The Montreal comedy scene features many hilarious women. There are many women who have played pivotal roles in shaping the history of stand-up comedy. But who was the first? Let’s take a look at the life of the world’s first female comedian, how she got her start, and the legacy she paved for later generations.

Early Women Comedians

When you think about women pioneers of comedy, you likely think of names like Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers. These were certainly remarkable talents that left their mark on the comedy scene. However, they were nowhere near the first female comedians. Both of these got their start in the 1950s, several decades after the first female comedian initially took the stage.

Female stand-up comics in the 1950s were among the first to be given the name “comedian.” Prior to the 1940s, that term was reserved solely for male performers. Women were largely not viewed as serious comedians and typecast into roles that often required singing and dancing to be successful. However, one entertainer in the 1920s was able to make her mark as a comic.

Jackie “Moms” Mabley & the Chitlin Circuit

If you haven’t studied about black history in the United States, you likely won’t recognize the term Chitlin Circuit. This was a grouping of performance venues from the early 1900s to the 1960s that encouraged performances by African American musicians and entertainers.

The Chitlin Circuit included performance spaces in the eastern, southern, and midwestern United States. They were an important source of performance at a time of segregation where black people were not allowed to perform in many venues. Named after chitterlings, a popular dish with ties to black southern cooking, the Chitlin Circuit helped give rise to many art forms, perhaps most notably Blues music.

During the 1920s, a young comedian by the name of Jackie Mabley began working on the Chitlin Circuit. Originally named Loretta May Aiken, she had a difficult childhood. Both of her parents died in separate accidents when she was young. As a young woman, she made her way to Vaudeville and began performing on the circuit.

Defining Her Schtick

Mabley earned the nickname “Moms,” which may sound strange for a performer that was quite young. In reality, this nickname was in relationship to her onstage persona. She cultivated a character that was largely framed after her grandmother, the one stable force in her early life.

As the first female comedian, Mabley’s onstage character was that of an old lady. She would present herself with loose fitting, old clothing, a funny-looking hat, and form her mouth in a way where it looked as if she did not have teeth when she spoke. This appearance served to create a very comical look. However, it also had another important benefit for Mabley.

By performing under the guise of an old woman, she had much more freedom to discuss topics that were taboo. Her act typically addressed different aspects of life at the time including racism, political satire, and sex.

Prior to developing the maternal grandmother character, Mabley did many of her sets about sexuality and sexual orientation. She had come out as a lesbian in 1921, just a year after making her comedy debut at Connie’s Inn in Harlem. While she drew a name for herself quickly, it was the Moms Mabley character that catapulted her into stardom.

A Career with Many Accolades

As the first female comedian, Mabley performed stand-up comedy at a time where women were not given the opportunity. Rather, women in the 1920s would see comedic performances limited to roles in Vaudeville song-and-dance acts rather than traditional stand-up. She proved that she had strong comedy chops, seeing her career takeoff. In 1939, she became the first female comic to be invited to perform at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre.

In the 1960s, at the time when segregation was nearing an end, Mabley began to achieve crossover success. She performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1962 and began to be featured on many television and radio shows. She was a regular guest on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour program.

While her act had been traditional stand-up comedy, she did begin to venture into music later in her career. She began adding singing as a regular part of her act. In fact, Mabley even earned a Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1969 with “Abraham, Martin, and John,” which peaked at No. 35. This made her the oldest person to have a Top 40 hit in the United States, which she achieved at the age of 75.

Mabley, the first female comedian, continued to make regular appearances on television programs and recorded several popular comedy albums. In 1971, at the age of 77, she opened for Ike & Tina Turner at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre. Her final addition to her resume was serving as the leading role in the film Amazing Grace in 1974. She suffered a heart attack on the set but returned three weeks later after receiving a pacemaker to finish shooting. Mabley passed away the following year.

The Legacy of the First Female Comedian

Mabley was a trendsetter in stand-up comedy. As a black, lesbian comic, Mabley was able to achieve extreme success while paving the way for others to follow in her footsteps. She saw crossover fame amongst a wide demographic of audiences with her non-threatening grandmotherly character allowing her to address more taboo topics at the time.

Mabley’s Moms character has since been portrayed by other comics including Whoopi Goldberg and Wanda Sykes. The character served as the inspiration for Grandma Klump in Eddie Murphy’s The Nutty Professor. Her mark on comedy can still be seen today, most notably in her popular character that she portrayed for most of her career.

As a popular venue in the Montreal comedy scene, Comedyville Comedy Club is happy to share the history of our craft. We hope that you have enjoyed learning about Moms Mabley as the first female comedian and that you will join us for an upcoming show. Whether you are a guest or a local, you are sure to enjoy Montreal comedy.

Post by Eddie Case, exclusively for Comedyville.ca, All rights reserved.
Comedyville is a Comedy Club located in Downtown Montreal. 

