Posted on 04/12/2013 6:00:41 PM PDT by fhayek
In a recent thread about the death of Jonathan Winters, it was stated that he was one of the funniest men who ever lived. He WAS funny, but he wouldn't be on my list of the funniest who have ever lived. And by "ever", I mean since the dawn of recorded media. My list of the funniest people who have ever lived would be as follows:
Groucho Marx
John Cleese
Mike Myers
Bill Cosby
Peter Cook
Rowan Atkinson
Charlie Chaplin
George Carlin
Mel Brooks
Woody Allen
Douglas Adams.
The sole criterion is that they make me laugh. Hard. Everybody is different. What makes you laugh might make me cringe. And verse visa. So list away...
These are the ones who made me laugh so hard I couldn’t breath:
Bill Cosby
Richard Pryor
Don Rickles
The Marx Brothers
You know, I have really tried. Really tried to ‘get’ the Three Stooges. I know all guys are supposed to like them. Curly has his momments, but, I just don’t like them that much. I am also pretty ambivalent about Jim Carrey and Will Ferrell.
“Tim Conway (oldest man routine),”
Tim Conway (Siamese elephants routine) I laughed ‘til I cried the first time I saw that one.
Danny Kaye
Peter Sellers
Eddie Izzard. Dave Chappell. Maybe HL Mencken? The Coen brothers maybe...
For sheer longetivity, probably Bob Hope, Mark Twain, Roy Rodgers and George Burns too.
My first thought as well.
Also Mel Brooks
And say what you will, but Eddie Murphy’s “Delirious” is still one of the funniest stand up routines ever.
Watch Carol Burnett duing that sketch, she is trying so hard not to laugh. You also cannot forget Mr. Tudball/Dorf
I’m with you on Jim Carey. Never thought he was especially funny, all the way back to In Living Color. Never liked the three stooges either.
Will Ferrell though definitely.
Henny Youngman
Hayek, as an economist, I am surprised you didn’t include Paul Krugman on the list.
Victor Borge.
Red Buttons (Never got a dinner!)
I have never heard of about half of your list. I suppose that I am not much into comedians.
Krugman is a joke, not a comedian.
Tim Conway, Carol Burnett, Damon Wayans, Jim Carey, Don Rickles, Mel Brooks, Andy Kaufmann, Anjehlah Johnson, Phil Hartman, John Cleese...
That said, Jonathan Winters, when he was "on," was just about the funniest and most creative improvisational comedian ever. Give him a hat or any other prop and there was no telling what hilarious character would pop out.
The things that hit a person's funny bone are very personal. There are several people on your list I'm very lukewarm about and one I've never even heard of. I'd add Carol Burnett, and Johnny Carson's ad-libbed one-liners and characters are hard to top. But that's just me.
Tim Conway and Harvey Korman’s antics will live forever in comedic history.yep....................................................... AND ADD IN ALL THE EPISODES OF ‘MAMA’S FAMILY’
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