I Like These Guys!

Perusing YouTube yet again while listening to swingin' Stubby Kaye's take on Sinatra, this blogmeister discovered an excerpt from a talk show hosted by Orson Welles. Had read that this was an unsold pilot, but it appears there are several episodes of Orson's talk show on YouTube.

Among the guests with Orson on this episode of his talk show is Andy Kaufman, making this a meeting between one of Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog's all-time favorite movie directors and favorite comedians. Among many pleasant surprises here, the show reveals that Welles is a very good interviewer and manages to disarm Andy.

Welles, a magician and provocateur himself, understands and respects Kaufman's derring-do as an actor, comedian and performance artist, so this the only time this writer has ever seen a talk show which offers a glimpse of Andy the person as opposed to Andy the performer. Seeing this, I feel strongly that Carson Productions missed a good bet by not booking Orson to guest host The Tonight Show.



Would love to see the rest of this show, in which the third fellow on this stage, Ron Glass from the frequently hilarious Barney Miller TV show, is interviewed. No doubt Orson appreciated the cast of terrific comic actors on that show. The following clip is from an episode of Barney Miller which never fails to have me ROFL.



Speaking of interviews, here is an amazing bit of classic television from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson



While, unfortunately, Groucho had passed by the time Late Night With David Letterman began, the appearances of the uber-verbal Marx brother with Carson and Dick Cavett are the stuff of legend.



Don't know who snapped this wonderful photo back in the 1950's, but absolutely love how all of these outstanding comedians and kings of mid-20th century showbiz were actually assembled in one place. It's the next best thing to a live-action Hirschfeld cartoon.



Speaking of kings of mid-20th century showbiz, here at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog, it's always Time For Beany.



Seeing that photo gets me thinking of the incomparable Daws Butler's gazillion voices, Stan Freberg's 1957 radio show, and the very funny Beany & Cecil animated cartoons. Our favorite of that series, hands-down, is The Wildman Of Wildsville (1959), starring the one, the only Lord Buckley in the title role.



In closing, the ever-swingin' Stubby Kaye will take us out. We wish everyone a good weekend!