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What Was Vaudeville?

You’ve likely heard the term Vaudeville before. However, if you aren’t a huge fan of theatre or comedy, you may be a bit unsure of what exactly it refers to. Vaudeville was a type of theatre that developed in France in the late 1800s that is very similar to a variety show. It was very popular throughout Canada and the United States until the 1930s.

A typical Vaudeville show would consist of several distinct, unrelated acts. Show attendees would see things like acrobats, jugglers, animal tricks, feats of strength, songs, one-act plays, and comedians. Comedy during Vaudeville often took the form of slapstick and physical humor. However, it gradually grew to approximate a situation similar to modern standup in some acts.

Origins of Vaudeville

The origins of Vaudeville are complex and actually quite hotly debated. The term itself is believed to be derived from val-de-Vire, a river in Normandy. French poet Oliver Basselin wrote popular humorous drinking songs called chansons du vau-de-Vire. Nearly two centuries later, these songs were revived with new lyrics and performed at agricultural fairs as short sketches called vaudevilles.

Some people may highlight Paris’ Theatre du Vaudeville as part of the evolution of Vaudeville. While it did play a part, the majority of its life was a traditional theatre company that produced multiple act plays. However, in the late 1800s, it did begin to experiment with programs that provided a variety of short plays and poetry readings together. However, this still varied significantly from what is considered as Vaudeville today.

While the name Vaudeville does owe its origins to France, the origins of the content of Vaudeville is much more varied. Vaudeville was ultimately more of an organic synthesis, highlighted by the merging of many different cultures. It has been described as a fusion of a number of century old traditions including English Music Hall, antebellum minstrel shows, and Yiddish theatre.

Grand Theatre in Buffalo, NY (1900s)
Source: American Studies at the University of Virginia.
(Category: Theaters in the US)

Vaudeville largely transitioned into its modern meaning in New York City, where performances were a way to bring theatre to the common man. Performances were designed to provide many short acts, helping keep an audience’s attention with rapid humor to generate lots of laughs. Many of the first stand up comedians had their beginnings on Vaudeville including Abbot & Costello.

Abbott and Costello performing
“Who’s on First?”
(Public Domain)

Does Vaudeville Still Exist?

Vaudeville lasted for roughly 50 years in the United States and Canada. Beginning in the 1880s and running through the 1930s. However, there are examples of Vaudeville that can still be seen if you were to look hard enough. More on that in a bit.

Why did something so immensely popular and widespread as Vaudeville see such a sudden end. Like many things, the growth of technology saw the death of Vaudeville. During the 1930s, talking motion pictures and a standardized method of film distribution created a cultural shift. Traditional theaters begin being wired for sound and motion pictures quickly overtook the variety show as the popular means of entertainment. While a few of the most popular theatres persevered for a time, the Great Depression shuttered them.

The best of the Vaudevillian performers found a new like in the evolution of entertainment. In fact, standup comedy largely originated from Vaudeville as some of the top comedians began performing on television and radio. Comedians like Milton Berle, Lenny Bruce, Don Rickles, and Sid Caesar found success here as well as in nightclubs that started springing up in major cities. Others like Abbot and Costello went on to make many movies.

In a way, you could say that Vaudeville did not technically die. Rather, it evolved.

What is Modern Vaudeville?

While Vaudeville’s days as an entertainment mainstay are long past, you can still find aspects of modern Vaudeville today. A good place to look is the circus, which combines lots of short acts including juggling, acrobats, strong men, and animal entertainment. It is done much in the same style as classic Vaudeville and, in many ways, is a lens to the past.

Of course, it is possible to find some throwbacks to Vaudeville. If you go to Las Vegas, you can see shows like Absinthe or the Atomic Saloon Show from Spiegel World Entertainment Group. Their offerings have earned accolades as some of the best shows in the city and are based on the traditional Vaudeville format with short acts interspersed with comedy.

However, perhaps the most popular approximation of Vaudeville in today’s world are the popular late-night comedy shows that you can find on television networks. Television shows like The Tonight Show, The Late Show, The Hour, and Jimmy Kimmel Live all borrow a bit from the classic Vaudeville recipe. They break up interviews with comedic monologues, slapstick, funny skits, and musical acts.

While you may find it difficult to catch a glimpse of Vaudeville in the world today, you can definitely see one of the art forms that evolved from it at Montreal comedy clubs. Comedyville Comedy Club prides itself on providing top Montreal stand-up comedy. We would love for you to come check out one of our shows on your next night out in Montreal!

Post by Eddie Case, exclusively for Comedyville.ca, All rights reserved.
Comedyville is a Comedy Club located in Downtown Montreal. 

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Who Was George Carlin?

Many fans of comedy are quite familiar with George Carlin. However, those new to standup comedy may not recognize the name. Carlin was an American standup comic from the 50s until his death in 2008 at 71 years of age.

