by J L Petriesan

Created on: April 18, 2008

So many good comedians out there, now and in the past. I cannot rank them, but the following are some of the best.

ROBIN WILLIAMS
He falls into the category of "if it wasn't for comedy, he would be in the nut house." When he got wound up, as he did very often on Carson, it was like he was channeling thirty or forty distinct individuals. Sometimes dumb and often thoughtful, and a few times had to watch because he got so manic. . .the one constant was he could always make you laugh.

BUDDY HACKETT
Oh boy, could this guy tell a story. You would laugh so hard, tears would form in your eyes. One night on Carson, he told a rambling 15 minute story which had everyone, including Johnny,in stitches and when the story got done, there was no point to it, but the trip was worth it.

JOHNNY CARSON
Speaking of Johnny, he was a genius. Sure, his monologues were a little (or a lot) hammy, but he could make you laugh with facial expressions and body language and, while not comedy per se, was a master at getting the most out of his guests.

RICHARD PRYOR
Vulgar and rude, but very very intelligent. I watched the movie "Stir Crazy" with my mother-in-law. Crude, crass and hilarious (Pryor and Wilder). My mother-in-law almost fell off the couch laughing and when the movie got done said "That would have been a funny movie if he hadn't used so many swear words." He took a simple story, "Brewster's Millions" and made it worth watching over and over. He gets under your skin and you laugh whether or not you want to.

ANDY KAUFMAN
Died too young. Most know him as Latka from the TV show "Taxi", but he was much more than this. He was always reaching, trying for something new and his primary audience was himself, but he was more than happy to take the rest of us along for the ride. His "Might Mouse" bit on SNL is so understated and adept it never loses its appeal.

ROSEANNE BARR
Yeah, she kind of blew it with the national anthem fiasco, but she was very very funny in her stand-up routines and especially on the show, where her real talent showed. I particularly liked the show because of her and the typical family setting, not rich or snobby, just real.

DANA CARVEY
Ok, this might be sacrilege, but perhaps the funniest person to ever fill a cast member slot on SNL. Whether it was the Church Lady, or George H W Bush, or Ross Perot, or, Johnny Carson, and especially, Garth, he was consistently funny.

RODNEY DANGERFIELD
I had the chance to see him live once and he was better there than on any tv special or movie,

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