The Greatest of all time (Part 1)... Comedians

[earthson]

1. Groucho Marx (duh!)

2. Don Rickles (so creative and so crude)

3. Mitch Hedberg (was quite unique in his delivery and wit)

There's so many more who deserve an honorable mention.

[MoeFOH]

Billy Connolly has always been a massive hero of mine, just love the guy. My dad introduced me to his comedy when I was a kid (that's great parenting right there), and I've followed him keenly ever since--lucky enough to see him at the Sydney Opera House one year. Actually walked right behind him on the way in (he used to walk to the gig from his digs), but, regrettably, did not pluck up the courage to say hello. We had side-of-stage box seats that night, too, ... I've never laughed so hard. Think I cracked a rib or two. 

That said, I can't put him at #1. My order has to go:

1. Richard Pryor (just a pure comedic genius)

2. Billy 

And, if we're just talking comedic ability, 3. Louis CK. 

Would have Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Ricky Gervais, Judith Lucy, Barry Humphries hard on the heels of these.

[Ken Gargett]

my first thought - robin williams.

but no one mentioned john cleese? are you people dead? 

someone said early eddie murphy. absolutely. and someone else mentioned the two films delirious i think and?? the first of those brilliant. the second seemed to me to be just sad and bitter and misogynistic. 

billy connolly for certain. rickles. barry humphries as dame edna, and sir les, brilliant. ricky gervais - if you get to see the series of stand-ups shows he did which were televised, don't miss them. fabulous. bob hope in his own way.

must say very surprised to see so much love for richard pyror. never did it for me. dave chappelle ditto, though have seen less of him so possibly unfair. 

undoubtedly many more that do not immediately spring to mind. 

 

[tigger]

18 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

but no one mentioned john cleese? are you people dead? 

As a whole, the Pythons were funnier than anything I see listed above. I've always felt that the whole was greater than the sum of it's parts with them...

[lovethehaze]

If we are adding shows .. then maybe Seinfeld gets the nod. 

[ThePolskiOgorki]

3 is too few, but in no particular order.

Robin Williams

Jerry Seinfeld

Chris Rock

[Gandolf565]

In light of the news of his passing, Tim Conway deserves mention. He was hilarious on the Carol Burnett show.

One of the funniest

Allen

 

[Diabolicalpherpher]

With a lot of mentions of Richard Pryor, surprised no one has mentioned Paul Mooney.

 

[Ken Gargett]

47 minutes ago, tigger said:

As a whole, the Pythons were funnier than anything I see listed above. I've always felt that the whole was greater than the sum of it's parts with them...

i would agree but i think that cleese transcended MP with fawlty towers especially. 

[tigger]

6 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

i would agree but i think that cleese transcended MP with fawlty towers especially. 

Fair point.  

[dtrott]

1. Don Rickles     2.Rodney Dangerfield   3.Chris Rock.....showing my age I know but Rickles and Dangerfield were just classic, non stop, can't catch your breadth,bust a gut type humor ....without the  vulgarity( and no" F bombs" ).

[gweilgi]

A terrible topic -- all my favourites are double acts (Laurel and Hardy, or the Two Ronnies!) or groups such as Monty Python.

I'll give it a go, though:

Eddie Izzard -- plain weird and wonderful.

Steven Wright -- utterly hilarious.

Woody Allen -- outstanding comedy, but a scuzzbucket in personal life.

[Drguano]

 

[Drguano]

54 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

i would agree but i think that cleese transcended MP with fawlty towers especially. 

Oh, yes. The episode with the Germans...

[Drguano]

 

[Drguano]

Lastly, my all time favorite joke...

 

[Ken Gargett]

28 minutes ago, Drguano said:

Lastly, my all time favorite joke...

 

i love it!

[NSXCIGAR]

Greatest general comedian...that's tough. Not sure I could come up with a list or rank easily. Seinfeld, Woody Allen, Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, Cosby and Foxx are all there. 

Stand up comedian, I'd have to with 1) Pryor, 2) Carlin and distant third Chapelle, although the 3rd choice is tough. Dangerfield, Hedberg, Wright, Rock, Seinfeld are all right there.

[Bri Fi]

1) robin williams (stand up)

2) Jim Carey (movies)

3) dave chapelle (television show) 

Seems like all lost their minds at some point. Have little to no respect for jim Carey anymore but his movies and charisma were amazing. I’d say Daniel tosh as honorable mention. I like his dark humor. 

[irratebass]

For me

1. Bill Cosby

2. Steve Martin

3. George Carlin

[Cazador]

George Carlin

[ayepatz]

My favourite clip. The Big Yin on Parkinson in 1975. This is the textbook definition of “outrageous” on the BBC in those days.

 

[topdiesel]

1. Steven Wright-Brilliant

2. George Carlin

3. Rodney Dangerfield

Tough to leave out of the list:

Norm Macdonald & Bob Einstein (Super Dave Osborne)

 

[Shelby07]

20 hours ago, Gandolf565 said:

In light of the news of his passing, Tim Conway deserves mention. He was hilarious on the Carol Burnett show.

One of the funniest

Allen

 

The Carol Burnett show was filmed before a live audience. They would do each show a couple of times for different audiences and edit in the best of the shows for airing. If you ever saw the show you know that the cast would often not be able to contain their laughter during their skits. One of the reasons is that Conway would often times deviate wildly from the script. When this happened, no one knew what Conway would do. Both of these skits were ad-libbed by Conway. 

[Webbo]

Spike Milligan - Father of the Pythons (Read his war memoirs, I cannot recommend anything higher)

Eddie Izzard - Live he is incomparable

Jim Jefferies - Don't know much of his work but he makes it for the guns routine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rR9IaXH1M0