George Carlin first became nationally popular through his work on The Tonight Show. He was a frequent guest of host Johnny Carson for nearly three decades. He is also well known as the host of the first episode of Saturday Night Live. Throughout his career, Carlin has 14 standup comedy specials. He is frequently recognized as one of the top comedians in history.

His genre of comedy focused heavily on reflections on sociological, cultural, and political events. He often talked about topics seen as quite taboo for the time, routinely pushing the boundaries of comedy with his dark humour.

What was “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television?”

Carlin’s most famous – or, for some people, infamous – a bit of comedy was titled “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television.” This skit was first recorded in Santa Monica, California, in 1972 for his album, Class Clown.

The skit included a lot of wordplay, another common aspect of Carlin’s comedy, focused on seven specific words that were considered too profane for television. For the sake of décor, we will refrain from listing the words here. However, if you are curious, you can easily find them – and the routine – online.

Over the course of the routine, Carlin says these seven words quite a bit. The skit seeks to help normalize “dirty” words by making fun of the English language and how some things are considered offensive while seemingly similar things are seen as normal. This often included examples of intricacies and weird aspects of language.

This bit often begins, “There are 400,000 words in the English language and there are 7 of them that you can’t say on television …  399,993 to 7. They must be really bad.”

“Seven Words” and Carlin’s Arrest

As could be expected, “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” led to quite the controversy for Carlin on several occasions. One such occasion occurred during Carlin’s performance at Milwaukee’s Summerfest in 1972. Carlin was picked as the opener for musician Arlo Guthrie at the festival which is billed as a family-friendly event.

After Carlin launched into the bit, local police received many complaints regarding the vulgarity, primarily coming from parents who attended the show with their children. After Carlin departed the stage, he was arrested by local law enforcement and charged with disorderly conduct.

A few days later, the charges were dismissed by a Milwaukee judge. The reasoning behind the dismissal was that Carlin’s act, while described by the judge as “indecent,” fit within the confines of the right to free speech and did not cause a disturbance. This event further launched the profile of Carlin as a top comedian.

1972: Comedian George Carlin is led away by Milwaukee police after being arrested for his performance of “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television”
(Source: Milwaukee Journal sentinel Files)

“Seven Words” and the Federal Communications Commission

The year after the Milwaukee incident, Carlin once again found himself at the center of a legal controversy regarding his “Seven Words” bit. This time, the routine ran afoul of the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC is a U.S. government agency that regulates communications across television, radio, and other platforms including what is considered decent versus not.

Carlin’s routine was broadcast on radio station WBAI-FM following a warning for offensive language. The routine played was not the full “Seven Words” skit but rather a similar one entitled “Filthy Words.” An executive of television station CBS was listening alongside his teenage son that evening. This person also was part of a watchdog group called Morality in Media, who filed a complaint with the FCC regarding the broadcast.

The FCC ruled that the broadcast was indecent, threatening sanctions on the company that owned the radio station. This led to a lawsuit that made it to the U.S. Supreme Court who ruled 5-4 that the FCC has the power to create language guidelines for broadcasts. This case was the first in a number of times that this doctrine would be challenged.

The FCC’s power was challenged again in 2009, this time by Fox Television Stations. In 2012, Fox won their case on a technicality, leaving the earlier decision as precedent. Today, the FCC maintains the power to determine what is considered decent for broadcast on various forms of media, although their standards have obviously been revised often as culture shifts. Still, it was Carlin’s “Seven Words” routine that served as the catalyst for the FCC v. Pacifica decision.

The Legacy of George Carlin

While “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” remains Carlin’s most well-known comedic routine, his career is filled with hilarious and thought-provoking observations. Fans of comedy who are not familiar with Carlin’s work can always check out his material on their favourite streaming services.

While there is no other George Carlin, you can certainly see many comics who strive to push boundaries in social commentary during our great Montreal comedy shows. View our shows here. If you are a fan of Carlin’s style of comedy, you may love our weekly late-night comedy shows in downtown Montreal. We look forward to welcoming you and leaving you laughing.

Post by Eddie Case, exclusively for Comedyville.ca, All rights reserved.
Comedyville is a Comedy Club located in Downtown Montreal. 

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Who Were Abbott & Costello?

Abbott & Costello were a very popular American comedy duo. The pair, comprised of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, first began working together in New York City in the 1930s. They developed a number of sketches for the popular burlesque shows on vaudeville. Abbott played a typical person while Costello portrayed a dumb and often emotional person.

The team expanded their act to radio by the end of the 1930s, having their own show that began in 1940. With their voices sounding too similar, Costello changed his voice to one with a higher pitch for performances so they could be distinguished on radio shows. They debuted their “Who’s on First” routine for the first time shortly after their show launched.

