Top Comedians of the 50s. 1. Jerry Lewis. Jerry Lewis (born March 16, 1926) was an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis But from the mid-1930s up until his death in 1993, Cantinflas was Mexico's most beloved and iconic comedian. Berle's career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and Mexican leftist politician Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador has used the term on different occasions to refer to his right-wing political opponents. 3 June 2013. ", and "Nice!" He became one of the benefactors of the Convent of Saint Teresa of Avila (15151582) in Alba de Tormes, Salamanca, at which he attended Mass every Sunday when there. Many Hispanics took offense and protested the show's jokes and promotion of stereotypes, leading to its early demise after only about a month on the air. Some of their later films include Ahi Madre and Entre Pobretones y Ricachones. (a kick of stereotype of the "lazy mexicans" sitting down with a sombrero and zarape and have some of the most modern films for the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. "El Cine De Oro" also consisted of other genres such as romance, drama, action, comedy etc. In fact, there was some controversy and some claimed that Moreno had used skits, characters, costumes, and skits by less successful carpa performers in the theater for his movies (Pilcher 2010). Some Black American comedians such as George Kirby, Bill Cosby, Flip Wilson, Godfrey Cambridge, and Dick Gregory began exploring the criticism of "history and myth" in the 1950s-60s, with Redd Foxx testing the boundaries of "uncensored racial humor".[34]. https://www.scribd.com/doc/16023663/King-John-El-carrete-magico-Una-historia-del-cine-latinoamericano, 5.Urbanora. His highly amusing personality won him bit parts in films, and he continued to work as a minor supporting player for years. Nowadays, many German cities have built their stand-up culture. Films which lean toward a post-pachuquista are El Mariachi Desconocido and Fuerte Audaz Y Valiente (similar to that of a western). Wenceslao Moreno Centeno (April 17, 1896 April 20, 1999), known professionally as Seor Wences (Spanish pronunciation: [se'o 'wenes]), was a Spanish ventriloquist and comedian. This became the most famous part of the program and made him one of the most recognized comedians in Spain, for his connection with the public and his ability to improvise. and the box voice would answer "S'ariiight!" The comedian was then obliged not to deviate from the act in its edited form. What is also celebrated is the profitable agenda of an alternative style which came to be known as El Cine de Cantinflas(Galero 2009) creating almost a genre of its own with the trademark of cantinfleo (also known as cantinfleando) (a term that has been legitimized as a term to depict the act of talking rapidly). He later adapted by learning English. In many of Tin Tan's movies he embraces the zoot suit as it becomes innate to his character such as El Rey Del Barrio( The King of the Neighborhood) El Hijo Desobediente (The Disobedient Child) and Msico, Poeta y Loco (Musician, Poet and Madman). In this hilarious and at times cringeworthy exchange (http://youtu.be/toKVC7cNqmQ), Gonzalez speaks Spanish, sings and dances and maintains a deadpan expression throughout. Web. Following CQC's example many channels and TV shows on Brazil's national television invested in Stand-up comedy. Part of his act involved throwing his voice while his mouth was otherwise engaged (i.e., smoking or drinking), and rapidly switching between multiple voices. His punishment was to clean the inkwells and he smeared some of the ink on his hand, then clenched his fist to create the face.[4]. Nevertheless, he rose to fame which allowed him to explore other styles while maintaining his cantinfleando signature in all his films. Married at age 17 to a 15-year old dancer, Leandra ("Lee") Aguirre, who he met while playing the same bill in San Antonio, Pedro was a driver in the Army during WWII. Similarly, legendary Mexican comedians such as Cantinflas have used this same approach during the Cine de Oro. Silent films in general were popularized by specifically toward comedy by legendary actors such as Charlie Chaplin and the Marx brothers in the United States. Given that Path (a famous film production at the time) did not build any studios in Mexico like it did in other countries and business people took advantage of this to run production at a national level. Home; News; Random Article; Install It had all the attributes of modern stand-up comedy and is widely considered to be the oldest known staged comedy act anywhere in the world. The act would be returned with unacceptable sections underlined in blue pencil (possibly giving rise to the term "blue" for a comedian whose act is considered bawdy or smutty). One of the Seor Wences trademark bits of shtick (referenced several times below) involved his dialogue with a deep voice emanating from inside a box. It is safe to say that Cantinflas is to Mexico what Charlie Chaplin is to the United States. [3][6] Pedro would either "speak" from within the closed box, or speak with moving lips simply answering "s'awright" ("it's all right") when the performer opened the box's front panel with his free hand to ask questions of Pedro. [40], The Aristocrats is a 2005 film based on the original vaudeville joke The Aristocrats, where comedians tell their version of the dirty