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The Unknown Comic
Murray Langston (born June 27, 1944), who frequently performed using the stage name "The Unknown Comic", is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian best known for his performances on ''The Gong Show'', during which he usually appeared with a paper bag over his head. Early life Murray Langston was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada and left home at the age of 15 because his parents—disabled and financially strapped—could not afford to raise him and his younger siblings. He lived in Montreal ( Park Ex) before he emigrated to the United States by joining the United States Navy. He served during the Vietnam War but never saw combat. Career In 1970, Langston began his show business career on ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' doing impressions of a fork, a tube of toothpaste and a grandfather clock. Later—at the suggestion of Redd Foxx—he teamed with comedian Freeman King and they became regular performers on ''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.'' After more than 100 appeara ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth ( ) is an urban community and former city located in the Halifax Regional Municipality of Nova Scotia, Canada. Dartmouth is located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour. Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes, after the large number of lakes located within its boundaries. On April 1, 1996, the provincial government amalgamated all the municipalities within the boundaries of Halifax County into a single-tier regional government named the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Dartmouth and its neighbouring city of Halifax, the town of Bedford and the Municipality of the County of Halifax were dissolved. The city of Dartmouth forms part of the urban core of the larger regional municipality and is officially designated as part of the "capital district" by the Halifax Regional Municipality. At the time that the City of Dartmouth was dissolved, the provincial government altered its status to a separate community to Halifax; however, its status as part of the metrop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Park Extension
Park Extension (french: Links=no, Parc-Extension) is a neighbourhood in the city of Montréal, Québec. It is located in the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension and has a population of 33,800 and an area of 1.6 km² (400 acres). The name derives from the fact that it is situated at the north end of Park Avenue and is literally an "extension" of the artery. The area is known by locals as "Park Ex." History The area has always been a working-class neighbourhood, and understanding Park Extension's place in Montreal is to know how Montreal developed. Montreal started from a small fortified city by the Saint Lawrence River; and expanded north towards the Laurentian Mountains. Being at the head of Park Avenue, Park Extension formed the northern end of Montreal's immigrant corridor. Park Extension was a mid-20th century suburb. It was a rural area prior to the 1950s. Starting in the early 1950s there was rapid housing development in the northern reaches of Park Ext ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Carrey
James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'' (1990–1994). He broke out as a star in motion pictures with '' Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'', '' The Mask'' and ''Dumb and Dumber'' (all 1994). This was followed up with ''Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls'', ''Batman Forever'' (both 1995) and ''Liar Liar'' (1997). In the 2000s, he gained further notice for his portrayal of the Grinch in ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film), How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' and for the comedy ''Me, Myself & Irene'' (both in 2000), as well as ''Bruce Almighty'' (2003), ''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'' (2004), ''Fun with Dick and Jane (2005 film), Fun with Dick and Jane'' (2005), ''Yes Man (film), Yes Man'', ''Horton Hears a Who! (film), Horton Hea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joan Rivers
Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavily self-deprecating and acerbic, especially towards celebrities and politicians. She is considered a pioneer of women in comedy by many critics. Rivers started her career in comedy clubs in Greenwich Village alongside her peers George Carlin, Woody Allen, and Richard Pryor. She then rose to prominence in 1965 as a guest on ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by her mentor, Johnny Carson, the show established Rivers's comedic style. In 1986, with her own rival program, '' The Late Show with Joan Rivers'', Rivers became the first woman to host a late night network television talk show. She subsequently hosted ''The Joan Rivers Show'' (1989–1993), winning a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host. From the mid-1990s, she became known for her ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bobby Vinton
Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is a American former singer and occasional actor, who also hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid tribute to his Polish heritage. One of his most popular songs is " Blue Velvet" (a cover of the 1951 song recorded by Tony Bennett) which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, No. 1 in Canada (5 weeks), and number 2 in the UK in 1990. Early life Vinton was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, the only child of locally popular bandleader Stan Vinton and Dorothy Studzinski Vinton. He is of Polish and Lithuanian descent. The family surname was originally Vintula, and was changed by Vinton's father. Vinton's parents encouraged their son's interest in music by giving him his daily 25-cent allowance after he had practiced the clarinet. At 16, Vinton formed his first band, which played clubs around the Pittsburgh area. With the money he ear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wolfman Jack
