Comedy History 101

In the early 60s, Richard Pryor was a clean cut, mainstream comedian who appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Then he had a meltdown in Las Vegas. Retreating from showbiz, he moved to Berkeley, California and began hanging out with The Black Panthers, the counterculture movement, and African American intellectuals. The experience changed the face of Richard Pryor's comedy.

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Showtime has a new series on the History of the Comedy Store. Comedian Freddie Prinze was the first big breakout star of The Store. At 19, he appeared on The Tonight Show - and shortly after he got his own sitcom, Chico and the Man.

Prinze seemed to have everything in the world. But it was all too much, too fast for Freddie Prinze...

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Sasha Baron Cohen is back - with his new movie: Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm. This time the confused Kazakhstan journalist takes on the pandemic and Trump America.

In this episode we dive into both the Borat and Sasha Baron Cohen origin story. Where did they both come from and how did they get here? From the early days performing in the Cambridge Footlights - to international stardom and duping international ass-clown Rudy Giuliani - we cover it all.

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Sasha Baron Cohen plays activist Abbie Hoffman in the new Netflix film, The Trial of the Chicago 7.

As seen in the film, by day, Hoffman was in the courtroom - fighting conspiracy charges. By night, he would regularly perform at The Second City theater. Hoffman's stage appearance marked a transition at the theater - from a bunch of squares doing sketches; to progressive radicals that changed the face of comedy; marked by the addition of Harold Ramis as a cast member.

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Showtime has a new documentary series on the legendary Comedy Store in Las Angeles.

That's why we're bringing back a CH101 Select on the history of the 1979 Comedy Store strike - which was lead by comedians David Letterman, Tom Dressen, and Jay Leno.It was a pinnacle moment in comedy history, when comedians walked out of the Comedy Store and demanded that they get paid for performing; changing the face of modern comedy history.

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What a week. Within the last seven days, Trump's tax returns have been revealed, there was an unhinged presidential debate, and now the president has tested positive for coronavirus - after spending months mocking people who wear masks. But back in 2011, Comedy Central decided to send up Trump in a televised roasts. Trump only agreed to doing the roast if jokes about his hair, bankruptcies, and assumed wealth were made off-limits. it was a major joke among the roasters that Trump would consider running for president. Now look where that joke has taken us.

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In 2005, Pepe the Frog was created by cartoonist Matt Furie And then his lovable creation got coopted by the alt-right. Ugh! Coinciding with the release of the new documentary, Feels Good Man - we chronicle the crazed, insane journey of Pepe the Frog.

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Party Records were albums that people would play at night after the kids went to bed. Known for its XXX humor - Party Records helped launch the careers of Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, LaWanda Page, Skillet & Leroy, and numerous other classic comedians. You couldn't find these albums on the shelves at record stores; they were sold under the counter in paper bags.

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Animal House starred John Belushi - and was a game changer in movie history. So less than a year after its release, ABC tried to cash in on the film's success with the sitcom: Delta House.

Despite having some of the original cast members, and episodes written by the likes of John Hughes, Harold Ramis, and Doug Kenney - the show was a huge flop. It featured a laugh track, Josh Mostel filling in for Belushi, and not an ounce of raunchy humor - which made Animal House a success.

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The Chevy Chase Show premiered in 1993. It starred Chevy Chase - and was FOX's talk show answer to The Late Show with David Letterman.

The former SNL star looked lost, uncomfortable, and out of his element. Not only did the show only last 5 weeks - but this late night disaster is also ranked as the one of the worst TV shows of all time.

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