joke. [6], Despite his retirement by age 100, the famous Seor Wences puppets, Johnny and Pedro, "continued working". [citation needed] By the 1970s, music hall entertainment was virtually dead. The roots of modern stand-up comedy began in 1840s minstrel shows that perpetuated racist stereotypes in the United States. Seor Wences in 1935 with an early version of "Johnny", 2017: Ken Closterman, Tony Delap, Peter Lane, "Senor Wences, 103; Ventriloquist Made 'S'awright' a Household Word", "Everything's 'S'allright' with Senor Wences and his friends", "Senor Wences, Ventriloquist Who Was a TV Regular, 103", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seor_Wences&oldid=1142329834, Academy of Magical Arts Special Fellowship winners, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 20:23. [5] His stable of characters included "Johnny", a childlike face drawn on his hand, placed atop an otherwise headless doll, with whom the ventriloquist conversed while switching voices between Johnny's falsetto and his own voice with great speed. They did indeed exist, however, such as El Rosario de Amozoc and Don Juan Tenorio directed by Enrique Rosas as well as Al Sr. Bermudez no le gustan los agentes and El Sr. Durand quiere irse de Juerga directed by Salvador Toscano in 1909. Stand-up comedy is believed to have been performed originally as a one-man show. According to Durn, Tin Tan was not a great humorist when it came to verbal speech, but he knew how to impersonate and mimic with affinity as well as caricature. Stand-up expanded from clubs, resorts, and coffee houses into major concerts in sports arenas and amphitheaters. In its first stage (1999-2005), it underwent several chain changes and released comedians like Luis Piedrahita, Alexis Valdes or Goyo Jimnez. and Handy Manny, which prominently feature bilingual characters. He once won an Academy Award for Best Long acknowledged as one of the best "straight men" in the business, Bud Abbott was born William Alexander Abbott in Reading, Pennsylvania to Rae (Fisher) and Harry Abbott, who had both worked for the Barnum and Bailey Circus. After the height of the 80s stand-up comedy boom, there was a 90s comedy bust. His character of the pachuco always portrayed to have a "flare" for chaos and a lack of respect for the authorities as well as for formalities (Durn 43). In this video (http://youtu.be/T0wvG3RMKPc) Lopez reveals that he just thinks of himself as "American," but a college friend tells him he should stop denying his Latino roots. Viruta was the "smart one" and Capulina was the "silly trickster". Prinze got his big break when he was cast as Chico Rodriguez in Chico and the Man (1974), alongside Ed Brown played by Jack Albertson. [11] While pleasure gardens hosted shows of minstrelsy and burlesque, the era of American vaudeville can be traced back to 1836, at a pleasure garden called Niblo's Garden, but the term vaudeville wasn't in regular verbal use until the 1840s and didn't commonly appear in writing until the 1890s. Clavillazo, similar to Tin Tan, is known for his caricature expressions and for his physical comedy. He was the son of Agnes Doreen "Peg" (Marks) and William "Bill" Sellers. "Nation and Translation: The "Pachuco" in Mexican Popular Culture: Germn Valdz's Tin Tan." [62] Srivastava was a participant on season 3 of Bigg Boss. That section of 54th Street has been named Seor Wences Way. The breakthrough for Mexican comedy came with Mario Moreno, more popularly known as Cantinflas. Other notable comics from this era include Woody Allen, Shelley Berman, Phyllis Diller, and Bob Newhart. One of his first gigs was a part in "El Teatro De Carpa" which can translate as a U.S version of Ringling brothers but in a theater context. His talent was recognized, and he would later be described as "the iconic comedian of his generation".[60][61]. George Lopez, of Mexican descent, is one of television's most visible Latinos. 2, Translating in and across Cultures (Autumn, 2002), pp. The Mexican movie industry sought not only to make as much profit as possible in their country but also to compete in the foreign market which resulted in the production of "folkloric stereotypes such as the singing charros and china poblanas of All en el Rancho Grande" film which was one of the major hits during this era (Pilcher 2010). Wikimedia Foundation, 06 Mar. In 2006, the comic J Soares watched Clube de Comdia in So Paulo and invited the comic Diogo Portugal for an interview in his talk show. As he is about to sing a song for Marx that he wanted to serenade his girlfriend with, he starts to sing the song in Spanish, stops and asks Marx, "Do you want it in English or in Spanish?" Pirrurris refined the ridicule of nacos into nacology, the study of the naco. The show revolved around a group of teenage friends and was set in 1970s Wisconsin. Seor Wences was forced suddenly to invent the character when his regular, full-sized dummy was destroyed [2] during a 1936 train accident en route to Chicago. One of his most famous lines, which later became a national catchphrase, was borrowed from his Puerto Rican apartment building superintendent, who would respond to tenant repair requests with the answer, "Eez not mai yob." Sharma participated in Sony Entertainment Television's Comedy Circus. In the 1980s, Eddie Murphy shaped African American comedy when he created the Black Pack: similar to the Rat Pack, it was a group of stand-up comedians, its members included Paul Mooney, who wrote for Richard Pryor and later starred on Chappelle's Show.