About Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s
- Released on April 10, 2007
In the late 1950s, a fresh, unconventional style of standup comedy emerged in sharp contrast to the standard "Take my wife, please" approach. It tackled such previously taboo subjects as sex, religion, drugs, and politics, and ushered in an avant-garde era of comedy that was decidedly more cerebral, satirical, and improvisational than before. Here are many of the maverick comedians who took those big risks years ago and paved the way for today’s current crop of outrageous, in-your-face comics. Many of these rare television performances have not been seen in 30 or 40 years. Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks (1966) Jackie Mason (1961) Bob Newhart (1966) Shelly Berman (1966) Bill Cosby (1965) Jonathan Winters (1961) Smothers Brothers (1974) Steve Martin (1977) Rowan & Martin (1964) Lily Tomlin (1975) George Carlin (1967 & 1975) Richard Pryor (1967 & 1974) Andy Kaufman (1977) Hendra & Ullett (1966) Billy Crystal (1976) Jay Leno (1978) David Letterman (1979)
Full Cast of Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s
Bill Cosby
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, mus...
See Steve Martin's other roles →Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. She has won m...
See Lily Tomlin's other roles →Mel Brooks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Melvin Brooks (né Kaminsky, born June 28, 1926) is an American filmmaker, com...
See Mel Brooks's other roles →Jackie Mason
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jackie Mason (born June 9, 1936) is an American stand-up comedian. Descripti...
See Jackie Mason's other roles →Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart (born September 5, 1929), known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian...
See Bob Newhart's other roles →Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, screenwriter, and au...
See Carl Reiner's other roles →Shelley Berman
Shelley Berman (1925–2017) was an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, lecturer, and poet.
See Shelley Berman's other roles →Jonathan Winters
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor an...
See George Carlin's other roles →Richard Pryor
Andy Kaufman
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal (born March 14, 1948) is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film direct...
See Billy Crystal's other roles →Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, ...
See Jay Leno's other roles →David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American former television talk show host, comedian, writer, and ...
See David Letterman's other roles →Uli Latukefu
Talia'uli "Uli" Latukefu is an Australian actor and singer, best known for his role as Byamba in the American Netflix...
See Uli Latukefu's other roles →