Over the ensuring years, the duo quickly rose in popularity. Abbott & Costello had a 22 year career which included appearing on Broadway, radio, movies, and television. Together, the pair made 38 movies; however, their greatest comedic legacy is the “Who’s on First” routine.

Abbott and Costello performing
“Who’s on First?”
(Public Domain)

What Was “Who’s on First” About?

“Who’s on First” was a routine that took advantage of the use of homophones and complexities within the English language to create a confusing situation. This was similar to many of the pair’s acts, which often used puns and wordplay to draw laughs.

In this baseball-themed skit, Abbott attempts to tell Costello about the starting lineup, including a first baseman, second baseman, and third baseman whose names were “Who,” “What,” and “I Don’t Know” respectively. Throughout the bit, other players are introduced who have names like “Because,” “Why,” “Tomorrow,” and “Today.”

Costello, portraying the fool, misses this point and proceeds to spend the rest of the routine inquiring about the names of the players. This ensues in a fast-paced back-and-forth between the comics. Costello’s questions to Abbott invariably generate confusing responses. For example,

Costello: “Who’s on First?”
Abbott: “Yes”
Costello: “I mean the guy’s name.”
Abbott: “Who.”
Costello: “The guy at first base.”
Abbott: “Who’s on first!”
Costello: “Why are you asking me?”

The sketch goes on for roughly eight minutes, with Costello getting increasingly angry and frustrated with the responses while Abbott stays cool and factual. However, neither are ever to overcome the communication gap. The sketch typically ends with Costello losing his patience, and shouting, “I Don’t Care,” causing Abbott to reply, “Oh, that’s our shortstop.”

While the sketch was rehearsed, it was often improvised with the two playing off of one another resulting in the exact same sketch rarely being delivered twice.

Why Is It Significant for Stand-up Comedy?

The “Who’s on First” routine is an incredibly funny bit of comedy, generating nearly constant laughs over the course of it. Its popularity is certainly due not only to the numerous turns of phrase within but also to the excellent chemistry because the characters played by Abbott & Costello.

As a whole, the routine is quite complex, yet the pair pull it off flawlessly. It requires strong delivery, impeccable timing, and the ability to improvise as needed. It was loved by many people at the time, including United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who invited the duo to perform it for him on multiple occasions.

It is also frequently replicated or referenced in popular culture. Eugene Levy and Tony Rosato performed a variation of the act on SCTV featuring a misunderstanding about the names of rock groups such as “The Who,” and “Yes.” Johnny Carons also performed a spoof of it, playing the character of then-U.S. President Reagan and using names of foreign dignitaries.

There are far too many adaptations and references to mention over the years, but you can see the act referenced in shows and movies such as The Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, The Kids in the Hall, Bojack Horseman, and even the children’s show My Little Pony.

If you love comedy classics, you are sure to love the comics that take the stage at Comedyville Montreal where we proudly host the best comedy shows in English in the city. We would love to have you as a guest at an upcoming show.

Post by Eddie Case, exclusively for Comedyville.ca, All rights reserved.
Comedyville is a Comedy Club located in Downtown Montreal. 

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What Is Improv Comedy?

If improv does not seem like stand-up comedy, there is a good reason for that. It is more of a blend between stand-up and traditional theatre. It can perhaps be best described as spontaneous ensemble theatre. The key here is spontaneity. There is no script, story, or material. It is all made up in real-time.

Improv typically has at least two performers sharing the stage at once, but generally several more. While there are types of improv theatre that are not comedic in nature, comedy is by far and away the most common type. Performers will typically ask the audience for recommendations such as people to portray, situations, or settings.

History of Improvisational Comedy: Initial Beginnings

Comedy is not in any way a modern invention. In fact, people have always loved to laugh. Thus, it is not surprising to find that the history of improv takes us a long way back in time. The very first recorded evidence of people performing improv comes from the Roman Empire around 400 BC. Improvisational performances were often given that typically featured people portraying popular stock characters.

However, the historic example that likely most closely resembled modern improv is that of the Commedia Dell’Arte. This originated in Italy but was incredibly popular throughout much of Europe from the 1500s to the 1700s. It typically featured performances of both planned sketch comedy as well as improvised. Again, there were typically stock types of characters portrayed while actors would pantomime different actions.

After the period of the Commedia Dell’Arte, improv largely went away. It was later “invented” yet again in two different locations around the same time.

The Re-Invention of Improv

The re-invention of improv occurred largely simultaneously in two different places: Canada and the United States. In Calgary, British-born Keith Johnstone desired to bring theatre to the “common man,” feeling that modern performing arts were too pretentious to connect with this population.

He decided to develop theatre into a competitive bout in order to better appeal to the types of people who attended sporting events such as boxing. He dubbed this new type of theatre “TheatreSports.” In this conception, two teams of comedic actors would square off in different improvised scenes. Judges would then award points based on performances. If you’ve ever watched Whose Line Is It Anyway, you’ve watched an adaptation of TheatreSports.

