Who was this stand-up comedian?

December 2, 2004 12:11 PM

Several years ago, about 1989-90, a friend of mine lent me a cassette featuring a stand-up comedian [more inside]

I have no clue who the comedian is anymore, and my google-fu has let me down once more. He sounds like a southerner, along the lines of the Blue Collar comedy guys, but I'm definitely sure it's not one of them.

I remember some of his act fairly clearly, just not in order:

- He has a bit where he uses a talking calculator (which he says he took from Ray Charles, but don't worry, he gave him a Rubik's cube.) In the bit, he asks it questions, like "What do you say after hit a golf ball?" and then he presses "4." "What do you tell kids not to do?" "2 POINT", "How many times do you have to tell 'em" "5 TIMES" and so forth. He later does a duet with it, "singing" Tea for Two.

- There's another bit where he and a friend argues over how to pronounce the city name "Louisville." He thinks its LouiSville, his friend thinks it LouiEville. He then asks someone at the restaurant, "Slowly, how do you pronounce the name of this place?" "B-u-r-g-e-r-K-i-n-g."

- Somewhere he talks about the Revolutionary War, and says the French wore red so you wouldn't see blood on their pants. He says he would've worn brown pants in that case.

That's all I can remember right now. Any clue who that comedian was?

posted by icontemplate to society & culture (13 comments total)

Any clue who that comedian was?

Well the punchline, obviously, is
he ....wasn't very funny!
posted by Peter H at 1:56 PM on December 2, 2004

I don't know if it will help, but I remember seeing that guy on a tape of old Tonight Show episodes (Carson years.) The "talking calculator" was a Speak & Spell (or possibly the math-related one, Speak & Math.)
posted by ALongDecember at 1:58 PM on December 2, 2004

A light bulb just went off, ALongDecember. I have those DVDs. I want to say... Bob Newhart or some other well-known old-timer.
posted by bondcliff at 2:05 PM on December 2, 2004

No way that's Newhart. In his prime, Newhart was hilariously clever!
posted by Peter H at 2:07 PM on December 2, 2004

I don't think it IS Newhart, but someone from that same era. Rent "The Ultimate Johnny Carson Collection" DVDs and you will find your answer somewhere in them.

And seeing it was much funnier than reading it.
posted by bondcliff at 2:14 PM on December 2, 2004

(pure speculation, may set off another light bulb) This comedian may be on the Carson set several times, I think he was the one who also did impressions while eating food somehow. Like he ate a hot potato and that somehow made him act like Curly or something.
posted by ALongDecember at 2:45 PM on December 2, 2004

Is it the asian guy, and I can't think of his name now. Redneckish sort of accent...shit...um...

ah hell never mind.
posted by damnitkage at 3:08 PM on December 2, 2004

Definetely not Newhart. Nor Asian.

It's certainly along the lines of Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White, and Bill Engvall. Well, along those lines but not as good. I wouldn't be surprised if he opened up for one of 'em.

I've watched a lot of stand-up acts on Comedy Central, but I've never seen him. Like Peter H up there said, I doubt he's good enough to garner a repeat performance on Carson. I just remember cracking up listening to the tape back when I was 12.
posted by icontemplate at 3:21 PM on December 2, 2004

I think damnitkage means Henry Cho.
posted by Guy Smiley at 4:09 PM on December 2, 2004

I don't know if it will help, but I remember seeing that guy on a tape of old Tonight Show episodes (Carson years.) The "talking calculator" was a Speak & Spell (or possibly the math-related one, Speak & Math.)

Howie Mandell did the thing on Carson with the Speak & Spell, but the rest of these jokes don't really sound like him.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 4:37 PM on December 2, 2004

If its not answered here, you can always ask on alt.comedy.standup . They are usually very good at identifying the comedians like this.
posted by stovenator at 4:56 PM on December 2, 2004

Albert Brooks did a ventriloquist act with a Speak & Spell on Carson years ago.

Funny stuff.
posted by beowulf573 at 9:01 PM on December 2, 2004

Did the guy do a bit about Southern phrases?

"Presheateit" = I appreciated it.

etc?

Of course, I can't remember his name. But if that's him I can call someone who knows it.
posted by ?! at 2:02 PM on December 3, 2004