Robert Weston Smith (January 21, 1938July 1, 1995), known as Wolfman Jack, was an American disc jockey active from 1960 till his death in 1995. Famous for his gravelly voice, he credited it for his success, saying, "It's kept meat and potatoes on the table for years for Wolfman and Wolfwoman. A couple of shots of whiskey helps it. I've got that nice raspy sound." Early life Smith was born in Brooklyn on January 21, 1938, the younger of two children of Anson Weston Smith, an Episcopal Sunday school teacher, writer, editor, and executive vice president of ''Financial World'', and his wife Rosamond Small. He lived on 12th Street and 4th Avenue and went to Manual Training High School in the Park Slope section. His parents divorced while he was a child. To help keep him out of trouble, his father bought him a large Trans-Oceanic radio, and Smith became an avid fan of R&B music and the disc jockeys who played it, including Douglas "Jocko" Henderson of Philadelphia, New York's "Dr. Ji ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Hudson Brothers
The Hudson Brothers were an American musical group formed in Portland, Oregon, consisting of brothers Bill Hudson, Brett Hudson and Mark Hudson. They were discovered by a record producer while recording music at a local studio, and offered a recording contract. After releasing several garage rock singles in the late 1960s as The New Yorkers, the group began releasing material under the names Everyday Hudson, and Hudson. They garnered fame as teen idols in the 1970s after their primetime series debuted as a Summer replacement for The ''Sonny & Cher'' Comedy Hour in 1974. The resulting popularity led to their Saturday-morning half-hour sketch comedy series for CBS, ''The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show'', which ran from 1974 to 1975. They also released numerous hit singles during this time for producer Bernie Taupin, including "So You Are a Star" (1974), "Rendezvous" (1975), "Lonely School Year" (1975), and "Help Wanted" (1976). History 1965–1972: Formation and early singles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair first achieved fame with two hit songs in 1965, "Baby Don't Go" and "I Got You Babe". Signing with Atco/Atlantic Records, they released three studio albums in the late 1960s, as well as the soundtrack recordings for two unsuccessful movies, ''Good Times'' and ''Chastity'', with Cher contributing vocals to one cut, "Chastity's Song (Band of Thieves)". In 1972, after three years of silence, the couple returned to the studio and released two other albums under the MCA/Kapp Records label. In the 1970s, they also positioned themselves as media personalities with two top ten TV shows in the US, ''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'' and ''The Sonny & Cher Show''. The couple's career as a duo ended in 1975 following their divorce. In the decade they spe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Variety (magazine)
''Variety'' is an American media company owned by Penske Media Corporation. The company was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933 it added ''Daily Variety'', based in Los Angeles, to cover the motion-picture industry. ''Variety.com'' features entertainment news, reviews, box office results, cover stories, videos, photo galleries and features, plus a credits database, production charts and calendar, with archive content dating back to 1905. History Foundation ''Variety'' has been published since December 16, 1905, when it was launched by Sime Silverman as a weekly periodical covering theater and vaudeville with its headquarters in New York City. Silverman had been fired by ''The Morning Telegraph'' in 1905 for panning an act which had taken out an advert for $50. As a result, he decided to start his own publication "that ouldnot be influenced by advertising." With a loan of $1,500 from his father- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'' was an American variety show that starred American pop singers Sonny Bono and Cher, who were married to each other at the time. The show ran on CBS in the United States, and premiered in August 1971. The show was cancelled in May 1974, due to the couple's divorce, but the duo reunited in 1976 for the similarly formatted ''The Sonny & Cher Show'' (a title sporadically used during the run of the ''Comedy Hour''), which ran for two seasons, ending August 29, 1977. ''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'' (1971–1974) By 1971, Sonny & Cher had stopped producing hit singles as a duet act. Cher's first feature film, ''Chastity'', was not a success, and the duo decided to sing and tell jokes in nightclubs across the country. CBS head of programming Fred Silverman saw them one evening and offered them their own show. ''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'' was originally supposed to be a summer replacement series, but high ratings gave Silverman sufficient reason t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freeman King
Freeman King (June 1, 1943 – June 1, 2002) was an American comedian known for such television shows and films as ''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'', '' Fletch'', ''Dance Fever'', ''Under The Rainbow'', and ''The Buddy Holly Story''. At the suggestion of Redd Foxx, King teamed with comedian Murray Langston Murray Langston (born June 27, 1944), who frequently performed using the stage name "The Unknown Comic", is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian best known for his performances on ''The Gong Show'', during which he usually appeared with a paper ... and became regular performers on ''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.'' King died in Los Angeles at age 59 of a heart attack. References External links * African-American male comedians American male comedians African-American actors American male film actors American male television actors 20th-century American writers 1943 births 2002 deaths People from Rankin County, Mississippi 20th-century African-American write ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movement. Known as the "King of the Party Records", he performed on more than 50 records in his lifetime. He portrayed Fred G. Sanford on the television show '' Sanford and Son'' and starred in ''The Redd Foxx Show'' and ''The Royal Family''. His film projects included ''All the Fine Young Cannibals'' (1960), ''Cotton Comes to Harlem'' (1970), '' Norman... Is That You?'' (1976) and ''Harlem Nights'' (1989). In 2004, Foxx ranked 24th in ''Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time''. Foxx not only influenced many comedians but was often portrayed in popular culture as well, mainly as a result of his catchphrases, body language and facial expressions exhibited on ''Sanford and Son''. During the show's five-year run, Foxx won a Go ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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