While TheatreSports was helping more people access theatre in Calgary, in the United States, Paul Sills was also working to develop comedic theatre that would appeal to the masses. He based his ideas on his mother’s work, who felt that instructing acting in a way that felt like a game would increase its appeal for children.

At the University of Chicago, Sills assembled a team of actors who worked to pioneer a modern adaptation of the Commedia Dell’Arte model with the goal of bringing comedic theatre to a more modern audience. They were originally known as the Compass Players (from their meetings at Hyde Park’s Compass bar); this movement led to the development of the Second City improv company.

The Dawning of Modern Improv

The foundation of Second City is largely considered by most people to be the beginning of the modern improv genre. In fact, both TheatreSports and Second City have heavily influenced today’s conception of improv comedy. In fact, a number of common situations used in improv comedy come from these origins such as audience member shouting suggestions, performers following instructions of a narrator, and performers interjecting changes into scenes with one performer having no knowledge of the change.

While modern improv often focuses on silliness or zany situations, the improv comedy of the 1960s often took on taboo topics. Popular ones at the time were motherhood and teenage sex. The Second City cast performed a stint on Broadway and rapidly gained popularity.

The 1970s

By 1970, Chicago’s Second City had two rotating comedy troupes for their venue in addition to three different touring troupes. The next year, they expanded to Toronto. The success of the Toronto location led to the creation of SCTV, a sketch show that ran in Canada from 1976 to 1984.

Second City became a big recruiting ground for writers and performers for Saturday Night Live, with the company sending people like bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Amy Poehler and more to the show. In fact, today SNL and Second City partner on a scholarship for growing new talent.

Most people’s introductions to improv comedy can be traced to Whose Line Is It Anyway, a British radio and television show that was later adapted in the United States and Australia as well. The show mirrored TheatreSports with the change that the points and winner were arbitrary and largely meaningless.

Today, improv troupes can be found in cities and college towns around the world. Meanwhile, improv is incredibly popular in many areas such as the United Kingdom where it often takes center stage at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Improv has succeeded in its initial mission of bringing comedy to the masses. Check out Comedyville’s other blogs to learn more about the history of comedy and consider stopping by to see one of our English shows in Montreal. We are happy to welcome you to the Montreal club scene and hope that you’ve enjoyed reading about the history of improvisational comedy.

Post by Eddie Case, exclusively for Comedyville.ca, All rights reserved.

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Initial Origins: Minstrel Shows

Stand-up comedy as a style ultimately is quite simple. There is a comic, an audience, and nothing else. However, it is also quite different from how it has traditionally occurred. Prior to the evolution of stand-up comedy, it was typically delivered via the written word or through some sort of theatrical performance. Stand-up shows were simple and raw.

In tracing the origins of stand-up comedy, you tend to go back to one specific aspect of history – minstrel shows. This is a bit of an unfortunate origin of a genre as minstrel shows were incredibly racist. Performed throughout the United States, these types of shows began in the 1830s.

Types of Shows

Minstrel shows were essentially variety-type shows. They mainly featured musical acts but would also include other entertainment such as dancing, skits, and – as we will explain in a moment – something that resembled stand-up comedy. However, minstrel shows are perhaps most known for the fact that they were performed by white people wearing blackface.

Thus, it will not surprise you to learn that these minstrel shows were incredibly racist in nature. These performers in blackface would act as black people and use stereotypes to generate laughs, typically portraying black people as dumb or superstitious. Popular characters included slaves and plantation setups. These types of shows became incredibly popular in the United States and flourished for half a century before ultimately going away in the early 1900s.

How can the origins of stand-up comedy be seen in minstrel shows? Some shows would include comic routines that involved a short setup followed by a punchline. However, this can be differentiated from modern stand-up shows by the structure. Instead of one person being on stage and performing, there would be two people. One person would serve to setup the joke while the second would apply the punch line.

The Vaudeville Era 

If you know anything about the history of stand-up shows, you know that vaudeville was a major catalyst in driving the genre forward. In fact, when exploring the origins of stand-up comedy, you could easily argue that stand-up was fully developed during this era. Vaudeville shows were also variety shows. Vaudeville first became popular in the 1880s and dominated the United States scene until the 1920s.

Grand Theatre in Buffalo, NY (1900s)
Source: American Studies at the University of Virginia.
(Category: Theaters in the US)

The center location for Vaudeville was New York City. The Palace Theater was the center of this movement; however, other theaters quickly sprung up. There were many places to see vaudeville performed in New York City. After a decade or so, theaters could be found in many communities throughout the United States and even spread to some areas of Canada.

