On This Day In Comedy… In 1970 Comedian, Actor, Producer, And Filmmaker Doug E. Doug Was Born
On this day in comedy on January 7, 1970, Comedian, Actor, Producer, Filmmaker, Doug E. Doug (Douglas Bourne) was born in Brooklyn, New York
Doug got started in comedy at age 17 as a stand-up. His initial break came when he was spotted performing at the Apollo Theater by Russell Simmons. Next thing he knew Doug was writing and starring in The New Music Report, a Simmons production. The exposure led to a string of projects.
Doug did movies. His first line on film was in Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues. From there the laughs just kept coming: 1991 – Hangin’ With the Homeboys, Jungle Fever; 1992 – Class Act; 1995 – Operation Dumbo Drop; 1997 – That Darn Cat; 2002 – Eight Legged Freaks. The most prominent of these was his role as the happy-go-lucky bobsled racer, Sanka Coffie in 1993s Cool Runnings.
ABC aired Doug’s sitcom, Where I Live in 1993. It was loosely based on his life and he co-produced it, but unfortunately, it didn’t last long. Fortunately, it got the attention of Bill Cosby which got Doug a featured role on Cosby’s CBS sitcom, Cosby. That lasted for four seasons.
Doug played a number of cards from the deck of comedy. He did animation (the voice of Bernie the jellyfish in Shark Tale; Turbo the turtle on Rusty: A Dog’s Tale; Percy the pet store owner on Nickelodeon’s Little Bill). He co-wrote, produced, starred in and directed, Citizen James for Starz Encore/ BET Movies. He kicked off his YouTube comedy channel, The Doug Life Show in 2012.
Doug E. Doug received multiple acting nominations throughout his career. His work in Hangin’ with the Homeboys was recognized by the Independent Spirit Awards for Best Male Lead in 1992 as well as Supporting Actor for Cosby in 1998, ’99 and 2000 by the NAACP. In 1994 he got Best Youth Comedian from Young Artist Award for Where I Live.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1926 Comedian, Actor, Singer, And Producer, “Capulina” Was Born!
On this day in comedy on January 6, 1926, Comedian, Actor, Singer, Producer, Writer, “Capulina” (Gaspar Henaine Pérez) was born in Chignahuapan, Puebla.
Known affectionately by the nickname, “El Rey del Humorismo Blanco” (The King of White Humor), due to his clean, innocent style of comedy, Capulina got his start in show business when he was still innocent. He was 10 years old and had a small part in the 1936 Fernando de Fuentes film, Alla en el rancho grande. He won youth acting honors and by 1946 his musical studies began to pay off when Capulina toured Mexico and the USA as a vocalist with the trio Los Trincas.
Capulina’s catapult to fame came as a duo. He partnered with Marco Antonio Campos as the team of Viruta and Capulina. They made 26 films together starting in 1951. Initially, the pair were compared to American counterparts, Laurel and Hardy, but it wasn’t long before they carved out their own distinctive onscreen personas. Viruta, the thin one was smart. Capulina the fat one was the fool.
The duo gained fame throughout Latin America. They had their own TV show, Cómicos y canciones; a sketch comedy show that included as one of its writers, comedian Chespirito. However, as time moved on Viruta and Capulina made less films together and on their last six they were constantly feuding; feuding about not making enough films. The fighting stopped when Viruta died after his fourth heart attack.
Capulina mourned the untimely death of his partner but believed in the old adage that the show must go on. In his long career, Capulina made 84 moves; 58 of them as a solo act. His formula was simple – his dimwitted character would get into a pickle trying to carrying out an easy task and be aided by a celebrity (like a pro wrestler’s El Santo or Tinieblas, an adventurer or he’d gain some special power). In any case, the results were often hilarious.
Capulina was a national treasure. He released 12 albums, had another television series in 1989 and a telenovela in 1996. As a comedian, he toured until 1997 when he claimed he was too old to keep doing it. That premature prediction became a reality on September 30, 2011 when Capulina died from complications of pneumonia and a gastric ulcer.
His voiceover role in the 2015 film, Seleccion Canina was released 4 years after his death.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1906 Comedian And Actor Fred “Snowflake” Toones Was Born
On this day in comedy on January 5, 1906, Comedian, Actor, Fred “Snowflake” Toones was born
Toones was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history of any race. He appeared in over 200 motion pictures in a career that spanned from 1928-1951. His specialty was westerns and he worked for acclaimed directors such as Preston Sturges and with noted cinema stars like John Wayne, Bruce Bennett, Laurel and Hardy and the Three Stooges, just to name a few. In most of his appearances his characters often went by Toones’ stage name of “Snowflake”, but many times he went uncredited.
