Tag: Stand up comedy

LIVE AT MISTER KELLY’S – Review

View of Mister Kelly’s marquee featuring Joan Rivers and Adam Wade, Chicago, Illinois, circa 1968.

In the 21st century, it seems that a near-unlimited supply of entertainment is at our fingertips, or at least at the click of a mouse. That flow seems constant with a staggering variety of options. But what did folks do around 75 years ago? Sure, radio was still dominant, though this new “gizmo” called television was making inroads. And of, course the movies were there. As for live entertainment, many performers played at regional venues like state fairs and auditoriums. If you were looking for something more intimate, the big cities had nightclubs. And in between meccas like LA (with Ciro’s and Slapsy Maxie’s) and NYC (with the “Copa” and the Latin Quarter), there was the “Windy City”. When the vaudeville and burlesque venues began to shutter, lots of big-name talents, in music and comedy, could be seen at the bustling “classy joint” near Rush and Oak. But for those who couldn’t get there, they still enjoyed the feel of the place when those artists committed their routines and songs to vinyl, which they proudly proclaimed in the liner notes, and often on the cover, was recorded LIVE AT MISTER KELLY’S.

The story of that club actually begins a few years earlier with another club. And this empire, which would include a later entertainment spot, was established by two brothers, the Marienthals, Oscar and George. At the end of WWII, the men decided to provide an upscale eatery in the heart of Chicago, the London House, formerly the Fort Dearborn Grill. Inspired by the wartime meat rationing, they struck a “hungry” chord with their catchphrase “Make a date with a steak”.Eventually, they would offer the best of jazz music with the meals in 1955. Ah, but two years before that they opened Mister Kelly’s (named after the previous owner’s doorman/manager, who didn’t remain), which would have their own “house band” the following year. In 1959, the owners instituted a new policy of combining a comedy act and a musician (singer, band, etc.) on the same bill usually lasting a couple of days. Though the stage was tiny and the space limited, Kelly’s attracted the hottest acts of the early 1960s. For comedy, the audiences were laughing with Bob Newhart, Nichols & May, Mort Sahl, and Lenny Bruce. Plus they “tapped their toes’ to Laine Kazan, Peggy Lee, and a rising star that Oscar lured away from the “Big Apple”, Barbra Streisand. One of the most radical decisions by the brothers was their hiring of black entertainers with no segregation on stage or in the audience as Della Reese, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughn packed the place along with Richard Pryor, Dick Gregory, and Flip Wilson (who recorded an album there). When audiences became interested in the more “radical comics” and zany improv groups, another venue The Happy Medium (which would prove a springboard for the comedy team of Stiller & Meara) opened its doors around the corner. Despite a couple of devastating house fires, Kelly’s remained a hot spot (oops, sorry) well into the 1970s. But by then the rising comic stars and many music acts, filled the late-night TV talk shows and they upped their fees, pricing out the smaller nightclubs for the big theatres and arenas. Before the end of 1975, Mr. Kelly’s was shuttered and, along with the London House and the Medium, became part of Windy City history.

Ah, but what a slice of lively and fun history (I didn’t want to end the last paragraph on a sad note). Considering that no film footage of the interior of the club exists, director Ted Bogosian has somehow found a way for us to feel as though we have a stage-side seat (and it was just 4 or 5 feet away from the action) to enjoy an incredible gathering of the world’s most iconic performers. Luckily there are lots of archival photos of the club’s exterior and interior along with countless ads and promotional materials. Big kudos to co-producer and editor Scott Dummier for assembling all of this art and for the massive amount of interviews. Some were a bit …challenging (Streisand gives only an audio recollection), others are archival, as we hear from many who are now workin’ the “main stage in the clouds”. We encounter Shelly Berman, Fred Willard, and Jerry Stiller ( he hints that a current comedy superstar was conceived during his Medium gig). But happily many are still here and very happy to look back, including Bob Newhart, Lily Tomlin, Dick Gregory, Shecky Greene, and Dick Smothers (hey, I still have the LP he and brother Tom recorded there). Speaking of the archives, we view bits of local TV news segments, Bill Murray on the Tonight Show, and the closest TV show to being at Kelly’s, “Playboy After Dark”, right from “Hef’s swingin’ pad”. Oh, and the jazz greats certainly get their due, in some great music excerpts. Aside from the Marienthal family members and the relatives of late stars (Kitty Bruce), there are some very witty stories from playwright David Mamet, who worked a variety of jobs, and even “tickles the ivories”. Most informative is an entertainment historian who scoops up dozens of albums recorded at Kelly’s at a massive used record store (Kelly’s has its own section), along with a radio DJ/show host. I guess the closest we have to this place is Vegas, though their big showrooms have none of the amazing intimacy. Until “Doc Brown” gets the “bugs’ worked out we can’t take a sixty-year jaunt back in time to catch Ella and Lenny, but the engrossing and highly entertaining feature documentary LIVE AT MISTER KELLY’S is pretty darn close. Now I’m itching for one of their big juicy steaks along with a fresh Green Goddess salad! Tasty!

