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IMDbPro

The Comedy Shop

  • TV Series
  • 1978–19831978–1983
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
36
YOUR RATING
The Comedy Shop (1978)
Comedy
Not as much a game show, as a syndicated comedy show, with comedians - usually unknown (at the time) tried out their material, and got their first TV exposure. Many of the faces on the show ... Read allNot as much a game show, as a syndicated comedy show, with comedians - usually unknown (at the time) tried out their material, and got their first TV exposure. Many of the faces on the show would go on to become well known.Not as much a game show, as a syndicated comedy show, with comedians - usually unknown (at the time) tried out their material, and got their first TV exposure. Many of the faces on the show would go on to become well known.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
36
YOUR RATING
  • Stars
    • Norm Crosby
    • Rip Taylor
    • Henny Youngman
  • Stars
    • Norm Crosby
    • Rip Taylor
    • Henny Youngman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Episodes75

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    The Comedy Shop (1978)
    The Comedy Shop (1978)
    The Comedy Shop (1978)
    The Comedy Shop (1978)
    The Comedy Shop (1978)
    The Comedy Shop (1978)
    The Comedy Shop (1978)
    The Comedy Shop (1978)
    The Comedy Shop (1978)
    The Comedy Shop (1978)
    The Comedy Shop (1978)
    The Comedy Shop (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Norm Crosby
    Norm Crosby
    • Self - Host
    Rip Taylor
    Rip Taylor
    • Self
    Henny Youngman
    Henny Youngman
    • Self
    Don Rickles
    Don Rickles
    • Self…
    Art Metrano
    Art Metrano
    • Self
    Jamie Farr
    Jamie Farr
    • Self
    Dick Capri
    • Self
    Dave Barry
    Dave Barry
    • Self
    Michael Rapport
    Michael Rapport
    • Self
    The Walkers
    • Themselves
    Sam Kwasman
    Sam Kwasman
    • Self
    Robert Conrad
    Robert Conrad
    • Self
    Connie Stevens
    Connie Stevens
    • Self
    Dick Van Patten
    Dick Van Patten
    • Self
    Jim Nabors
    Jim Nabors
    • Self
    Jay Leno
    Jay Leno
    • Self
    Marsha Warfield
    Marsha Warfield
    • Self
    Red Buttons
    Red Buttons
    • Self
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      TV debut of Brad Garrett.
    • Quotes

      Norm Crosby: Welcome to The Comedy Shop!

    • Connections
      Referenced in The Larry Sanders Show: Out of the Loop (1992)

    User reviews2

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Stand-up Comedy c. 1978
    In 1978 there were fewer outlets for stand-up comics on TV. Cable TV was used so that people in rural and isolated areas got broadcast channels -- very few people got "cable channels". On broadcast, variety shows were dying and the only shows for a stand-up comic to appear was the "Tonight Show with Johnny Carson", "Saturday Night Live" or one of the morning talk shows that were syndicated like Mike Douglas or Dinah Shore.

    "The Comedy Shop" was a syndicated half-hour program to give more comics TV exposure. Hosted by Norm Crosby -- famous for his malapropisms -- he would introduce 5 or 6 comics each episode, and they would do a 3 minute bit on stage before a live audience. Once during each show you would hear someone knocking and Crosby would open a door behind him and reveal a special guest who was not a stand-up comic (e.g. Jill St. John, McLean Stevenson). The comics on the shows were not top tier, but "up and comers" who were getting much-needed TV exposure. Before commercial breaks the camera would zoom in on a celebrity in the audience who would do the "We'll be right back..."

    This is a great sampling of stand-up comedy in this era, and limited to 3 minutes, most comics stuck to observational humor so the material doesn't seem too dated. It is frustrating sometimes, because after a particular bit you want to see more, but you don't know if that is possible 30 years later! I saw some of these shows at the time, and at this writing it is being shown on MyRetro-TV. Most of the comics are obscure today, though I remember a few of them. Many were introduced as opening a musical act -- a rite of passage for comics of those days.

    Recommended for fans of stand-up comedy, for others a curious period piece. My rating is "9" mainly because of the format.

    BTW, Brooks and Marsh's "Complete Directory of Prime-time Network and Cable TV Shows" (Ballentine Books, 1999) says there were 25 episodes released for syndication in the fall of 1978.
    helpful•2
    0
    • dalinton
    • Aug 3, 2011

    Details

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    • Release date
      • 1978 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Production company
      • Siroco Enterprises
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 30 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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