Today in Comedy History
Sub-Topics: Cartoonist - Comedian - Humorist
Historical Events
Results 1 - 60 of 60
1598-04-30 - 1st theater performance in America (Spanish comedy-Rio Grande)
1611-11-01 - Shakespeare's romantic comedy "Tempest" 1st presented
1787-04-16 - 1st American comedy, "The Contrast," made its debut in NYC
1886-09-25 - Comedy opera "Dorothy," 1st produced in London
1912-09-23 - 1st Mack Sennett "Keystone Comedy" movie released
1914-12-21 - "Tillie's Punctured Romance," 1st six-reel feature comedy debuts
1914-12-21 - 1st feature-length silent film comedy, "Tillie's Punctured Romance" released. (Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand & Charles Chaplin)
1921-05-23 - "Shuffle Along" 1st black musical comedy, opens in NYC
1933-10-02 - Eugene O'Neill's comedy "Ah, Wilderness," premieres in NYC
1936-07-29 - RCA shows 1st real TV program (dancing, film on locomotives, Bonwit Teller fashion show & monologue from Tobacco Road & comedy)
1939-04-17 - SN Behrman's "No Time for Comedy," premieres in NYC
1944-09-28 - 1st TV Musical comedy (The Boys from Boise)
1946-07-25 - At Club 500 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis stage their first show as a comedy team.
1949-05-29 - Candid Camera, TV comedy Variety, moves to NBC
1953-06-11 - "Amos 'n Andy," TV Comedy, also radio from '29; last aired on CBS
1953-10-02 - "Comedy in Music (Victor Borge)" opens at John Golden NYC for 849 perf
1955-06-04 - Mickey Rooney Show," TV comedy last airs on NBC
1955-06-12 - "Mr Peepers" (TV Comedy) starring Wally Cox airs for last time on NBC
1956-01-21 - "Comedy in Music (Victor Borge)" closes at Golden NYC after 849 perfs
1957-01-04 - "Blondie" situation comedy premieres on NBC TV (later on CBS)
1959-01-24 - Dmitri Shostakovitch's comedy "Cheryomushk," premieres in Moscow
1962-09-26 - TV comedy series "Beverly Hillbillies" premieres on CBS
1964-11-09 - "Comedy in Music-Opus 2" opens at John Golden NYC for 192 perfs
1965-04-24 - "Comedy in Music-Opus 2" closes at John Golden NYC after 192 perfs
1967-02-05 - "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" premieres on CBS (later ABC, NBC)
1967-06-04 - Monkees take home an Emmy for their Outstanding comedy Series
1969-05-11 - Monty Python comedy troupe forms
1969-06-08 - "Smothers Brothers comedy Hour," last airs on CBS-TV
1973-06-30 - "Burns & Schreiber Comedy Hour," TV Variety; debut on ABC
1975-01-24 - "Hot l Baltimore" situation comedy premieres on ABC TV
1975-01-29 - 1st Annual Comedy Awards of the Year hosted by Alan King
1977-10-03 - "Comedy with Music (Victor Borge)" opens at Imperial NYC for 66 perfs
1977-11-27 - "Comedy with Music (Victor Borge)" closes at Imperial NY after 66 perf
1978-09-12 - Situation comedy "Taxi" premieres on ABC television
1979-02-04 - "Co-Ed Fever," TV Comedy, debut & cancelled that outing on CBS
1979-11-08 - Bernard Slade's "Romantic Comedy," premieres in NYC
1981-06-23 - NYC mayor Koch turns down a $7,500 offer to perform comedy
1984-04-05 - "Human Comedy" opens at Royale Theater NYC for 13 performances
1984-04-15 - "Human Comedy" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 13 performances