These variety shows included virtually any form of entertainment that could be thought of. Acts were incredibly short in nature, typically comprising five minutes or less. You would see musicians, singers, dancers, magicians, feats of strength, ventriloquism, jugglers, acrobats, and all sorts of other performers.

A New Dynamic

As vaudeville grew, comedy adapted itself to this new dynamic. At the time, most comedians in the United States told long stories with a humorous payoff, a style that is perhaps best associated with author Mark Twain. This style of humor obviously didn’t fit with vaudeville’s fast-paced style. Thus, performers in vaudeville typically got laughs from the audience in one of two ways.

Some performers would use a slapstick style of comedy with physical comedy such as pie in the face gags, falling, and other aspects. Others used their words to engender laughs. With a limited time, comedians began to develop the quick setup and punch line style of performance that became the foundation for stand-up comedy. In fact, you could even argue that many of the vaudeville performers were stand-up comics themselves.

This delivery was initially created due to the short time in front of the audience. However, it also served an important purpose as vaudeville evolved. By the 1910s, vaudeville had evolved into primarily featuring burlesque dancers with a few other acts in between. Thus, the major draw was female nudity. This meant other performers had to be incredibly talented in order to entertain the audience as they waited for the next person to strip. As such, comedians worked rapid-fire delivery with cliché topics such as bad wives, infidelity, and being poor.

Vaudeville ultimately saw its end in the 1920s. There were two major reasons for this. First, the shift to burlesque resulted in legislation against the shows in many locations. Secondly, the development of films brought audiences away from vaudeville and to theaters.

The First Famous Stand-up Comedian

While there were many people locally known for their vaudeville performances, the first person that could be called a famous stand-up comic is likely Will Rogers. He began his career performing on vaudeville. His success led to a movie contract, the first of over 70 films. He also penned syndicated newspaper columns, getting his name in front of people throughout the world.

As a result of this fame, Will Rogers was able to tour around the world. He ultimately completed three world tours where he performed stand-up comedy for audiences. He often included social commentary as part of his act, which came to him naturally as it was often the basis of his newspaper columns. Sadly, his life was cut short when he died in an airplane crash in Alaska in 1935.

A Modern Look at an Old Art

It may surprise people that the origins of stand-up comedy occurred as early as the 1830’s with the art form taking its modern shape by the early twentieth century. While stand-up comedy did not reach its modern level of popularity until the 1970s, it was a standard feature in society from the end of vaudeville, with comics being popular acts on televised shows like The Ed Sullivan Show.

Today, you can see top comics in Montreal shows at Comedyville. We welcome anyone to join us for our upcoming English comedy shows. We know you’ll leave happy after a night of laughter.

Post by Eddie Case, exclusively for Comedyville.ca, All rights reserved.

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Dangerfield’s

If I had posed this question a few years ago, the answer would have been clear. The oldest comedy club in the world was Dangerfield’s in New York City. If the name sounds familiar, there is a good reason. This club was founded by famous comic Rodney Dangerfield, opening all the way back in September 1969.

When Dangerfield’s opened, there was no such thing as a comedy club. Comics largely performed in bars and strip clubs. There were clubs that had comedy nights, but no clubs dedicated solely to comedy. Dangerfield’s ultimately changed that.

Dangerfield’s was iconic in many ways. It sported red velvet curtains and dim red lights. There was a grand piano on the stage. In fact, you’ve possibly even seen this club. If you watched the Joaquin Phoenix movie The Joker, Dangerfield’s is where the stand-up comedy scenes were shot.

Over the years, this club became a place where many comedians in New York’s stand-up scene cut their teeth. Their history includes performances by the likes of George Carlin, Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, and Jerry Seinfeld. In fact, it was the place of Seinfeld’s first TV appearance. The club also served as a residence for some comics. Rodney Dangerfield himself once lived above it while Jay Leno lived out of the back office one summer.

Another notable characteristic was that Dangerfield’s was only for headliners. You had to get screened or invited to perform. There were no amateur nights or open mic nights. It wanted to only give audiences the best of the best.

Unfortunately, Dangerfield’s fifty-year reign as the world’s oldest comedy club came to a close in 2020. When the club closed down for the pandemic, it would never again reopen, signaling the end of an era.

Photo by Todd Maisel

The Comedy Store

This brings our story some 2,500 miles (4,023 kilometers) across the continent, from the island of Manhattan to the shores of the Pacific. The Comedy Store in Los Angeles is perhaps the most famous comedy club in the world. And with the closure of Dangerfield’s, it is now the oldest.

The Comedy Store was founded in April 1972 by Comedian Sammy Shore. Located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, it was intended to primarily serve as a place for Shore to perform when he wasn’t traveling. His wife, Mitzi, served as the club manager, scheduler, and promoter.

