Laugh Legends: Ranking the Top 10 Stand-Up Comedians of the 1970s
Laugh Legends: Ranking the Top 10 Stand-Up Comedians of t...
By Jason Bolton August 25, 2024 22:29
The '70s brought a wave of legendary stand-up comics who redefined comedy for the ensuing decades. This gave birth to an era of trailblazers who would go on to redefine the art form, exploring new territory through innovative onstage performances revolving around upended societal structures. Their legacy can still be felt far into the future, as they would influence comedians for generations and considerably impact pop culture.
Several criteria were used when crafting this list of the ten best stand-up comedians of the decade. These factors include critical acclaim, impact on other comedians, whether or not they're ripping off their material, creativity and new ways to do comedy, popularity with audiences, and the number of tickets consistently sold. The comedians here are not only among the best of 1970s humor; they were also some of the most influential and talented comics ever to take up a mic, and their legacy still resonates in comedy today.
Top 10 Stand-Up Comedians of the 1970s
10. Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield's frazzled, rumpled, and eternally downtrodden appearance (Jacob Rodney Cohen) was his everyman persona. The signature theme of "I get no respect" was consistent with his comedy personality and struck a chord with those who identified with the underdog stand-up.
Dangerfield stood out by delivering his rapid-fire one-liners and channeling all of the morbidity brought on by insecurity that began to dominate stand-up during this time. Performing on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" solidified his place as a 1970s comedy legend.
9. Robert Klein
Robert Klein was an architect of that style, with his observational and autobiographical stand-up influencing countless comics who came after him. His 1973 album "Child of the '50s" was a game changer in storytelling combined with humor and insight into life during the Eisenhower era.
Klein's ability to seamlessly incorporate political commentary into his act drives Emanuel to recognize Klein as a form pioneer. His 1975 HBO special, the network's first stand-up concert broadcast, and his first on television displayed the linguistic legerdemain and conversational cadence that would go on to influence performers as diverse as Jerry Seinfeld.
8. Redd Foxx
The epitome of '70s party records, a raw, unfiltered version, was popular with Redd Foxx. It was his authoritative growl that helped him rise to fame, only enhanced by how natural and unexpressive he was about subjects we were conditioned not to discuss with such honesty.
Foxx's influence was hardly limited to style. He was a racial crusader who shattered barriers in black/white culture before knocking them down. He also produced a large supply of comedy albums, which helped advance the use of stand-up as an accessible medium.
7. Steve Martin
Performing in a "wild and crazy guy" persona, the arrow through the head prop exaggerated movements. He brought something novel into his act that made him nothing like anything before.
Martin was unique among his peers, mixing absurd physical comedy with smart wordplay and satire. That era cemented his status as a 1970s comedy superstar, helped no doubt by appearances on American late-night TV series like Saturday Night Live and platinum-selling comedy albums such as Let's Get Small and A Wild And Crazy Guy
6. Joan Rivers
One of the biggest female stand-up comics in the 1970s, Joan Rivers, made a huge dent for women. Her quick wit, wicked sense of self-deprecation, and no-holds-barred approach to tackling the unmentionables marked her as a trailblazer in what was then almost entirely a man's world.
His two dozen guest-host appearances on The Tonight Show, which starred Johnny Carson, demonstrated his ability to think on the fly and sprinkle humor with a hard edge.
5. Andy Kaufman
Andy Kaufman was one of those acts that completely passed over the categories. His brand of anti-humor and character performances was a stark departure from the norm, and his shows stretched the definition of the possibilities with regard to the art form.
From his Foreign Man character that turned into Latka Gravas on Taxi to Elvis Presley, Kaufman assumed a variety of personas in his act. This willingness to provoke and befuddle audiences helped make him a controversial figure during the 1970s, but it also made him one of that decade's most groundbreaking comedians.
4. George Carlin
By then, he looked more like one of his Hippy Dippy Weathermen. However, George Carlin had already become a counterculture hero, marking him as an emblematic example of comedy in transition during this tumultuous decade. His 1972 album Class Clown, which contained the much-banned piece "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television," taunted social conventions and free speech.
In addition to his stand-up, Carlin was beloved for his scathing social commentary and mastery of oral and otherwise language, ranking among the best comedians ever. His skill for cutting through bullshit to hit language, authority, and taboo subjects with intelligence, not to mention humor, informed a new wave in real politics and what became known as observational comedy.
3. Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin's combination of character-based comedy and incisive social commentary distinguished her from most stand-ups of the '70s. The memorable characters she created, like telephone operator Ernestine and Edith Ann, pointed out her skill as a performer and demonstrated the uncanny way Lily could observe human nature.
Tomlin performed the award-winning solo show "Appearing Nitely" in 1977, showcasing her talent for slipping between personae and offering trenchant commentary on contemporary life. She's one of the most significant stand-up performers in character-forward comedy. She is also a female comedian working at the top and often only near the left pinnacle rung of an industry long dominated by men.
2. Richard Pryor
In the 1970s, Richard Pryor changed stand-up comedy with his raw honesty and unflinching self-examination in ha-has. His openness about race, sex, and his struggles with addiction helped create a new form of realness in the art.
Pryor's early 70s albums, such as 'That Nigger's Crazy' (1974) and "Bicentennial Nigger" (1976), showed off his storytelling skills unlike anyone else, along with both records displaying a fearless POV discussing the racial climate.
1. Robin Williams
The man was an unparalleled comedic force whose frenetic energy turned his rapid-fire delivery into something purely unique. Williams emerged in the 1970s and quickly became one of the most inventive stand-up comedians.
Williams' unique gift for ricocheting between characters, voices, and subjects at warp speed represented a new hall-of-fame-level achievement in stand-up comedy. His performance on "The Tonight Show" and his 1978 HBO special Off the Wall very much demonstrated why Pryor was not only one of a kind but also en route to achieving legendary status.
If one needs an example of comedy's profound impact on culture, look no further than the stand-up comedians who paved new ground in their genre by dismantling conventions and redefining what a comedian could be. Between Richard Pryor's brutal honesty and Robin Williams' antics, these comics paved the way for stand-up comedy to experience its growing pains.
Revisiting this golden era of stand-up comedy, it is evident that these top 10 comedians' influence is far-reaching beyond just their time. The 1970s was a golden generation for stand-up comics, and some of the most important and memorable comedians were committed to taking the stage.
SHOP Mystery Signed Memorabilia
-
Mystery Signed Football 8x10 Photo
- Regular price
- $29.99
- Regular price
-
- Sale price
- $29.99
- Unit price
- per
-
Mystery Signed Baseball Jersey
- Regular price
- $69.99
- Regular price
-
- Sale price
- $69.99
- Unit price
- per
-
Mystery Signed Football Jersey
- Regular price
- $69.99
- Regular price
-
- Sale price
- $69.99
- Unit price
- per
-
Mystery Signed Baseball 8x10 Photo
- Regular price
- $29.99
- Regular price
-
- Sale price
- $29.99
- Unit price
- per
LATEST
- NEWS
- |
- ARTICLES
- |
- VIDEOS
FAN ARCH PODCAST NETWORK
