Guy are, IMO, not in the least bit funny.

[FSogol]

133. Yes, most people only remember Hope as a variety show host at the end of his career.

His old radio comedy and early movies were hilarious. Whenever someone would wake him up in a movie, he'd mumble, "I'll get a job tomorrow, Mom..."

[Arugula Latte]

185. Bob "I woodenly read jokes off cue cardes" Hope ... UGH.

Those 70s Bob Hope specials ... well, they reached new depths of SUCK.

[LanternWaste]

128. Bill Hicks. Don't get me wrong, he made insightful points...

Bill Hicks. Don't get me wrong, he made insightful points, I simply did not consider his insightful points very humorous.

[Wolf Frankula]

134. Here's a Few

Andrew Dice Clay. He reminds me of a small boy who walks into his mother's card party and yells, "Billy told me some naughty words, wanna hear 'em? Damn! Penis! Shit!"

Carrot Top and Bobcat Goldthwaite. I could never understand the appeal of those two.

Mort Sahl. Not funny, boring. And his snort makes me sick.

Sasha Baron Cohen. Borat was bad ethnic humor. Bruno was an affront to the human race.

The later Bill Cosby. Smug and smarmy.

Jay Leno. I stopped watching the Tonight Show when he replaced Carson. Lame jokes.

Wolf

[red dog 1]

143. Mort Sahl was JFK's favorite comedian and they were good friends,

yet he poked fun at JFK & the Kennedy administration from day 1.

Ed Sullivan once told told him "no JFK jokes"

In his early days he played San Francisco's "Hungry I' many times,
One night "Hungry I" owner Enrico Banducci turned the lights on in the middle of his act, apologized to the audience, and announced "Anyone who wants a refund will get it"
Banducci never again booked Sahl for the "Hungry I"

After JFK's murder, Sahl became a "deputized member" of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison's team to investigate the murder." (Wikipedia)
After this, his act changed from a comedy act to monologues about the Warren Commission & JFK's assassination.

I never really thought Mort Sahl was funny, but I admired his helping Jim Garrison & his anti-Warren Commission rants.

[TreasonousBastard]

135. Hell of a storm this morning...

Woke me up at 5AM-- up to 80MPH winds, torrential rain, lightning...

Sounds like a hurricane, but just one badass nor'easter. Lasted about 2 hours, and trees down all over the place. Over 40,000 people without power. Local nooz orgasmic over disaster footage.

Nature, man...

(Was it a reaction to Republican assholery last night?)

[Turin_C3PO]

137. Sarah Silverman, Bill Hicks

[olddots]

140. I huess the comedians I don't like don't allow me to laugh at my own crap

or touch on my defence mode so I can't laugh .When I was young I didn't like the old comedians ,now I don't like the younger comedians .I love Lewis Black because we are so alike and annoying .
I guess age is a factor along with feeling a kinship for the humorist .

[red dog 1]

147. I like Lewis Black too

He's bringing his act to California in September

Thursday Sept. 10 -- Mondalvo Winery, Saratoga
Friday Sept 11, -- Wells Fargo Center, Santa Rosa
Saturday Sept. 12,-- Arlington Theater, Santa Barbara

[XemaSab]

145. I'm the first person to say Jim Carrey?

His "humor" seems motivated by hostility to me.

I know that's what motivates a lot of comedians, but with him, it's cranked to 11.

[red dog 1]

149. Yeah, you are.

I like the guy and have been a fan of his since "In Living Color"

Some of his movies are corny, but I loved "Me, Myself & Irene" with Renee Zellweger.

[Submariner]

155. Pauly Shore

Not funny, pathetic.

[red dog 1]

157. I agree

[KamaAina]

156. Gallagher

[red dog 1]

158. I like Gallagher

He's one-of-a-kind...unlike any other comedian I've ever seen,
(including Rip Taylor, who I also like)

[KamaAina]

159. But, but, think of the watermelons!

[red dog 1]

160. Watermelons are needed to demonstrate how the Sledge-O-Matic works.

(BTW, I love watermelons, especially the mini-seedless ones)

[KamaAina]

161. Couldn't he use repukes instead?

[red dog 1]

162. I'd pay to see that!

Smashing repukes would be much better than smashing watermelons,
Gallagher could start with Trump...or Cruz.

[KamaAina]

163. Or pumpkins.

But you wouldn't want to be in the front row. You might get splattered with toxic waste!

[red dog 1]

164. Smashing Pumpkins?

Good band!

They're currently on a Canadian tour.

[KamaAina]

165. Maybe Gallagher could open for them

at Coachella or something.

[red dog 1]

173. Or maybe they could open for Gallagher

at Carnegie Hall or Madison Square Garden....or Coachella.

[Sentath]

167. Jeff Dunham

just a skosh too much mean in his act for me. Humor cannot be toothless, but he genuinely doesn't like or respect some people.

[mythology]

169. So much of it is material dependent

For example, I generally don't think Will Ferrell is funny, but I didn't object to him in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

Bob Sagat on Full House, not particularly funny, but in other things he was.

I didn't enjoy some of Robin Williams comedies, but Mrs Doubtfire and Patch Adams I found funny.

[red dog 1]

171. You didn't like Good Morning Vietnam?

[WiffenPoof]

170. Lucy

One of the most overrated comedians of all time. Her treatment of Desi was nothing short of cruel. Not unlike Paul Simon's treatment of Art Garfunkel.

Never understood the attraction to Lucille Ball.

[WinkyDink]

174. Buster Keaton. (That's for those who are listing Oldies groups as "Popular" in another thread! HA!)

[red dog 1]

177. I never thought Buster Keaton was funny either.

Even though he was way before my time; I have seen him on TV & I just didn't think he was funny.

Others before my time who WERE funny include:
The Marx Brothers
Laurel & Hardy
W.C. Fields
The Three Stooges
and
Abbott & Costello
I got to see them live at The Hungry I (San Francisco) in a special afternoon performance for kids (Who's on first?)

[WinkyDink]

178. THAT? Is awesome! I laughed my head off at the Smothers Brothers 50---yep, 50----years ago!

[red dog 1]

190. The Smothers Brothers were underrated as a comedy act, IMO

Their TV show in the '60s was great!....I loved it!

Last November, after Tom Magliozzi from "Car Talk" died, one DUer posted a photo of the Magliozzi brothers appearing on-stage with the Smothers Brothers.
Tommy M. played stand-up bass, (I think his brother Ray played mandolin)
(For some reason, the photo isn't there anymore)
I've never before seen 4 musicians on stage with 2 of them playing stand-up bass.

[The Polack MSgt]

183. I never undestood

The draw of Seinfeld.

[MrScorpio]

188. Dane Cook is not funny nt