At a time when stand-up comedy was rapidly growing in popularity, it quickly rose to prominence on the west coast. The success was in part driven by the decision of Johnny Carson to move his late-night show from New York City to Los Angeles. Carson loved featuring comedians, and the comedians followed, giving Los Angeles a strong influx of new talent.

Mitzi was great at recognizing talent and chose top talent to develop at the Comedy Store. Lesser known at the time comedians that grew their acts here included David Letterman, Robin Williams, Jay Leno, and Andy Kaufman. In fact, the place quickly gained a reputation as a place to find future sitcom stars. During the 1970s, Richard Pryor spent night after night headlining the club in order to practice material for his Night After Night album, making it LA’s hottest night spot.

The Comedy Store is perhaps most known for its tradition of “paid regulars.” When someone is selected as a paid regular, their name is placed on the building’s exterior walls. It is an honor that is held by people like Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, Joan Rivers, Iliza Shlesinger, and Billy Crystal among a multitude of others.

By Mike Dillon assumed (based on copyright claims). Own work assumed (based on copyright claims). CC BY-SA 3.0

Final Thoughts

Dangerfield’s and the Comedy Store represent very distinct comedy vibes and are reflective of two unique scenes. While one may have closed, the other continues to entertain crowds today. You can catch a show at the Comedy Store six days a week (closed Sundays). The shows typically sell out, sometimes before the headliners are even announced.

For those who would like to laugh without having to leave the comfort of the Montreal comedy scene, take a look at our English shows in Montreal’s very own Comedyville Comedy Club.

Post by Eddie Case, exclusively for Comedyville.ca, All rights reserved.
Comedyville is a Comedy Club located in Downtown Montreal.

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Origins of Stand-Up Comedy

Historians of stand-up comedy (yes, that is a profession) can trace its roots back to a number of places. Some would argue that you can see the beginnings of oratorial comedy as early as ancient Greece and Rome with Aristophanes and Plautus. Others deftly point to the tradition of court jesters in royal courts.

To be fair, stand-up is difficult to pinpoint as an origin as comedy in general has seen many evolutions over time. In many cases, elements of stand-up originated in different cultures, often at similar timelines. There is also a bit of an ebb and flow of comedy as stand-up many times seemed to be on its way to developing only to fall out of favour, replaced by comedic plays or other acts. However, most scholars note that modern stand-up can be traced to a specific place.

New York City

Most historians would note that New York City represents the origin of modern stand-up comedy. It can be found in the burlesque shows that became popular during the early 1900s. In many ways, the nature of New York City at the time may have contributed to the need for the development of stand-up delivery.

New York at the time was known as a great melting pot. It was the central place of immigration in the United States where people from a myriad of cultures and countries entered and often settled. Thus, the audience for early burlesque shows was fairly diverse in many ways. You would have a mixture of native-born and immigrant working-class men.

Performers needed to make them laugh. Long stories with a big payoff wouldn’t play well with this crowd. Comedians needed to get laughs quickly, which ultimately led to the development of energetic, fast-paced routines. In many ways, this new type of humour matched the business of the city. This was not the small-town folklore show of rural America. It was over the top, intense, raunchy, and explosive.

Vaudeville

Stand-up was not completely new; rather, it was an evolution. It borrowed heavily from French variety shows known as vaudeville. Specifically, it borrowed some of the physical comedy and slapstick, interspersing this with short jokes that appealed to a working-class audience. The diverse origins of the crowd meant that material needed to be widely applicable to people from many backgrounds. Common tropes included money issues, gold-digging women, and – of course – sex.

The rapid-fire setup and punch line delivery structure that developed here can now be seen throughout the world. It’s even in English stand-up clubs in Montreal. There was another reason for the rapid-fire delivery as well.

The comedy performed during these burlesque shows was often somewhat of an amuse-bouche interspersed between strip teases. For most audience members, they were not there for the show; it was simply a pleasant addition. They were there for the women. Thus, the show needed to be good, and it needed to be quick. It was perhaps this necessity that most contributed to the evolution of longer monologues and stories to short setups and punchlines.

From New York to the World

While stand-up evolved in New York’s burlesque shows during the early twentieth century, it quickly spread out on its own, becoming more mainstream by the 1940s and 1950s. By the 1980s, there were stand-up clubs in virtually every major world city including Montreal.

With today’s extensive diversity in comedy styles, it is surprising to realize that the origin of stand-up was as a sideshow to a turn-of-the-century striptease. However, if there is one thing that remains constant in stand-up, it is that we should perhaps not take ourselves too seriously. At Comedyville, we pride ourselves on continuing the tradition of Montreal stand up. Feel free to check out our shows. We all need to make time to get away from the world and laugh now and then.

Post by Eddie Case, exclusively for Comedyville.ca, All rights reserved.

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If you were to ask an American, they’d likely claim credit for inventing stand-up (big surprise, right?). And while America did play a major role in its development, its origins can actually be traced to the 1300s in Europe.