[36][37][38][39]. Around 2011, people started organizing different comedy open mic events in Mumbai, Delhi (and Gurgaon), Bangalore. But Desi Arnaz found a way. He never finished school and, thus, became a functional illiterate for the rest of his life. After that, his future roles were mainly leading man which helped him become well known all over Latin America. Many actors flourished and started their careers during this era including: Rodolfo Acosta, Antonio Aguilar, Pedro Infante, Lupe Vlez, Mara Flix, Gloria Marn. In a rare collaboration, the film Viaje a la Luna (1957) joined popular comedians of the time including Tin Tan, Viruta y Capulina and memorable supporting actress Vitola and actor Chabelo(who also worked with Cantinflas in El Extra). Antonio Espino y Mora, also known as Clavillazo, is one of the leading comedic men of the golden age and he is noted for making the phrase "No me vuelvan hacer eso" (Don't ever do that again) famous. As a result of these developments, plus the increasing penetration of YouTube (along with Internet/World Wide Web), Indian stand-up comedy started reaching further masses. | Kikis, (1980) comedian since late 2011, openly lesbian, has participated in, Luiki Wiki (1985-) began making comedy in January 2013 in Mexico City and later moved to Monterrey NL to start the first Open Mic in Monterrey (an event in which comedians can participate to try out new material with a real audience) together with other comedians of the genre. Before his role as Ricky Ricardo, Arnaz was hired by Latin orchestra leader Xavier Cugat, starred in many musicals, formed his own band and popularized the conga dance in the U.S. Arnaz was the first Latino to co-host a national English-language television show in prime time. As a result of playing comic relief roles, he was accused of perpetuating negative stereotypes about Hispanic men. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. He enjoys deprecating low- to middle-class people with illusions of grandeur, airs of importance, bad taste, and colorful (low class) slang, while at the same time emphasizing his own importance and class-superiority, using a lot of "high class" slang. This was the era in which sound was being added into the silent films. He was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1555 Vine Street in Hollywood, California on November 14, 2008. The purpose of the "Teatro De Carpa" was to be mobil and tour different cities and perform. Much later in his career he was introduced to a new generation of fans on The Muppet Show. When Bud was three his family moved to Asbury Park, New Jersey, which he Lou Costello was born Louis Francis Cristillo in Paterson, New Jersey, to Helen (Rege) and Sebastiano Cristillo. Born in San Diego, Mario Lopez is best known for his role on the 1990s sitcom Saved by the Bell, where he starred as A.C. Slater, one of six students who experience four years of high school together. Sitting behind a desk, he would explain the naco to his audience in scientific terms. In Curitiba, with this momentum, many other stand-up nights began opening up. This page was last edited on 3 January 2023, at 20:01. His most famous role was on John Wayne's movie Rio Bravo (1959). [citation needed], In 1986, India's Johnny Lever performed in a charity show called "Hope 86", in front of the whole Hindi film industry as a filler and was loved by audience. The families interact with one another as equals and the children of the families fall in love and elope, drawing the two families closer together. (1963), but eventually retired to become a physician. [4], 6. El Indio Maclovio and Juan Penas were also two very famous characters he acted out on several shows. It was not as successful as many directors and film maker though it would be. Many well known comedian actor like Cantinflas and Tin Tan (German Valdes) forever influenced comedy in "El Cine De Oro" era. Gabriel Iglesias Gabriel Iglesias, a standup comedian, actor, and voice performer who goes by the moniker Fluffy, and is one of the most successful Mexican Web. The first films presented in Mexico were possible through the agents of the Lumire brothers (the earliest filmmakers in the history of cinema) and through the progressivists of Porfirio's regime. [35] The older style of stand-up comedy (no social satire) was kept alive by Rodney Dangerfield and Buddy Hackett, who enjoyed revived careers late in life. "So Farewell Then: The Untold Life of Peter Cook" Cook, Wendy E. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television, The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club, "Probing Question: What are the roots of stand-up comedy? These comedians would serve to influence the next generation of comedians. Since 2011, the stand-up comedy has been getting substantial appreciation. Also, in 1999 began the journey of the program The club of comedy, an open adaptation of the popular comic format. Furthermore, the pachuco is "constantly translating cultural, linguistic, and economic realities" in both the United States and Mexico and hence a representation of a "transbordered subject" (Durn 42). Children's television in the past few decades has consistently outpaced prime-time television in the quality and richness of its portrayal of Latinos. WebThis is a list of famous Mexican comedians. Though the other cast members poke fun at