Top 30 Comedy Stand Up Shows of All Time
A list of the funniest Stand Up Shows.
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- DirectorJeff MargolisStarsRichard PryorPatti LaBelleHuey P. NewtonRichard Pryor's classic 1979 concert film has him discussing a wide range of topics, including race, the police and his favorite target -- himself.
- DirectorJohn MagnusonStarsLenny BruceIconoclast Lenny Bruce appears at San Francisco's Basin Street West in what was his next-to-last live appearance. His act that night consisted of reading allegations and transcripts from one of his several obscenity trials and then commenting on what he'd actually done or said. While there are some "bits" in the performance (including the prison riot with Dutch, the Warden, Father Flotski, and Sabu, the prison doctor), this is much more a social commentary on government intrusion and censorship than it is a comedy routine.
- DirectorBruce GowersStarsEddie MurphyJames ArgiroGus LoundermonEddie Murphy's raunchy, raucous stand-up comedy routine is captured for posterity on this tape.
- DirectorBill CosbyStarsBill CosbyA concert film in which Bill Cosby discusses weekends, raising children, dentists, and many other situations.
- DirectorMarty CallnerStarsGeorge CarlinBrenda CarlinPerforming at the Celebrity Star Theater in Phoenix on July 23, 1978, Carlin mesmerizes his audience in the second of his 12 HBO specials. The show was originally planned as part of a concert/sketch movie, The Illustrated George Carlin, that never came to fruition.The routines include: Death, Kids & Parents, Newscast #2, Time and Al Sleet, the Hippy-Dippy Weatherman.
- DirectorJoel GallenStarsEllen DeGeneresEllen DeGeneres performs her comedy-concert live on stage and taped for HBO.
- DirectorMarty CallnerStarsRobin WilliamsThe fourth HBO stand-up special by Robin Williams.
- DirectorRobert TownsendStarsEddie MurphyTatyana AliBillie AllenEddie Murphy in a stand-up performance recorded live. For an hour and a half he talks about his favourite subjects: sex and women.
- DirectorWalter C. MillerStarsSam KinisonFlorence Marie MarneyDenise GallupFans old and new have cause for celebration with the release of Sam Kinison: Breaking All The Rules, HBO Special. Along with being voted onto Comedy Central's All-Time Top 20 Stand-Up Comedians list and VH-1's Top Comedians list, Sam seemed to be in a whole other class by himself. This comedy special will blow away the Kinison fan, and will be a must-have collectible. "Sam was the cuddly anti-Christ..." - Robin Williams. "Sam scared the hell out of you...and was the funniest comedian..." - Jay Leno. "Sam took no prisoners..." - Richard Pryor. "Sam was an absolute comic genius..." - Rodney Dangerfield. "Sam's humor was based on truth and pushed the envelope like no other..." - Larry King. "Sam's voice was the voice of outrage..." - Tim Matheson. "Sam was one of our generation's greatest stand-up comics..." - Howard Stern. "Sam was one of my all time favorite comics..." - Johnny Carson. "Sam was outrageous, bright and absolutely screamed the truth..." - Tom Lykis
- DirectorLawrence JordanStarsEddie IzzardExecutive transvestite Eddie Izzard takes his show to San Francisco to give a brief history of pagan and Christian religions, the building of Stonehenge, the birth of the Church of England and of Western empires, and the need for a European dream. Along the way, he dramatizes Dr. Heimlich's search for a maneuver, the naming of Engelbert Humperdinck, Scooby and Shaggy as archetypes, Neil Armstrong on the moon, society's tolerance of mass murderers, how we sing anthems and carols, Hollywood adapting British films, JFK's trip to Berlin, thoughts on puberty, and how to work schoolbook-French phrases into Parisian conversation. Closeups catch the glint in his eye and his carefully-applied make-up.
- DirectorTed DemmeStarsDenis LearyChris PhillipsAdam RothTicked off comic Denis Leary talks honestly about subjects ranging from smoking, red meat, drugs, his family, rehab, and yes, cancer.