Fred Toones was part of the old studio system which meant Fred Toones was a victim of old Hollywood stereotyping. Toones stereotype was that of the domestic. He played a porter over 50 times. He also played janitors, elevator operators, doormen, bellhops, stable grooms, valets, butlers, cooks, and bartenders. In six of his films Toones portrayed a shoeshine man. The irony of this was the fact that not only did Fred Toones play shoe shiners in the movies, he actually ran a shoeshine stand at Republic Studios.
Some would consider Toones a poor man’s Stepin Fetchit, but that characterization would be inaccurate. In the over 200 films Toones made he was only credited in 73 of them. As an uncredited actor, those roles were considered bit player work and he was paid as such. Whereas Stepin Fetchit made only 53 films, but he was paid for all of them. So even though they played the exact same roles, Stepin Fetchit became the first Black millionaire movie star and Fred Toones shined shoes on a studio lot.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1974 Comedian And Impressionist, Pablo Francisco Was Born
On this day in comedy on January 5, 1974, Comedian, Impressionist, Pablo Ridson Francisco was born
Beginning his comedy career in Tempe, Arizona, Francisco built his reputation on his frenetic, hyper brand of stand-up. Using a barrage of non-sequiturs and a cornucopia of callbacks and sound effects, he became an audience favorite. His forte was impressions and Francisco counted Keanu Reeves, Ozzy Osbourne, Jackie Chan, Christopher Walken, Danny Glover, Dennis Haysbert, William Shatner, Aaron Neville, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jerry Springer, “Tony Montana”, Ricky Martin, Chris Rock, Kermit the Frog, Mr. Magoo, Celine Dion and George Clooney as part of his crowd-pleasing expansive repertoire. However, his most famous was of Don LaFontaine aka “The Movie Voiceover Guy”. That characterization put Francisco on the industry radar.
Francisco got recognized and got the work. He was a featured player on MADtv in the 1990s. From there the Chilean-American humorist got his own half-hour comedy special on Comedy Central Presents in 2000. He toured with Freddy Soto and Carlos Mencia, calling themselves “The Three Amigos”. Francisco also appeared on The Mind of Mencia as Voiceover Man. He was a perennial on the comedy show circuit on shows like Make Me Laugh, Last Comic Standing, Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution and Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen. He did The Tonight Show when Jay Leno had it and Frank TV when Frank had it.
Pablo Francisco released his comedy album, Knee To The Groin in 1998, Sausage in 2000, his DVD Bits and Pieces in 2004, Ouch in 2006 and They Put it Out There in 2011.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1969 Comedian And Actor Guy Torry Was Born!
On this day in comedy on January 5, 1969, Comedian, Actor, Robert “Guy” Torry was born in St. Louis, MO
Torry got his start in comedy in college then once out he went to Hollywood. His brother, Joe Torry had already made the journey and was a successful host of The Comedy Act Theater when Guy arrived. Going by the stage name of Guy T, the younger Torry dug right in and honed his skills as a regular at the popular club. He took his talents and knowledge to The World-Famous Comedy Store and created the institution known as Phat Tuesday in 1995. This was the night black Hollywood was celebrated; on stage in the way of comedians and out in the audience in the way of crowd. Celebrities of the moment came to see the celebrities of the future and Torry was the ringmaster. This phenomenal night lasted for a decade, but during that time Torry stayed busy.
Guy Torry showed up a lot on the small and big screen. He first appeared in Family Matters, then Martin (he also wrote for the show as well as for Moesha). Then he got a role in the UPN sitcom, Good News. That didn’t last long, but so what? He made movies; Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, Life, Trippin, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Harbor and his stand out role as a convict who converts the racist protagonist in American History X.
As a stand-up Torry found success on the road. He toured the civilized world and returned to do Def Comedy Jam (his brother was the host of that too) and killed it. He was seen on Comedy Central and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Then Guy Torry became the host of the first outing of the Original Kings of Comedy in 1998. The other comedians were Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac. Torry left after that first run to star in the UPN action series, The Strip. He played a detective. That show also didn’t last long either. Oh well, he could always do radio, charities, tours, celebrity roasts, film documentaries, guest star on sitcoms, etc., etc., etc.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1975 Comedic Actress Jill Marie Jones Was Born
On this day in comedy on January 4, 1975, comedic actress, Jill Marie Jones was born in Dallas, Texas
Prior to becoming an actress, Jones was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, a Dallas Mavericks dancer, a performer for the USO and the United States Department of Defense. She toured Asia and the Middle East, became a model and then moved to Hollywood to become an actress.