his thick accent and try to guess where he's from, the show leaves viewers only with the information that he is a foreign exchange student from an undisclosed country, in its very first episode (http://youtu.be/E7eyJnBC-q8) in 1998. American vaudeville emerged around the same time and along with the later developed Chitlin' Circuit, produced the founders of this form of entertainment. It was shot in Puerto Rico because its star declined to travel to New York. The inspiration for Johnny came from his school days when the teacher punished him for imitating classmates and answering "present" when they were absent. He opened his act by drawing Johnny's face on his hand, on stage. Cantinflas began his career in street theater before he made it to the movie industry. The 1940s-50s elevated the careers of comedians like Milton Berle and Sid Caesar through radio and television. As the host of NBC's Texaco Star Theatre (1948-55), he was the first major American television star and Comedian, saxophonist, composer, actor and musician, he performed within the orchestras of Charlie Spivak, Shep Fields and Claude Thornhill as saxophonist. With the popularity of his films the term pachuquismo was developed (43). In the 1950s and into the 1960s, "new wave"[27] stand-ups such as Mort Sahl and Lord Buckley began developing their acts in small folk clubs like San Francisco's hungry i (owned by impresario Enrico Banducci and origin of the ubiquitous "brick wall" behind comedians)[28] or New York's Bitter End. One of the Mexican television stations (TV Azteca) presented a tribute to him for his 100th year anniversary. Some of their films include El Dolor de Pagar la Renta and El Peligro de La Muerte. Created sometime in the 1970s, the character is a very rich young man with a haircut similar to that used by the Beatles in their early years and depicts sarcastically and exaggeratedly the stereotype of a so-called "fresa". In the 1950s, the relatively new technology of television began to compete with motion pictures as a major form of popular entertainment. He and wife Lee had three children. Well-known actor/grandson Clifton Collins Jr. electrified film audiences recently when he co-starred with Philip Seymour Hoffman as doomed murderer Perry Smith in the critically-acclaimed film Capote (2005). Lenny's parents were divorced when he was a child. The zoot suit riots and the mistreatment as well as discrimination toward Latinos by the Los Angeles Police Department have left a stain and this is one reason why the image has become so iconic. George Lopez, of Mexican descent, is one of television's most visible Latinos. On the show, her accent (http://youtu.be/R6OhjpyveNw) and heritage are the source of many laughs because of the confusion they cause. The 1960s had also seen the satire boom, including the creation of the club, the Establishment, which, amongst other things, gave British audiences their first taste of extreme American stand-up comedy from Lenny Bruce. "Ultimately the laugh line is delivered in Yiddish as a way of saying 'Yiddish, Spanish, English. [14][15] Comedians of this era often depended on fast-paced joke delivery, slapstick, outrageous or lewd innuendo, and donned an ethnic personaAfrican, Scottish, German, Jewishand built a routine based on popular stereotypes. Wikipedia. In 2005 he got a new show where he plays the Pirrurris as well as his other characters. Hope moved to Bristol before emigrating with his parents Bing Crosby was born Harry Lillis Crosby, Jr. in Tacoma, Washington, the fourth of seven children of Catherine (Harrigan) and Harry Lincoln Crosby, a brewery bookkeeper. Pardav was also a composer and film director, and his beginnings in the industry, from the Silent films, made him a "symbolic father" of all Mexican comedians from the thirties to the sixties. Antonio Espino y Mora, better known as Clavillazo was another Mexican actor who began his career in the Carpas. In a career that started in the 1950s, Chespirito wrote hundreds of television episodes, 20 films and theatre productions that drew record-breaking audiences. Moreno performed a scene using Johnny in the 1947 musical Mother Wore Tights. In other words, views. All of this happened in association with growth of a counterculture in Indian cities which catered to the appetite of younger generations for live events for comedy, poetry, storytelling, and music. It is important to add that on March 22, 1982 a nitrate fire broke out in Mexico's film archive located in the Cinetica Nacional in Mexico City which "destroyed 6,506 films along with 3,300 Mexican features and short subjects (a substantial portion of Mexican film history)" (Slide 1992). He formed a comedy duo with his wife Gracie Allen (1895-1964), and typically played the straight man to her zany roles. Vergara notes that though she is naturally blond, she dyed her hair brunette because producers didn't know how to cast her when she started acting in the U.S., "because I was voluptuous and had the accent it was ignorance: They thought every Latin person looks like Salma Hayek.". using the true surname of Seor Wences, who would respond "No, Moreno is not here.". [25][26] Acts such as Alan King, Danny Thomas, Martin and Lewis, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers and Jack E. Leonard flourished in these venues. Lopez also became the first Hispanic to host a late-night talk show, Lopez Tonight, on an English-language network in the U.S.