- StarsLouie Anderson
- DirectorRocco UrbisciStarsGeorge CarlinWhen George Carlin is asked which HBO concert is his favorite, his answer is always, "Jammin' In New York." The reasons are several: It was his first HBO show done live; it was the first he had done in his hometown, New York City; and it was the largest audience he had ever worked before: 6,500.But Carlin says it also represented a newfound sophistication in his writing. "It was the first time I had done truly extended pieces consisting of separate sections all flowing together. It was a big leap for me."The show, taped at the Paramount Theater in Madison Square Garden and winner of the 1992 CableACE Award, is a perfect blend of biting social commentary and more gently-observed observational pieces.
- DirectorMichael BlumStarsRichard PryorRichard Pryor delivering his one-of-a-kind routine. One of his earliest live performances in 1971 at the Improvisation in New York.
- DirectorGary WeisStarsSteve MartinMilton BerleGeorge BurnsSteve Martin's first network special for NBC. The show is half concert footage (shot at the Universal Amphitheatre in LA) and half sketches. Sketches include: Martin as "Turtle Boy," rodeo-riding a giant turtle; Martin hosting a variety show, on which Johnny Cash discusses his research in astronomy; and Martin five years later as a drunken bum.
- DirectorChris BouldStarsBill HicksBill Hicks in the height of his genius. Recorded at the Dominion Theatre in London, Hicks opens our eyes and minds to the hypocrisy and ludicrousness of the world around us.
- DirectorPaul MillerStarsDennis MillerEdwin NewmanAli EspleySolid 55 minutes of his insightful and satiric comic brilliance recorded live in Washington, D.C.
- DirectorPaul MillerStarsLewis BlackLewis Black goes on tirade after tirade about stupidity in America. He covers everything from corporate greed and Martha Stewart to WMDs and homeland security
- 20081h 19mTV-MA7.6 (4.5K)TV SpecialDirectorMarty CallnerStarsChris RockChris Rock's 2008 comedy tour visits London, New York and Johannesburg. Various parts of this tour are edited together to create his fifth HBO stand-up special.
- DirectorMichael BliedenStarsZach GalifianakisJoe WagnerBrian UngerA master of the one-liner with an absurd rambling style, Zach's sharp, resonating humor makes his show at the famed Purple Onion in San Francisco one of the funniest performances in recent comedy.
- DirectorThomas SchlammeStarsWhoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg in her original one-woman show
- DirectorWalter C. MillerStarsNancy OmiSteven WrightEnjoyably lethargic Steven Wright leaves his shack in the prairie to deliver a stand up show filled with creative and philosophical jokes, deadpan one-liners and funny contrived situations, including meeting a perfect Asian blond.
- DirectorLouis C.K.Shannon HartmanStarsLouis C.K.Louis C.K.'s second one-hour special filmed at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, MA.
- DirectorJay DubinStarsAndrew Dice ClayEddie GriffinSylvia HarmanOutrageous, misogynistic and vulgar-to-the-max comedian Andrew Dice Clay does his stuff in this combination of a stand-up concert video, in a filled-to-capacity performance at Madison Square Gardens, and a series of comedy sketches.
- DirectorKeith TruesdellStarsChris RockJim BreuerMario JoynerThe second HBO stand-up special by Chris Rock.
- DirectorKeith TruesdellStarsDana CarveyDana Carvey performs the best of his comedy stand-up routine.
- DirectorThomas SchlammeStarsMartin LawrenceStand up comedy by Martin Lawrence, filmed in the Majestic Theater in New York City. Martin Lawrence talks about everything from racism, to relationships, to his childhood.
- DirectorMarty CallnerStarsJerry SeinfeldMichael BarryteGrace BustosLive from New York City, Jerry Seinfeld, aided and abetted by a host of friends and fellow comedians, performs his 1998 Emmy-nominated performance on Broadway.
- DirectorBruce GowersStarsPaula PoundstoneDan AveyEdd HallAn hour of stand-up comedy taped in San Francisco with Poundstone expounding on cats, cops, cars and stuff. Aired on HBO.