The Ancient English Comedy Clubs

While formal comedy has existed for likely as long as human society, the first thing resembling stand-up lies in the history of court jesters. In fact, the king’s courts in England served as the first English clubs, with royals and other guests often gathering to witness performances by the court jester.

Court jesters often have a reputation of playing a fool. However, the reality is that these people were quite intelligent and played many roles. They would act a fool and practice crude humour but also typically came with a wide array of talents such as magic tricks, card tricks, and rather witty comedy.

Many jesters gained popularity for their social commentary that would mock the power of the court. In many ways, they said what others couldn’t say, much like Comedyville Comedy Club’s famous late-night comedy show. While generally given comedic freedom, they would sometimes push a bit too far and be expelled from the court.

Vaudeville and the Rise of Stand-up Style

Tracing the history of stand-up comedy is quite interesting because there is not a clear, straightforward path. Instead, there are many stops and starts. The next major starts occurred fairly simultaneously across an ocean, with one originating in France during the late-nineteenth century.

Vaudeville was an incredibly popular type of variety show that quickly spread from Paris across the world. Here, people would watch a series of short acts including acrobatics, dancing, and feats of strength. However, found amidst these shows were short comedy acts designed with rapid setups and punch lines, aimed at keeping the audience laughing in quick secession.

This is notable because the style employed in the vaudeville shows is quite distinct from other comedic orators at the time. While a person being funny to a crowd was not new, this style was. At the time, most comedic performances served more as longer stories that delivered a few laughs here and there and an eventual payoff. However, this new style was different in that it did not require patience from the audience. Success was not measured by the narration but rather by the laughs.

Minstrel Shows & Burlesque: America’s Contribution

While vaudeville was getting its start in France, another form of comedy was developing in the United States. Minstrel shows became popular in the US during the 1840s. These shows were three-act performances that were racist in nature, typically showing actors in blackface. The second act of a minstrel show typically was a comedic monologue.

This tactic found its way into burlesque shows in New York by the late-nineteenth century. While burlesque was known for sultry stripteases, performers would often also utilize humour that leveraged stereotypes and sexually suggestive puns to appeal to the crowd. The famous “Who’s on First” routine was initially a burlesque performance.

The integration of stand-up, short monologue style delivery seen in vaudeville and burlesque eventually branched out on its own. Rather than sandwiched between other performances, stand-up comedy was established as the feature act by the 1940s when comedians such as Jack Benny, George Burns, and Bob Hope left vaudevillian acts to tour on their own. Late-night shows like the Ed Sullivan Show and Tonight Show regularly featured stand-up comics.

Differentiation, a Comedy Boom, and the Birth of the Modern Comedy Club

By the 1970s, stand-up had evolved considerably. In fact, many people point to this decade as the birth of modern stand-up. You could easily see many different types of stand-up as artists differentiated their acts. Of course, there was family-friendly comedy that typically reflected on small-town life and leveraged puns. There were those who would roast the audience and fellow comedians, others developed improv, and still others who were impressionists. However, many became known for social commentary.

Comedians like Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor used their humour for social commentary on racial issues. George Carlin was famously arrested in the United States for performing a bit, “Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television”. Stand-up began to boom, with clubs opening in major cities around the globe in the 1970s and 1980s. Stand-up was popular in a myriad of cultures from Europe to Brazil, Mexico to India.

By the 1980s, stand-up comedy could be found virtually everywhere. Top performers even began taking their acts from the club to large concert halls. It was during the 1980s when stand-up was rapidly spreading around the world, that it also began to see strong popularity in Canada.

History of Stand-up Comedy in Canada

After the first Canadian comedy club opened in Toronto, clubs quickly popped up throughout the nation. In only a few years, popular clubs could be found in nearly every major city. The growth in Canadian clubs meant that aspiring comics could earn a living without having to travel abroad to perform. These clubs also became a testing ground for many Canadian comedians such as Norm MacDonald, Howie Mandel, and Jim Carrey, helping to launch them to fame in television and movies.

Meanwhile, the founding of the Just for Laughs comedy festival (Festival Juste Pour Rire) established Montreal as a major scene for Francophone comedy. The festival occurs for two weeks each July and features both French and English-speaking acts, providing strong diversity in comedic styles. Its success has given it the honour of being the largest comedy festival in the world.

While stand-up seemed to lose a bit of popularity in the 1990s, it has since rebounded and continues to flourish today. Simply put, people love to laugh. It is not surprising that major cities continue to have strong stand-up scenes. Stand-up in Montreal continues to be popular today including English clubs like Comedyville.

Looking for a laugh? Check out our upcoming shows! We’d love to have you join us to celebrate this art form that has been in development for centuries.

Post by Eddie Case, exclusively for Comedyville.ca, All rights reserved.

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