Comedy History 101

Oct 31 2024 183 ep. 40 mins 408

Comedy History 101 Podcast artwork

Journalist/comedian Harmon Leon dives into the history of comedy; bringing podcast listeners some of his favorite comedy influences, cult classics, and all things comedy history.

More at: harmonleon.com

More at: comedyhistory101.com

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The Grateful Dead Counterfeiter

Oct 31 2024 50 mins

A teenage hustler makes his living selling counterfeit tickets at Grateful Dead shows, hawking his fakes on every Shakedown Street around the country. A cat-and-mouse game ensues between Steven Marcus - the head of Grateful Dead ticketing and this teenage counterfeiter, which comes to a head at a Madison Square Garden Dead show. But as the heat turns up - an unexpected tragedy p

Trailer: The Grateful Dead Counterfeiter

Oct 29 2024 1 mins

Trailer For Our Upcoming Audio Documentary: The Grateful Dead Counterfeiter A teenage hustler makes his living selling counterfeit tickets at Grateful Dead shows. A cat-and-mouse game ensues between the head of Grateful Dead ticketing and this teenage counterfeiter. But as the heat turns up - an unexpected tragedy puts an end to the game for both of them. Dropping this week on

The Mary Tyler Moore Show's Trailblazing Sitcom Writer Susan Silver

Oct 23 2024 42 mins

Susan Silver is a trailblazer in the world of sitcom writing. She began her career on The Mary Tyler Moore Show—during an era when comedy writing was overwhelmingly dominated by men. Starting as a casting director on the iconic show Laugh-In, she went on to write for The Bob Newhart Show, Maude, The Partridge Family, and Square Pegs. Like a showbiz Zelig, Susan’s path has cro

The Comedy Store w/ Joey Camen

Oct 15 2024 71 mins

Joey Camen is a Comedy Store OG. He first started performing at the iconic club in Los Angeles in 1974, alongside such up-and-coming comedians as David Letterman, Sam Kinison, Jay Leno, Jim Carrey – and the legendary Richard Pryor. Joey has appeared on WTF and is also a renowned voice actor who got his start as one of The Smurfs. We dive into his voice work, Comedy Store history

Paul Bellini & Kids in the Hall

Oct 02 2024 57 mins

Paul Bellini is noted as being the unofficial 6th Kids in the Hall, alongside Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson. Paul was one of the key writers for the Kids in the Hall's TV series and is also known onscreen as 'the guy in the towel.' Paul was there from the very start, at the legendary sketch group's early Toronto shows, and he gives

The Golden Girls & Roseanne w/ Writer Stan Zimmerman

Sep 25 2024 46 mins

Stan Zimmerman was a writer for The Golden Girls, Roseanne, Gilmore Girls, and the feature film, A Very Brady Sequel. He is also the author of the new book: The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore. We do a deep-dive on TV comedy writing, pitching, and what it was like working on the Russian version of Roseanne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Arrested Development & Golden Girls w/Jim Vallely

Sep 16 2024 57 mins

Jim Vallely was a writer/producer on the iconic comedy show: Arrested Development – which earned him an Emmy. Jim also worked on The Golden Girls, Two and a Half Men, The John Larroquette Show, and got his start on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson - with his comedy duo: The Funny Boys. We do a masterclass deep-dive with Jim on comedy writing, producing, and what it was like ha

Grease, Airplane, Rocky Horror Picture Show w/ Casting Director Joel Thurm

Sep 04 2024 44 mins

Joel Thurm was the casting director for such iconic movies as Airplane, Grease, Rocky Horror Picture Show, as well being the head of NBC casting for a solid decade. He is also the author of the new book, Sex, Drugs, and Pilot Season. We do a deep dive into casting in Hollywood, turning down Tom Cruise and Madonna, and insider stories on Taxi, David Hasselhoff, and what role Bob H

Moms Mabley with Rhonda Hansome

Aug 29 2024 29 mins

Moms Mabley bridged the gap between vaudeville and modern standup comedy. She was the first successful female standup comedian who had a career that spanned over 50 years. Our guest Rhonda Hansome, who has appeared on SNL, The Arsenio Hall Show, and has performed with Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, recently portrayed Moms on stage, and we do a deep dive into the history of this i

Ch101 Select: The Kids in the Hall with Paul Myers

Aug 21 2024 39 mins

CH101 Select: The Kids in the Hall are one of the most iconic sketch comedy groups in history. We do a deep dive into their origin story with Paul Myers - who knew KITH in their early days. Paul is the author of The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy, the executive producer of the documentary The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks, as well as the brother to Mike Myers - and he gives insig