1986-09-29 - "Designing Women," TV Comedy, debuts on CBS
1987-05-19 - 1st American Comedy Award
1988-05-15 - 2nd American Comedy Award: Robin Williams & Tracey Ullman
1989-05-23 - 3rd American Comedy Award: Paula Poundstone
1989-06-12 - "Doctor Doctor," TV Comedy starring Matt Frewer, debuts on CBS-TV
1990-03-10 - 4th American Comedy Award: When Harry Met Sally
1990-04-01 - "Ha!" comedy Channel on cable TV begins transmitting
1990-05-28 - Dave Thomas Comedy Show, debuts on CBS-TV
1990-06-25 - "Dave Thomas Comedy Show," last airs on CBS-TV
1991-03-09 - 5th American Comedy Award: Dennis Wolfberg
1992-03-28 - 6th American Comedy Award: Cathy Ladman, Judy Watkins, Billy Crystal
1993-02-28 - 7th American Comedy Award: Seinfeld wins
1993-09-01 - "White Liars/Black Comedy" opens at Criterion NYC for 38 perfs
1993-10-03 - "White Liars/Black Comedy" closes at Criterion NYC after 38 perfs
1994-03-07 - 8th American Comedy Award: Carrot Top wins
1994-12-18 - "Comedy Tonight" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 8 performances
1994-12-25 - "Comedy Tonight" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC after 8 perfs
1995-03-06 - 9th American Comedy Award: Rodney Dangerfield
1996-03-06 - 10th American Comedy Award
1997-02-09 - 11th American Comedy Award: Debbie Reynolds
1998-06-14 - "Comic Relief" benefit comedy show
Famous Birthdays
Results 1 - 44 of 44
1655-02-07 - Jean-Francois Regnard, French comedy writer (Slave in Algeria)
1793-07-20 - Aleksander Fredro, Polish comedy writer (Pan Jowiolski)
1890-08-12 - Al Goodman, Nikopol Russia, orch leader (NBC Comedy Hour)
1892-01-18 - Oliver Hardy, Harlem Ga, comedy team member (Laurel & Hardy)
1892-01-31 - Eddie Cantor, NYC, comedian (Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater)
1893-03-01 - Theo Frenkel, actor (Footlights, Hague's Comedy)
1897-04-18 - Pedro Regas, actor (Pat Paulsen's Half a Comedy Hour) [or Apr 12]
1899-04-03 - Cees Lasseur, Dutch actor/owner (Hague Comedy)
1903-01-04 - Joris Diels, Flemish actor/director (Haagsche Comedy)
1905-02-04 - Hylda Baker, English comedy actress (d. 1986)
1906-09-30 - John I M Stewart, British detective writer (Comedy of Terrors)
1907-03-22 - Paul J Steenbergen, Neth, actor (Ciske Rat)/founder (Hague's Comedy)
1910-05-12 - Gordon Jenkins, Webster Grove Mo, orch leader (NBC Comedy Hour)
1910-12-02 - Robert Paige, Indianapolis Ind, actor (Colgate Comedy Hour)
1912-01-23 - Ank van der Moer, actress (Verkade, Dutch Comedy)
1913-08-03 - Mel Tolkin, Ukrainian-born television comedy writer (d. 2007)
1920-03-23 - Jimmy Edwards, comedy actor (Barnes)
1921-03-19 - Tommy Cooper, Welsh comedy magician (d. 1984)
1924-06-08 - George Kirby, Chicago, comedian (ABC Comedy Hour, Pearl Bailey Show)
1924-10-13 - Terry Gibbs, Bkln NY, orch leader (Steve Allen Comedy Hour)
1924-11-17 - Lucas J "Luc" Lutz, Dutch actor/director (Hague Comedy)
1926-01-17 - Richard Michael Hills, comedy script writer
1927-10-13 - Anita Kerr, Memphis TN, singer (Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour)
1928-06-19 - Barry Took, English comedy writer (d. 2002)
1930-07-28 - Darryl Hickman, Hollywood Cal, actor (Human Comedy, Tea & Sympathy)
