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
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, mus...
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. She has won m...
Mel Brooks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Melvin Brooks (né Kaminsky, born June 28, 1926) is an American filmmaker, com...
Jackie Mason
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jackie Mason (born June 9, 1936) is an American stand-up comedian. Descripti...
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart (born September 5, 1929), known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian...
Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, screenwriter, and au...
Shelley Berman
Shelley Berman (1925–2017) was an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, lecturer, and poet.
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor an...
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal (born March 14, 1948) is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film direct...
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, ...
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American former television talk show host, comedian, writer, and ...
Uli Latukefu
Talia'uli "Uli" Latukefu is an Australian actor and singer, best known for his role as Byamba in the American Netflix...
- Released on April 10, 2007