Jones wasted no time in obtaining her goals. She made her small screen mark in the Saturday morning series, City Guys. The year was 2000. That was also the year she won her establishing role as Toni Childs on the Kelsey Grammer produced sitcom for UPN, Girlfriends. The show became an instant hit and put Jones in the conversation. As envisioned by the show’s creator, Mara Brock Akil, the character of Toni was the epitome of the self-absorbed woman of her era. Jones embodied and relished that role for six seasons. Once her contract expired in 2006, she left fellow cast members, Tracee Ellis-Ross, Golden Brooks and Persia White to pursue a film career.
Jones stayed in front of the camera. In 2007 she appeared in The Perfect Holiday with Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut and Gabrielle Union. That same year Jones starred in Universal Remote and Redrum. She did Major Movie Star with Jessica Simpson and Drool with Laura Harring. Jones also appeared in music videos including Ne-Yo’s She Got her Own.
Television was never far away. Jones had a recurring part on the Fox series, Sleepy Hollow. She played Cynthia Irving. She had the leading role in the TBS series, Gillian in Georgia. In 2015 she began work as Michigan State Trooper, Amanda Fisher, a central character in the Starz horror-comedy, Ash vs Evil Dead.
Jill Marie-Jones was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in Comedy Series by BET in 2000 for City Guys and the NAACP for her role on Girlfriends.
Dave Chappelle Calls Louis C.K. Accusers ‘Weak’ And ‘Brittle’ In New Special
CREDIT: MATHIEU BITTON/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
In his latest Netflix comedy special, Dave Chappelle addressed the recent sexual harassment allegations against fellow comedian Louis C.K., while also criticizing C.K.’s accusers.
“One lady said, ‘Louis C.K. masturbated in front of me, ruined my comedy dreams,’” Chappelle said. “Word? Well, then I dare say, madam, you may have never had a dream. Come on man, that’s a brittle spirit.”
In the second part of the comedian’s duo Netflix special “Dave Chappelle: Equanimity & The Bird Revelation,”Chappelle called the five women who accused C.K. of harassment “weak,” singling out one accuser’s story who alleged that the comic masturbated while on the phone with her.
“Bitch, you don’t know how to hang up the phone? How the hell are you going to survive in show business if this is an actual obstacle to your dreams? I know Louis is wrong, I’m just saying, I’m held to a higher standard of accountability than these women are,” Chappelle said.
Chappelle then pondered what would have happened if C.K. masturbated in front of civil rights legend Dr. Martin Luther King, doubtful that such an act would detour the leader from his “dream.” “Show business is just harder than that,” he added.
Throughout his almost 10-minute set on C.K., Chappelle said that “Louis was like a turning point” because the allegations against him, among the wave of Hollywood harassment allegations, were the only ones that made him laugh.
“When you think about it, he’s jerking off — he’s surprising people. … I picture all the comics in comedy reading it like, ‘Word!’ It’s terrible, I’m sorry ladies, you’re right,” he said in the special, which was recorded in late November. “At the same time, Jesus Christ, they took everything from Louis. It might be disproportionate, I can’t tell. This is where it’s hard to be [a] man.”
Since the allegations, which C.K. both acknowledged and apologized for, C.K. has been dropped from his deals with FX, HBO and Netflix, and his film “I Love You, Daddy” was canned right before it was set to be released.
Chappelle took on additional Hollywood men accused of harassment during the special, including Harvey Weinstein, who he said was “probably the first person that I’ve ever looked at a photograph of and said, ‘Yeah, he rapes.’”
“Dave Chappelle: Equanimity & The Bird Revelation” is now streaming on Netflix.
Source: Variety
On This Day In Comedy… In 1968 Comedian, Actor, Writer, And Producer Chris Spencer Was Born!
On this day in comedy on January 2, 1968, Comedian, Actor, Writer, Producer, Chris Spencer was born in Los Angeles, California.
Spencer got his start in comedy during the Black Comedy Boom of the early 1990s and developed his act at the Comedy Act Theater and other L. A. and Hollywood clubs. It was his omnipresence on stages which led to his initial film credits. He was prominently featured in Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in The Hood from the Wayans clan. Spencer played a militant with an insatiable love for white women. His other movie appearances include All About You, The Sixth Man, Two Can Play That Game and Postal.
Chris Spencer got his public notoriety from his stint as the host of Quincy Jones’ late night talk show, Vibe. The program was a spin-off from the successful magazine. The show, unfortunately, did not follow suit. Vibe was launched after Arsenio Hall had broken down the barrier for a black talk show host and he was now off the air. The landscape was ripe for a successor and several personalities threw their reputations as well as their hats in the ring: Magic Johnson, Keenen Ivory Wayans and Jones with Vibe. None of those other program hosts lasted long, but Vibe was interesting because Spencer never wanted to do it and when he did the producers never fully had confidence in their handpicked star. Like the time Bill Clinton did a segment on Vibe, it was producer, Quincy Jones who interviewed Slick Willy not host, Chris Spencer. It wasn’t long before Spencer was replaced by Sinbad and an even shorter time span for Vibe wascanceled.
