In the Parque del Retiro, in Madrid, Spanish writer Ramón Gómez de la Serna weaves a humorous and absurd monologue about a monocle without glass, the noises that can be heard in a chicken coop and the importance of gesturing correctly with a large hand if someone wants to succeed in the art of oratory.
Veteran vaudevillian regales the audience with highlights from his comedy travel monologue and introduces "His Modern Art Choir," A Russian group he met while traveling in the Soviet Union who sing a traditional Russian song and an American standard.
Nightclub singer Eddie and comedian Tommy, working in a roaring twenties style club, meet and being dating publicist Allison and photographer Cynthia, respectively. They soon discover that the women spend weekends at a nudist club which the guys disapprove.
A 1964 documentary portrait of Cohen in his pre-musician days as a poet and stand-up comedian.
Iconoclast Lenny Bruce appears at San Francisco's Basin Street West in what was his next-to-last live appearance. His act that night consisted of reading allegations and transcripts from one of his several obscenity trials and then commenting on what he'd actually done or said. While there are some "bits" in the performance (including the prison riot with Dutch, the Warden, Father Flotski, and Sabu, the prison doctor), this is much more a social commentary on government intrusion and censorship than it is a comedy routine. (IMDb)
This short animation set to Lenny Bruce's live monologue tells how the Lone Ranger hooks up with Tonto. With Bruce doing all the voices, this animation begins with local folks upset at the Lone Ranger because he won't stay around to be thanked after a good deed. So, he stays and finds he likes hearing "Thank you mask man." When their attention starts to shift elsewhere, he shocks and disgusts the townspeople with a final request. According to the cartoon’s producer John Magnuson, at early showings of this, gay audiences were upset by its apparent “fag-bashing”. And it’s true, part of the fun of the piece is just crying out “Masked man’s a fag”, scandalising and defacing the image of this all-American hero. But it’s within the larger context of Bruce’s analysis of heroism, and that the towns people reject the Masked Man is because of their prejudices, not because Bruce is asking us to endorse them. (from: http://ukjarry.blogspot.de/2010/01/352-lenny-bruce-thank-you-mask-man.html)
A Woody Allen special for CBS, in 1969.
Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin' is the first stand-up act of Richard Pryor to be filmed out of the four that were released in total. This film was filmed in 1971 but not released until 1985, on VHS. This was the first stand-up act that Pryor did before he hit the mainstream audience. With only 48 minutes of footage, it is the shortest of Pryor's stand-up routines.
Carlin recorded his only network special, The Real George Carlin, in 1973. Featuring bits about growing up in New York, the material is neither profane nor squeaky clean – but has a slice of life element obviously lacking in the cuddly Carlin of the '60s. There’s a gold star moment of longhaired George mocking a cardboard cutout of the suit and tie version, and so take-em-or-leave-them musical appearances by BB King and Kris Kristofferson. Certainly, worth a modern glance.
TV special starring Lily Tomlin
Comedian Robert Klein performs in HBO's first ever standup special.
Billy Connolly was, in the 1970s, a sort of Scottish Lenny Bruce, who, with devastating humour, sliced through the hypocrisies he perceived. This 1976 documentary follows the singer-comic during his 1975 Irish tour. Made in a cinema verité fashion, the performer appears to be completely unaware of the presence of the camera in his off-stage and backstage moments.
VARNING FÖR BARN inspelad 1976 på Restaurang Trägår'n Göteborg. Härenstam och Brännström framför sketcher som "Bäst att ta sig ett glas", "Svordomsvisan", "Flygkaptenerna".
Steve Martin's HBO special was recorded as one of the network's On Location series of stand-up comedy specials. Taped on October 31, 1976, this previously unreleased show provides a rare and uncensored look at Martin's early act.
George Carlin's first ever comedy special, filmed live at the University of Southern California. Here, he talks about monopoly, flying on planes, random thoughts, walking, and other things.
DET ÄR SERVERAT inspelad 1978 på Berns Salonger i Stockholm. Härenstam och Brännström framför sketcher som "Ouvertyr med arg servitör", "Goddag, God dag", "De ä bar å åk! I helvete heller!" "Kirurgerna".
"Sanford and Son" made Redd Foxx a household name. This HBO "On Location" features his night-club act, raw and uncensored, and gives the viewers another side of this comedic genius. Starting thirty years before Sanford in what was known as the "chitlin" circuit, he performed with the likes of Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and the Will Mastin Trio. The Silverbird Hotel in Las Vegas presents the act in the true Redd Foxx tradition.
Performing at the Celebrity Star Theater in Phoenix on July 23, 1978, Carlin mesmerizes his audience in the second of his 12 HBO specials. The show was originally planned as part of a concert/sketch movie, The Illustrated George Carlin, that never came to fruition.The routines include: Death, Kids & Parents, Newscast #2, Time and Al Sleet, the Hippy-Dippy Weatherman. -- From Amazon.com
Robin Williams stand up special.