Later with Bob Costas with guest Don Rickles (1991)

The Danny Thomas Show: 40th Anniversary of The Coconut Grove (1964) - Footage Offline - 09/13/09

Here's a super showbizzy oddity featuring Danny Thomas, Jimmy Durante, Joey Bishop, Eddie Fisher and Walter Winchell toasting the celebrated night club. Not sure when this aired.

I've Got a Secret (1972)

This same stunt was once pulled on the variety show of original I've Got A Secret host, Garry Moore. I had the episode posted here, but it has since been removed by the person who posted it. The novelty never caught.

Carson's Comedy Classics (1983)

Yet another installment of CCC consisting primarily of comedic bits from the nineteen seventies. And yet another installment that is very, very enjoyable. I like watching these late at night with the lights off and pretending Carson is still on the air.

The Jack Benny Hour with guest Walt Disney (1965)

The Merv Griffin Show with guests Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Gary Morton, Gale Gordon, Desi Arnaz Jr and Lucille Ball Jr. (1973)

A full episode of The Merv Griffin Show and a special one indeed.

The Dean Martin Show with guest Woody Allen (1966)

Stu Gilliam at The Basin Street West (1964)

The cover of this comedy LP on the "risque" label FAX Records states that this is the "Greatest Single Performance of Spiced Satire Ever Recorded." I certainly wouldn't go that far, but it isn't too bad. This LP was released during the early stage of Gilliam's stand-up career: 1964. In the next handful of years he performed his act on The Hollywood Palace, Playboy After Dark and three different spots on The Ed Sullivan Show. He also became a regular on the game show circuit popping up on The Hollywood Squares and The Match Game. He even had a turn in an episode of Get Smart. When things finally opened up for Black actors in the nineteen seventies, Gilliam appeared in The Mack (1973), Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde (1976) and as the voice of Curly on Hanna-Barbera's Harlem Globetrotters cartoon. Now listen to the man Redd Foxx describes in the liner notes as "... amazing, the greatest new talent of this decade," Stu Gilliam.

Kraft Music Hall with host Perry Como and guest George Kirby (1963)

I'm posting this episode primarily because of the legendary impressionist and nightclub comedian George Kirby, one of the very neglected figures of 20th century showbiz history. I'll be uploading a very good LP by the man on Dooto Records in a couple months.

The Joe Franklin Show with guest Al Lewis (1993)

This great looking, grainy, piece of film is an extremely entertaining documentary on the socialist Grampa Munster.

I Love Lucy with guest George "Superman" Reeves (1957) - Footage Offline - 5/10/08

Also look out for the voice of George Jetson and the star of the old Behind the Eightball film shorts, George O'Hanlon in this one.

Bonanza Outtakes

I've Got a Secret (1961)

The Mike Douglas Show with guests The Starvation Army (1968)

There is a fine line between good and bad sometimes.

If You Have Viewing or Loading Trouble...

I know that some of you sometimes have trouble viewing certain pages because they may take a long time to load due to several factors. Sometimes when there are several posts in one week, it simply takes a long time to load. In other cases, non-YouTube related sharing sites (veoh.com, guba.com etc) can cause problems for one reason or another and scramble text or even cause things to freeze. Generally, I don't witness this problem because my computer thus far seems to be state of the art. However, the easiest thing to due if you aren't getting this site through an RSS feed, is to simply click on the title of the individual post you want to see on the right hand side. I will also try and change the amount of days a post stays on the main page so as to limit the amount of time it might take for this page to load on your computer.

Carson's Comedy Classics (1983)

A particularly good episode of the "Best of" syndicated Carson package, featuring segments from 1973, 1976 and who knows when else.

I've Got a Secret with host Steve Allen (1965)

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour featuring Pat Paulsen (1969)

Joe E. Ross: Should Lesbians Be Allowed to Play 'Pro' Football (1973)

UPDATE JANUARY 2011 - Read the definitive biography of Joe E. Ross here - Joe E. Ross: King of Slobs by Kliph Nesteroff

Joe E. Ross was, by most accounts, a difficult man, not particularly polite, and extremely rough around the edges. He wasn't what you'd call "Hollywood." He probably had more relationships with prostitutes than any other sitcom star and unlike New York politicians, this wasn't something he was embarrassed about, but flaunted. He even showed up at things like The Emmys with a lady of the night on his arm. It is not known the exact number of times he was married, but it was at least eight and probably more. He wasn't known to treat his ladies well. This LP isn't about to endear him any further.

Joe E. Ross was first and foremost a nightclub performer, and it was during a stint in Miami Beach that Bilko creator Nat Hiken first decided he'd like to use him in The Phil Silvers Show and in Hiken's follow-up, Car 54, Where Are You? This rarity was pressed by Laff Records, a label that was known for its large output of profane comedy albums, primarily by unsung African-American acts. A handful of white performers like Roger & Roger, Bub Thomas and Joe appeared on the label. The copy I've uploaded here is extremely scratchy, which somehow seems appropriate. It isn't the easiest album to sit through, not just because it's scratchy, but it was a very lo-fi recording to begin with. The content doesn't help matters any either. The subtitle of the album is Dirty Memories of an Ex-Cop. The word funny is crossed out, with the word dirty scrawled over top as a gag. It is also a more accurate description of the album. That doesn't mean it isn't super interesting, and I'm glad I own it. Here are the liner notes. Any weird punctuation or capitalization is just as it appears on the back cover:

"Hey, Sweetie... your blocking is divine, but you keep hitting me in a very sensitive area. Would you mind?" "Oh, how marvy... no, you don't have to kiss it to make it better. What a darling man... OOooof; Ouch! Ughh...not so rough!" "BRUTE!" SHOULD LESBIANS BE ALLOWED TO PLAY PRO FOOTBALL? JOE E. ROSS, that dirty funny looking guy in the cop's uniform, with the hot dog stuck in his mouth, has a lot to say on the subject. "Ooh-ooh!", he says, and everybody laughs! His next famous statement was smothered in the hot dog and the laughter. "Ooh-ooh!" Who else could say it with such meaning? So much Depth and passion? As JOE E. ROSS tells it, he worked for years developing his act, refining his style, polishing his delivery... and then... one fateful night he stepped on stage, and his pants fell down... "OOH-OOH!", he cried... and a star was born! Such is fame, he says. JOE E. ROSS won acclaim as "Cookie-Mess Sergeant Ritzik" with Phil Silvers on the SERGEANT BILKO SHOW, careened into his own "CAR 54 WHERE ARE YOU?" TV series, and became famous as "OOH-OOH-TOOTY" the funniest cop in the world. Listen to him, as he stands on his bench in the bleachers, runs down the field with that pigskin, wanders absent-mindedly into the Ladies room, tickles, and tackles and scores! "Lookit that guy chargin' down the field... what a killer! BOOM! Bam...WoW! What a drive! Lookit that blocking! What the heck is that mincing, dancing figure doing?! Omigosh... is that a tackle or a rape scene? I Can't Look! Somebody call a cop!" "OOH-OOH!"

Lovable JOE E. ROSS tells all about how to score in football, stage, screen and sex on laughable LAFF RECORDS. "Lib and let lib," he says... "just as long as they buy the record!"

Now, Listen to it:

The Joe E. Ross Comedy Album

Break the Bank with celebrity panelists Jan Murray, Dick Gautier, Abe Vigoda, Lynda Carter, Robert Hegyes and so forth (1976)

A large roster of television stars, moderated by good old Tom Kennedy in a checkered suit.