Ronni, at Times Goes By says there are seven basic jokes and she’s heard them all.
Thus, my theory that there may be only seven basic jokes and I’ve lived long enough now to have heard them all too many times.
That got me to thinking about humor I enjoy. Here are 25 people that I think are (or were) consistently funny. They can be storytellers, humorists, do one-liners, or give you a look that can make you chuckle. Most of them you can (or could) see on television, online, or read their blogs.
Some are past their prime because they haven’t remained current, or their act is predictable and worn, but I can remember being entertained by their stand up acts or TV performances.
So here they are in alphabetical order:
- Scott Adams
- Dave Barry
- Larry the Cable Guy
- Tim Conway - his television work on The Carol Burnett Show with Harvey Korman
- Carrottop - funny props and sight gags, love ‘em.
- Bill Cosby - early concert years
- Billy Crystal - movies, standup, hosting, ad libbing, always funny.
- Redneck Diva - she turns a great phrase eg happy as a puppy with two peckers
- Bill Engvall
- Jeff Foxworthy - even on “Are You Smarter Than…” he’s funny
- Ellen DeGeneres - stand up, but I enjoy her tv monologue too
- Gallagher - yes stupid props and smashed fruits and vegetables are funny
- Grandad - paints wonderfully funny word pictures
- Benny Hill
- Dom DeLuise
- Eddie Murphy - early stand up years
- Bob Newhart - his early stand up years. BTW: he’s still doing the same act.
- Todd O.
- Paula Poundstone
- Richard Pryor - early stand up years
- Rita Rudner
- Sarah Silverman - her joke in The Aristocrats was the funniest
- Robin Williams - early stand up years, lately he’s wearing thin
- Steven Wright
- My wife
Was Steven Wright a comic in college?
Thank you - I am honored. And truly happier than a three-peckered billy goat.
(Btw, Bill Cosby is da man. There is nothing funnier than his old stuff. And Steve Martin - seeing him do standup wearing the arrow through the head thing is literally one of my earliest memories. Chevy Chase…he’s a hoot and a half.)
Chocolate Cake! Cake has eggs and milk and…
Lemonade! These aren’t your kids.
“Smobke!” - I had an overwhelming urge to utter that when I was in the dentist’s chair a few months back.
We still quote those around here because they are just good stuff.
Another funny man - Ray Stevens. Just this evening while I was pricing for the garage sale I found a videotape of some of his songs. The kids popped it in the VCR and we spent 30 minutes laughing at his down-home Southern humor. All 3 kids were like, “WHY have you never showed us this before??” Of course, I didn’t mention that I’d tried and they’d refused….