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The Quiddlers are a physical comedy group formed in Southeastern Michigan. They are known to audiences worldwide as "The International Ambassadors of Physical Comedy."


History

The Quiddlers began in the spring of 1986 as a group of five college students and friends in their early 20s under the name "The Marauding Miners." The group first appeared on a public access program called Waterford Tonight, on Comcast Cablevision Channel 45 in Waterford, Michigan. Later that spring, the Miners performed at Eastland Center (aka Eastland Mall) near Detroit for the production staff of the
syndicated Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...
game show " Puttin' on the Hits." After winning first place in the day's live competition, the group was invited to appear on the program from the
soundstages A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...
at Universal Studios in Universal City, near Los Angeles. The Marauding Miners won on ''Puttin' on the Hits'' and began to take calls from agents and managers from around the world. The following year, the group performed on the
Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon The ''MDA Labor Day Telethon'' was an annual telethon held on (starting the night before and throughout) Labor Day in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The Muscular Dystrophy Association was founded in ...
for
muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affe ...
, which was broadcast live from
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in Las Vegas. In 1986, two of the original members left the group to continue college and careers. The remaining trio, founder Paul Ebejer, Richard Altman, and Gary Lewis (no relation to
Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...
or his musician son Gary Lewis), decided to rename the group. "The Quiddlers" was chosen randomly by pointing at a word in a pedestal-mounted dictionary in the library of
Oakland University Oakland University is a public research university in Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson, it was initially known as Michigan State University-Oakland, operating under the Mi ...
, where all three attended. It is defined, essentially, as people who have no real job (in the traditional sense) or means of living. The three agreed that, since they were building a reputation as freelance performers in the New Vaudeville scene, the definition fit perfectly. From 1986 to 1993, the trio toured extensively and performed on television variety shows, at sporting events and corporate galas, and in live theater venues on five of the six inhabited continents. Notable television appearances included two consecutive shots on NTV's "World's Comical Performers" in Tokyo,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, and Random Acts of Variety on Ha!—Ha! would later merge with the Comedy Channel and become known as Comedy Central. The men also performed with the famous French comedian and musician Patrick Sébastien on his hit program "C'est Fou", and appeared in repeats of his "Best of C'est Fou" broadcasts. In the summer of 1991, The Quiddlers performed in Monaco's elite " Sporting Club" (run by the
Société des Bains de Mer Lactalis is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier SA. Lactalis is the largest dairy products group in the world, and is the sec ...
, or SBM) as one of three variety acts within a one-hour program of singing and dancing. The Quiddlers were booked for the entire season, along with rotating acts like extreme magician Rudy Coby from LA, seventh-generation circus acrobats, The Nicolodis from Paris, and visual comedian and Montréal native
Michel Lauzière Michel Lauzière (born 1954) is a Canadian comedian known for his bizarre visual standup acts. Lauziere began performing in 1975 in a duo called les foubrac. Since then Lauziere has performed his one-man show to an estimated 1 billion viewers on ...
. The next summer, they performed in
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, Germany's "Theatre Varieté" along with Kai Eickermann, an award-winning European breakdancer; Team Rosa, Swedish gymnasts; and the KGB Klowns, a pair of professional clowns from Ukraine who were trained under Soviet rule. In 1993, Altman and Lewis left the group to pursue other creative careers in writing and graphic design, respectively. Ebejer is still active in theater as a creator and performer of multiple Las Vegas shows. He continues to experiment with designs and themes, and as new roles are created, he calls on a number of talented people to fill them.


Currently

The latest incarnation of The Quiddlers, under Ebejer's creative direction, is performing in Las Vegas as part of a long-running cabaret show in a major casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The troupe also continues to travel the world featuring a stable of talented comic performers who carry on the original comedic tradition of The Marauding Miners.


Select appearances

This is a short list of appearances made by The Quiddlers (and Marauding Miners) between 1986 and 1993. It is by no means comprehensive.


Television

*Waterford Tonight , US , Public Access , 1986 *Puttin' On the Hits , US , Syndicated , 1986 *Jerry Lewis Telethon , US , Love Network , 1987 * Puttin' on the Hits , US , Syndicated , 1987 (Different Costumes) *Funny People , US , NBC , 1988 *Kelly & Co , US , ABC , 1988 *Patrick Sébastien's "C'est Fou" , France , France2 , 1989 * Al Del Arca , Italy , RAI , 1989 *World's Comical Performers , Japan , NTV , 1989 *Rafaella , Italy , RAI , 1990 *Tutti Frutti , Spain , Telecinco , 1990 *World's Comical Performers , Japan , NTV , 1990 * Montreal Comedy Festival (Juste Pour Rire) , Canada , CBC , 1990 *The Midnight Hour , US , CBS , 1990 * Chicago Auto Show , US , WGN , 1990 *Random Acts of Variety , US , Ha / Comedy Central , 1990 * America's Funniest People , US , ABC , 1991 *Howie (Howie Mandel) , US , CBS , 1992 *Silvester Gala , Germany , 1997 *A Royal Gala - 21 Years of The Prince's Trust , England , 1997 * I Can Do That , US , 2015 * Si può fare! , Italy , 2015 * Për një javë , Albania , 2015 *
America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...
, US , 2017


Sporting events

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
Halftimes *
Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
(Multiple Appearances) * Chicago Bulls *
Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
(Multiple Appearances) * Detroit Pistons (Multiple Appearances) *
Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...
*
Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
(Multiple Appearances) * Miami Heat *
Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...
(Multiple Appearances) * Seattle SuperSonics * Washington Bullets CBA Halftimes * Columbus Horizon (Multiple Appearances) * Fort Wayne Fury * Grand Rapids Hoops (Multiple Appearances) * Idaho Stampede * La Crosse Catbirds (Multiple Appearances) * Quad City Thunder (Multiple Appearances) * Rockford Lightning (Multiple Appearances) * Sioux Falls Skyforce * Wichita Falls Texans GBA Halftimes *1992 All-Star Game * Fayetteville Flyers * Louisville Shooters *Michigan Great Lakers Hockey Games * Grand Rapids Griffins


Live appearances

*
North American International Auto Show The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also known as the Detroit Auto Show as of 2022 and prior to NAIAS, is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., at Huntington Place. The show was held in January from 1989 to 2019. ...
(Detroit) , 1989 * Chicago Auto Show , 1989 * Cleveland International Auto Show , 1989 * New York Auto Show , 1989 * Baltimore Auto Show , 1990 * Dallas Auto Show , 1990 *Multiple Appearances at the Annual "Justé Pour Rire" Montreal Comedy Festival *Private Function Events for Corporate Groups like General Dynamics, ReMax and Allianze *Conventions and exhibitions


References


External links


The Quiddlers
– official site {{authority control American comedy troupes American male comedians American comedians