3.5 Out of 4

LIVE AT MR. KELLY’S is now playing at select theatres and is Video-On-Demond streaming on most apps and platforms

SENSE OF HUMOR – SLIFF Review

Here’s an unusual movie mash-up from French Canadian writer/director Emile Gaudreaullt: a thriller set in the world of stand-up comedy. Films have been made about traveling comedians, spewing jokes while bathed in a bright spotlight against (usually) a bare, brick wall starting with LENNY through PUNCHLINE and the recent SLEEPWALK WITH ME. These guys have their bad gigs, but nothing like what happens to Luc (Louis Jose’-Houde) and Marco (Benoit Briere). First off, they really don’t care much for each other. Luc is a dry, cerebral, observational humorist who considers Marco a hack who relies too much on wacky props and costumes, bits stolen from the internet, and phony sentimentality. But what really irks Luc is the fact that audiences adore Marco. How did these two get paired up for a tour of small Canadian clubs? As part of his routine, Marco singles out a fellow from the audience as a “stooge” to be the butt of pre-written insults and jabs. At one of their stops, a bored Luc joins him in verbally pummeling a shy, somber guy named Roger (Michel Cote). But what the two comics don’t know (but was revealed in the film’s opening) is that the meek Roger, who’s bad-mouthed by his elderly ill-tempered Dad at home and teased at his job as a short-order cook, has a hobby. He’s a serial killer who’s turned the barn of the remote family farm into a torture chamber for his ‘guests”. After that night’s show, the comics retire to their dingy motel rooms and wake up in a cage at Roger’s barn. In tracking to calm him down, the two get Roger to reveal his hidden desire. He wants to be funny, so he can impress the pretty waitress at work. Luc and Marco must try to work together and turn the serious Roger into the life of the party during their evening while attempting to escape their cage while their captor’s at his day job. The three main principals turn in very funny performances and are well served by the actors playing Roger’s co-workers, Marco’s depressed wife, and Luc’s way-too-in-touch-with-her-feelings sister. There’s a great balance between the verbal sparring off the mis-matched comics on the road and the wild slapstick scenes as they try to gain their freedom. This is a very entertaining blend of genres that balances the chills and laughs.

SENSE OF HUMOR screens as part of the 21st Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival on Wednesday, November 14 at 7 PM and Friday, November 16 at 9:30 PM at the Plaza Frontenac Cinemas

SLEEPWALK WITH ME – The Review

Here’s a phrase we don’t get to hear much these days : this film is based on a radio program. Back in Hollywood’s Golden Age, radio was as much a source for feature films as television, novels, comic books, and video games are today. True, last year’s THE GREEN HORNET and next year’s THE LONE RANGER started as 1930’s radio shows, but most folks are familiar with their TV incarnations. And you could say that the autobiographical PRIVATE PARTS had its basis in radio as does the Howard Stern best seller. Well, SLEEPWALK WITH ME began as a popular true story told by stand-up comic Mike Birbiglia on NPR’s ” This American Life” hosted by Ira Glass ( who co-wrote the screenplay ). So we could say that it’s a movie about stand-up following films ( in comic jargon they’d be the warm-ups ) going back to LENNY, PUNCHLINE, MAN IN THE MOON, and the recent FUNNY PEOPLE. TV struck gold with Jerry Seinfeld playing a thinly disguised version of his comic self, followed by Bernie Mac and the current FX channel hit, ” Louie ” starring Louis CK. Can Birbiglia go from that brick wall ( and single spotlight ) and kill ( jargon again ) on the big screen?  Here’s the hook : unlike many of those above mentioned performers, he’s got a problem many of us have had to deal with ( although not to this life-threatening extreme ).

Birbiglia plays aspiring stand-up comic Matt Pandamiglio ( pretty close, eh? nobody introducing him at the clubs pronounces it correctly ). He’s living with his gorgeous girlfriend of 8 ( ! ) years Abby ( Lauren Ambrose ), who teaches full-time at a local college. Everything seems to be going great until Matt’s sister Janet gets engaged. Then the pressure really starts from his parents ( James Rebhorn and Carol Kane ). Abby insists that she’s in no hurry to tie the knot, but late one night Matt discovers that the Tivo is filled with episodes of a bridal reality show. He’s got to get serious about comedy and stop tending bar ( and cleaning the toilets ) at a local comedy club. He’s meets a third-string talent agent ( a step or two down from BROADWAY DANNY ROSE ) and ends up taking all the low-paying, out-of-the-way gigs because he’s got a car. The long hours driving, inattentive audiences, and marriage pressures exacerbate Matt’s old sleep problem. As the title state’s he’s a sleepwalker. But not the kind that just circles the bed before hopping back under the covers. No, he reacts to his dreams, verbally shouting and acting out violently. And increasingly endangering himself. Can Matt eliminate the pressures and tension before a trip to slumberland turns deadly?

