Joe Perham (October 26, 1932 – August 29, 2013) was an American

humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business e ...

, known for his "Down East Maine" humor. Perham's humor style was an influence on

Tim Sample Timothy J. Sample (born ) is a New England humorist, famous both for his presentation and his Maine accent. He has sold well over a million copies of his books, albums, and videos, including four albums and a video for the Bert and I company. I ...

. Sample has described Perham as a "seriously funny guy with a professionally honed native wit, which inevitably leaves his audiences weak from laughter."

Early life

Joe was born in

West Paris, Maine West Paris is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Originally settled in 1771 for land that what was deemed "superior for pasturage, hay crops, and orchards", West Paris became a center of Finnish ( fi, suomalaiset, ) immigrant sett ...

, and is one of thirteen children in the Perham family. When Perham was eight, his family moved to a 200-acre farm overlooking West Paris. Perham attended

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...

Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...

majoring in English and education. After receiving his BA from Colby, he attained advanced degrees at the University of Maine at Orono. While at Colby, Perham was a member of the

Phi Beta Kappa Society The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ar ...

, and earned money by working in the

feldspar Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagioclase'' (sodium-calcium) feldsp ...

mines for three summers and running a

jackhammer A jackhammer (pneumatic drill or demolition hammer in British English) is a pneumatic or electro-mechanical tool that combines a hammer directly with a chisel. It was invented by William Mcreavy, who then sold the patent to Charles Brady Kin ...

the fourth summer for a construction firm, earning 68 cents an hour in the mine and $2.00 an hour running a pneumatic drill. Perham later became a high school English teacher and also taught speech and drama. At age 50, Perham retired from teaching to begin his career as a storyteller and humorist.

Career

Throughout his 25-year career, Perham performed throughout Maine, performing as various characters. His discography consists of over 15 releases. He has appeared in two films: as a mill inspector in ''

Graveyard Shift The shift plan, rota or roster (esp. British) is the central component of a shift schedule in shift work. The schedule includes considerations of shift overlap, shift change times and alignment with the clock, vacation, training, shift differenti ...

'' (1990), based on the novel by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

, and with his wife Margaret Perham (Grover), in ''

Bed & Breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

'' (1992), with

Roger Moore Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the third actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in seven feature films between 19 ...

and

Colleen Dewhurst Colleen Rose Dewhurst (3 June 1924 – 22 August 1991) was a Canadian-American actress mostly known for theatre roles. She was a renowned interpreter of the works of Eugene O'Neill on the stage, and her career also encompassed film, early drama ...

Personal life

Perham retired following his diagnosis with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

, and lived in

with his wife Margaret, who often appeared in his material, until his death in August 2013.

Filmography

*''

'' (1992) *''

'' (1990)

References

External links

Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perham, Joe 1932 births American male comedians American humorists Colby College alumni People from Lewiston, Maine People from West Paris, Maine University of Maine alumni 2013 deaths Writers from Maine