Hollywood initiates the presentation of the "Boscar" award for unusual achievement by a bad actor. The photograph shows the first award winner making the presentation of the glossy enameled leaden statue to himself.
I love Robin Williams esp. since Mork and Mindy. He was greased lightning humor, mime, pathos, and all the other human emotions wrapped up into one.
However, I think we have to create a timeline break between the old-timers, the middle ages (50’s-60’s) and the newcomers. (Mainly comedy with acting secondary with a few exceptions).
Oldtimers
Laurel & Hardy
Three Stooges
Abbott & Costello
W.C. Fields
Mae West
Charlie Chaplin
Harold Lloyd (silent films)
The Marx Brothers
Cary Grant (Arsenic and Old Lace)
William Powell (and Myrna Loy) - The Thin Man series
Bob Hope
Jack Benny - his TV show
Rochester - the king of the one liners until Robert Guillaume in “The Governor” v series (and BENSON)
George Burns (Oh God) and Gracey Allen (tv show, vaudeville)
Jackie Gleason - Minnesota Fats, The Honeymoones
Lucille Ball - The candy factory scene
George Gobels - greatly underrated comedian
Red Skelton - great at anything and a really nice person
Red Foxx - from old black clubs to TV. Funny as hell.
Jonathan Winters - in anything; Ma Fricka (The companion to Charlie Weaver) one of the alltime great verbal comedians (along with Robin Williams). You have to see what he does to Johnny Carson to understand.
from the 50s/60’s to the New Guys/Girls on the Block including the HBO Comedians of the Night
Bill Cosby - I saw him when he first got started. He was one of the first social awareness comedians who didn’t shove social issues/problems down the audience’s throat.
Billy Crystal (also a good actor)
Rodney Dangerfield (one of the all-time great single-liners)
George Carlin - sharp as a knife
Sam Kinnison (I think he only did one movie)
Rosanne Barr (when she was on point)
Robin Williams - tops
some of the Wayan Brothers (TV and on stage comedy; movies)
Richard Pryor
Eddie Murray - on stage and in movies
John Candy - more as a comedic actor
[I’m short on women comedians/actresses so someone can help fill in the blanks. I know that there are some really good ones out there].
Hillary Clinton - Her statements on her accomplishments and computer server/email foibles has me rolling in the aisles.
Her apparent before congressional committees, at press conferences and on newsmedia/talk shows have to rate as THE GREATEST PERFORMANCES BY A PSYCHOPATHIC ACTRESS IN HISTORY. She makes Betty Davis seem sane in all her movies.
There aren’t enough Oscars in existence to be awarded for “Best Liar in Modern American History” and she’s funny too. Every time she opens her mouth, I start to laugh, even if she hasn’t said anything yet.
I wonder if an actress can get an Academy Award while in jail. It would be worth finding out.
Did you just leave out Buster Keaton? Seriously?
Blown away that it took until post 171 for someone to say Robin Williams as number 1. I have seen pretty much everyone else who was listed as tops, but nobody, and I mean nobody, could do it all the way Robin could. Slapstick, impressions, character acting, improv ... and all at lightening speed. Anyone can be funny if they have a funny script, but Robin could do it on the fly. Did you ever see him describe Golf? ROTFLOL and wetting my pants. (http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=robin+williams+describes+golf&view=detail&mid=8B2148BB83CD52FCD2488B2148BB83CD52FCD248&FORM=VIRE)