I’ve probably made the film sound like a ” disease of the week ” TV movie, but it’s really, really funny. It takes a bit to adjust to his rhythm, but Birbiglia’s wry, laid-back humor works well as the film’s narrator. Still,  his early struggling scenes are painful. You can almost smell the flop sweat as the camera puts you alone on stage before an uninterested and often antagonistic audience. Oh , and inattentive too, thanks to that nemesis of live performers ( and film fans ), the cell phone. Lenny Bruce never had to deal with that! While Birbiglia tells a great joke, he’s not a strong screen actor ( Seinfeld had the same problem for the first few seasons of his show ). He ‘s overshadowed by most of the pros, who are truly at the top of their game. It’s always a pleasure to see Ambrose ( perhaps best known for TV’s ” Six Feet Under ” ) on screen. Her Abby is so outgoing and delightful that you wonder why she’s stuck with a fella’ who seems to be spinning his wheels. C’mon Matt!  Kane is an adorable sprite as Matt’s wacky Mom ( loves ordering cakes over the internet ), while Rebhorn is a terrific counterbalance as the overbearing, always agitated father. Most of the time he’s obnoxious, but often I actually agreed with him ( ” Marry that girl! ” ” Get a career plan! ” ” See a doctor for that sleepwalking! ” ). The film is peppered with small roles played by many vets from the comedy world. Kristen Schaal and Wyatt Cenac from  ” The Daily Show ” are there along with WANDERLUST director David Wain. Stand-up guru Marc Maron plays a thinly disguised version of himself as headliner Marc Mulheren who inspires Matt to be more truthful performing. Birbiglia does a fine job of directing along with Seth Barrish. SLEEPWALK WITH ME captures the ups and down of telling jokes on the road and offers an honest, non “rom-com” look at the difficulties in a relationship. I’m grateful that those nocturnal escapades didn’t silence this unique comic voice. May you never lose that sleeping bag, Mike!

4.5 Out of 5 Stars

SLEEPWALK WITH ME plays exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre

4.5 Out of 5 Stars

SLIFF 2010 Review: CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR

Occasionally I’ll look through the entertainment section of my local free weekly newspaper and notice some familiar names in the ads for the local comedy clubs. I’m sometimes curious about the lives of these names on the signs of “The Ha Ha Hub” or “The Chuckle Hut”. While taking the commuter train I’d look up at a billboard for a local casino and see the name Bob Zany highlighted every few months. Now Bob has chronicled his comedy career with the help of director Jay Kanzler in the documentary CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR.  The title not only references the omnipresent stogie Bob smokes on stage, but his attempts to grab that ultimate cigar of show business super stardom.

Zany is first seen at work delivering zingers at an audience like a counterman tossing deli subs. He decides (along with Jay behind the camera) that the best way to increase his audience is to get a solo stand up special on a premium (HBO, Showtime) or basic (CMT, Comedy Central) cable TV produced on a reasonable budget. Besides the club circuit, Zany is shown being a regular on the Bob and Tom nationally syndicated radio show. The film then delves into his past as his family and friends (Nia Peeples!) are interviewed while old home movie footage plays. As a teenager, Zany was able to get on stage at the old Gong Show until a man dressed as a nun threw a net over him. Making a name for himself, Zany set up several California comedy club venues where he and his pals could perform while landing his own weekly radio show and getting the fifth lead in a low budget movie, UP YOUR ALLEY.

For a time he counted comedy mega-star Rodney Dangerfield as a mentor (Zany relates some great Rodney stories). In 1998 Zany scored a prime spot on a TV roast of Drew Carey until his killer material is disrupted when a guest blacks out and lunges face first onto his dinner plate. This incident illustrates one of several near misses at the brass ring. Appearances on the original Star Search (besting Carrot top at his own prop humor) , The Tonight Show (with Leno and not king-maker Carson), and the Labor Day MDA Telethon (cracking up Ed McMahon and Jerry Lewis) can’t get him to the next level. Ah, but he and Jay have found a way to produce a TV special to be taped in Galesburg, IL. What could go wrong?

The documentary is full of hilarious stories from Zany’s famous comedian pals which offset the sight of him trudging from airports to lonely hotels lugging his travel bags like a modern day Willy Loman. Although Bob can be testy at times(he dismisses advice from a comedy consultant) you end up rooting for him to finally get his well deserved big break. Ultimately CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR is a testament to an optimistic human spirit who never gives up. Oh, and it’s packed full of wonderful, raunchy laughs.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR will play at the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival on Thursday, November 18th at 7:00 pm at the Plaza Frontenac Cinema.