| Description | Laughing Matters' with Greg Proops (edited programme as broadcast on British Airways Radio).
[00:17] Allan Sherman’s Camp Granada plays. [02:56] Clip ends, Greg Proops [G.P.] discusses. [03:10] Bill Cosby [03:20] Peter Sellers. [03:55] Clip of Peter Sellers plays. [06:08] Clip of Peter Sellers ends. [06:37] Tom Hanks and George Segal are funny actors, but they don’t compare to Peter Sellers. [06:48] A Girl in my Soup. [06:58] Inspector Clouseau, no one else can do it, Alan Arkin and Roberto Benigni tried. [07:15] Laughing Matters jingle.
[07:18] The Pink Panther Movies, Woody Allen, comics on Ed Sullivan and the Hollywood Palace, Jackie Vernon, Jack E. Leonard, Buddy Hackett, Sandy Baron, Jackie Mason, Dick Shawn, [07:51] women included Totie Fields, Phyllis Diller, Moms Mabley. Jo Brand is like Phyllis Diller. [08:34] Pythons [Monty Python] on record.
[08:54] Clip of Monty Python plays. [11:17] Clip ends, G.P. discusses. [11:32] Fawlty Towers, [11:46] John Cleese is most recognisable living British comedian in the US. [11:58] Americans wouldn’t have heard of Eddie Izzard, Paul Merton, Norman Wisdom, Tony Hancock, Morecambe & Wise, [12:08] The Two Ronnies, Dave Allen, Python, Benny Hill made it to America.
[12:25] Tom Lehrer records on vinyl. [12:40] Clip of Tom Lehrer plays. [14:43] Clip ends, G.P. discusses, [15:02] Tom Lehrer teaches at Santa Cruz university, used to teach at Harvard. [16:37] Laughing Matters jingle.
[16:41] George Carlin, Rob Klein, Richard Pryor, [17:03] clip of George Carlin plays. [26:09] clip ends. Carlin did voices, impression of another comedian called Jack Burns, who was in a double act called Burns and Shriver. [26:54] Rob Klein, childhood reminisces acted out. [27:38] Clip of Rob Klein plays. [29:59] Clip ends, G.P. discusses. [30:21] Clip of Cheech & Chong plays. [31:01] clip ends, G.P. discusses.
[31:39] Old comedians, George Burns, Jack Benny, WC Fields. [32:18] Clip of WC Fields plays. [36:37] clip ends, G.P. discusses. [36:50] Laughing Matters jingle.
[36:54] Lord Buckley [38:33] Clip of Lord Buckley plays. [47:42] clip ends, G.P. discusses. [49:26] Laughing Matters jingle, sting.
[49:53] Lenny Bruce, Buddy Hackett and Jackie Gayle were his contemporaries even though he wasn’t like them, like Bill Hicks. [51:17] George Carlin, Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy all owe something to Lenny Bruce. [52:13] Clip of Lenny Bruce plays. [54:45] Clip ends, Bill Hicks aspires to be Lenny Burce [55:49] Groucho and Peter Cook’s comedy changes over the years, Bill Hicks died at 32, so never got to. [56:45] clip of Bill Hicks plays. [01:00:00] British Airways Radio jingle.
[01:00:43] GP discusses Bill Hicks and being compared to him. [01:01:53] Clip of Greg Proops stand-up plays. [01:09:48] Clip ends, GP talks about his main influence being Woody Allen, Groucho Marx, Pythons. [01:10:30] GP discusses his improv beginnings at college. [01:11:25] People ask him if Whose Line Is It Anyway is scripted, and discusses working on WLIIA. [01:13:02] Tony Slattery, Josie Lawrence, Ryan Stiles, Mike McShane.
[01:14:10] Clip of Stan Freberg Banana Boat song plays. [01:17:36] clip ends, GP discusses. [01:18:29] Phil Silvers, Woody Allen, Peter Sellers, Groucho. [01:18:39] Clip of Groucho Marx plays. [01:21:47] clip ends, GP discusses. [01:22:07] Woody Allen was influenced by Groucho Marx and Bob Hope. [01:23:08] like WC Fields, the Marx Bros were trained in vaudeville music hall comedy.
[01:23:29] Laughing Matters jingle. [01:23:33] Spinal Tap, like Larry Sanders it was real parody. [01:24:13] Comic Strip did Bad News. [01:24:45] Spinal Tap is in GP’s top five funniest movies of all time, along with The Producers, and Annie Hall. [01:25:10] Clip from Spinal Tap plays. [01:28:39] Clip ends, GP discusses seeing them in concert. Christopher Guest was sick of it being treated like a rock show.
[01:29:13] Laughing Matters jingle. [01:29:17] Clip of Nichols & May plays. [01:34:24] clip ends, GP discusses. [01:35:31] record from Carnegie Hall, Second City Chicago, toured in the 1950s and 1960s.
[01:35:54] Laughing Matters jingle. [01:35:58] Woody Allen. [01:36:14] Clip of Woody Allen plays. [01:38:52] Clip ends, GP discusses. [01:39:40] Woody Allen sat in for Johnny Carson sometimes on TV, guest hosted the Tonight Show, on Ed Sullivan. [01:40:15] GP talked with Charles Joffe who managed Woody Allen’s career along with Jack Rollins. [01:40:53] Woody Allen wasn’t a warm performer like Bill Cosby, Jonathan Winters, Norman Wisdom, or Robin Williams people don’t love him. [01:41:17] quotes Mark Lamarr’s favourite Woody Allen line.
[01:42:01] Laughing Matters jingle. [01:42:18] First saw Richard Pryor on a show with George Carlin, he wasn’t a TV comedian. [01:42:57] Clip of Richard Pryor plays. [01:48:14] Clip ends, GP discusses Richard Pryor as the 1970s top comedian, like Lenny Bruce and Bill Hicks. [01:49:30] Richard Pryor was funny like Woody Allen, Groucho Marx, Peter Cook, and Robin Williams. [01:50:08] Bill Hicks, Denis Leary, Andrew Dice Clay, Eddie Murphy all owe Richard Pryor something.
[01:50:21] Paula Poundstone [01:51:39] clip of Paula Poundstone plays. [01:55:09] Clip ends, GP discusses. [01:55:43] she covered the Democratic and Republican conventions for the Jay Leno Tonight Show in 1992 [01:56:19] GP talks about interacting with the audience [02:00:22] British Airways Radio jingle. [02:00:39] Recording ends.
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