1931-05-19 - Eric Davidson, comedy scriptwriter
1933-11-15 - Barbara Carson, Memphis Tn, actress (Comedy Tonight, Carter Country)
1934-03-22 - Larry Martyn, English comedy actor (d. 1994)
1939-04-05 - David Winters, London England, choreographer (Steve Allen Comedy Hour)
1940-11-22 - Terry Gilliam, Minneapolis, comedy author-animator (Monty Python)
1943-05-15 - Harve Brosten, comedy writer/producer/director (All in the Family)
1944-02-26 - Marilyn Michaels, comedienne (ABC Comedy Hour)
1946-09-27 - Robin Nedwell, English comedy actor (d. 1999)
1948-11-10 - Mario Viegas, actor (The Jew, Divine Comedy, Funeral of Patrao)
1948-11-23 - Bruce Vilanch, American comedy writer
1950-10-30 - Louise Duart, Quincy MA, comedienne (Paramount Comedy Theater # 5)
1951-07-27 - Janet Eilber, Detroit Mich, actress (Hard to Hold, Romantic Comedy)
1953-06-21 - Robyn Douglass, Sendai Japan, actress (Lonely Guy, Romantic Comedy)
1955-01-07 - Sandra Bernhard, Arizona (Follow That Bird, King of Comedy)
1955-06-06 - Sandra Bernhard, Flint Mich, actress (King of Comedy, Nancy-Roseanne)
1955-07-09 - Fred Norris, comedy writer/singer (Howard Stern Show)
1965-02-25 - Carrot Top, [Scott Thompson], Fla, comedian (Amer Comedy Award-1994)
1970-11-07 - Neil Hannon, Northern Irish musician (The Divine Comedy)
1987-11-30 - Ian Hecox, Part of the America Online comedy duo Smosh
Famous Deaths
Results 1 - 25 of 25
1321-09-13 - Dante Alighieri, author (Divine Comedy), dies
1876-07-15 - Aleksander Fredro, Polish comedy writer (Zemstra), dies at 82
1955-06-01 - Theo Frenkel, actor (Footlights, Hague's Comedy), dies
1957-01-07 - Al White, choreographer (NBC Comedy Hour), dies
1960-01-02 - Cees [Cornelis J] Laseur, Dutch actor/dir (Hague Comedy), dies at 60
1961-06-02 - Peter H "Paul" Huf, actor/director (Dutch Comedy), dies at 70
1964-10-10 - Eddie Cantor, comedian (Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater), dies at 72
1972-01-10 - Al Goodman, Russian/US orch leader (NBC Comedy Hour), dies at 81
1983-03-28 - Ank [Anna M] van der Moer, actress (Verkade, Dutch Comedy), dies at 71
1983-12-31 - Frank Link, actor (Burns & Schreiber Comedy Show), dies at 46
1984-05-01 - Gordon Jenkins, orch leader (NBC Comedy Hour), dies at 73
1985-06-28 - James Craig, actor (Human Comedy, Kismet), dies of lung cancer at 74
1986-05-01 - Hylda Baker, English comedy actress (b. 1905)
1992-04-04 - Sy Kramer, singer/comedy writer dies of cancer at 59
1993-03-02 - Paul D Zimmerman, US screenwriter (King of Comedy), dies at 54
1994-08-07 - Larry Martyn, comedy actor (b. 1934)
1994-11-08 - Michael O'Donoghue, comedy writer (SNL), dies at 54
1994-11-14 - John I M Stewart, detective writer (A Comedy of Terrors), dies at 88
1996-04-01 - Mario Viegas, actor (The Jew, Divine Comedy), dies at 47
1996-05-20 - Eric Davidson, comedy scriptwriter, dies at 65
1996-06-06 - Richard Michael Hills, comedy script writer, dies at 70
2005-08-18 - Gao Xiumin, Chinese comedy actress (b. 1959)
2006-11-10 - Diana Coupland, British comedy actress (b. 1932)
2007-11-26 - Mel Tolkin, television comedy writer (b. 1913)
2008-08-29 - Geoffrey Perkins, British comedy producer (b. 1953)