The multi-talented Spencer moved on to other projects. He was instrumental in the creation of Nick Cannon’s Wild ‘N Out (where he was also a writer). He co-created Real Husbands of Hollywood with Kevin Hart. His televised credits in front of the camera include Being Mary Jane, The Jamie Foxx Show, Half & Half, Soul Food and Cuts. Chris Spencer produced Get Up Stand Up Comedy in 2001 and Baggin’ in 2005. He has had podcasts (Minivan Men with Al Madrigal and Maz Jobrani), garnered award wins and traveled the world doing stand-up as well as on television (Def Comedy Jam, The Chris Rock Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!). On October 15, 2017 his co-creation with Buddy Lewis and Tom Kapinos, White Famous starring Jay Pharoah premiered on Showtime.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1992 ‘Russell Simmon’s Def Comedy Jam’ Premiered On HBO
On this day in comedy on January 1, 1992, “Def Comedy Jam” premiered on HBO
Produced by rap mogul, Russell Simmons, the series had its original run from July 1, 1992 until January 1, 1997. Based on the formula established at the Comedy Act Theater in Los Angeles, California, the show was originally set to have that club’s MC, Robin Harris as host, but after his untimely death Martin Lawrence was tapped for that role. The show went on to defy all odds. Despite its raw, in-your-face barrage of 3 black comedians, it not only became must see TV every Friday night; it also changed the comedy landscape in film and television for years. Relative unknowns before their “Def Comedy Jam” exposure, comedians such as Steve Harvey, Jamie Foxx, Bernie Mac, Chris Tucker, Dave Chappelle, Jamie Foxx, Sommore, Adele Givens, and others dominated the mediums.
The show was criticized for excessive foul language and negative representations of African Americans by letter writers and celebrities like Bill Cosby; at the time known as “America’s Dad”. However, the public embraced it and it returned on HBO’s fall lineup in 2006. It produced a spinoff called Loco Slam and has been spoofed on In Living Color, Robert Townsend’s Townsend Television and Saturday Night Live.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1962 Comedian Henry Cho Was Born!
On this day in comedy on December 30, 1962, Comedian, Henry Cho was born in Knoxville, Tennessee
Cho is the ultimate comedy oxymoron. He’s a Korean raised in the South with a Southern accent to prove it. He’s an Asian who claims to be a Christian. He found success in L.A., but was always determined to return to Tennessee (that show biz mecca). Dubbed “Mr. Clean” for his squeaking, sanitized comedy style, Cho found a world willing to let him pour out his unique life experiences as long as he kept it respectable. He did and the work came flooding in.
Henry Cho’s maiden voyage in stand-up comedy took place in 1986. By 1989 he’d moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue his dreams. It didn’t take long for fantasy to become reality. It seems his timing was impeccable for his type of comedian. Cho hit the scene just as the Urban Comedy Boom commenced. So during the late 80s and early 90s he took advantage of the avalanche of work opportunities all young comics were availed. Cho touched every medium he could.
Henry Cho appeared on the standard issue stand-up shows of the era. He was seen on The Arsenio Hall Show, Bob Hope’s Young Comedians Special, MTV’s 11/2 Hour Comedy Hour as well as VH-1’s Stand-Up Spotlight just to name a few. He guest starred on sitcoms such as WKRP in Cincinnati, Lenny and Designing Women. He’d even ventured into film with his starring role in Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation when Cho up and moved back to Tennessee.
His relocation back to the South was short-lived. He got a call from NBC requesting he host a new version of Friday Night Videos. Under Cho it was called Friday Night. So for two years he commuted. Since that 1994 decision to be bi-regional, Cho has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay leno, The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, was the keynote speaker for the Radio and Television Correspondent’s Dinner; did the feature films, McHale’s Navy (with David Alan Grier and Tom Arnold), Say It Isn’t So (with Heather Graham) and Material Girls (with the Duff sisters, Hilary and Haylie).
Cho’s also a country favorite. He’s toured with country music royalty warblers Amy Grant and Vince Gill. His Comedy Central Special, Henry Cho: What’s That Clickin’ Noise? has an opening scene featuring country comedy superstars, Larry the Cable Guy, Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall. Cho can also be heard on Sirius XM Radio’s Laugh USA as well as PG Comedy Radio and Blue Collar Radio.
