Domain Registration

The sad clown: Myth or reality, the emotional reality of stand-up comedy

  • March 01, 2017
  • Hollywood

(CNN)Comedians used to tell a joke that goes like this:

    ‘);$vidEndSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–active’);}};CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;var configObj = {thumb: ‘none’,video: ‘entertainment/2017/02/27/history-of-comedy-spark-of-madness-ron-2.cnn’,width: ‘100%’,height: ‘100%’,section: ‘international’,profile: ‘expansion’,network: ‘cnn’,markupId: ‘body-text_7’,adsection: ‘const-article-inpage’,frameWidth: ‘100%’,frameHeight: ‘100%’,posterImageOverride: {“mini”:{“height”:124,”width”:220,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170227211628-history-of-comedy-spark-of-madness-ron-2-00012003-small-169.jpg”},”xsmall”:{“height”:173,”width”:307,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170227211628-history-of-comedy-spark-of-madness-ron-2-00012003-medium-plus-169.jpg”},”small”:{“height”:259,”width”:460,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”http://usa.timesofnews.com/wp-content/plugins/RSSPoster_PRO/cache/3df89_170227211628-history-of-comedy-spark-of-madness-ron-2-00012003-large-169.jpg”},”medium”:{“height”:438,”width”:780,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170227211628-history-of-comedy-spark-of-madness-ron-2-00012003-exlarge-169.jpg”},”large”:{“height”:619,”width”:1100,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170227211628-history-of-comedy-spark-of-madness-ron-2-00012003-super-169.jpg”},”full16x9″:{“height”:900,”width”:1600,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170227211628-history-of-comedy-spark-of-madness-ron-2-00012003-full-169.jpg”},”mini1x1″:{“height”:120,”width”:120,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170227211628-history-of-comedy-spark-of-madness-ron-2-00012003-small-11.jpg”}}},autoStartVideo = false,callbackObj,containerEl,currentVideoCollection = [],currentVideoCollectionId = ”,isLivePlayer = false,moveToNextTimeout,mutePlayerEnabled = false,nextVideoId = ”,nextVideoUrl = ”,turnOnFlashMessaging = false,videoPinner,videoEndSlateImpl;if (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === false) {autoStartVideo = false;if (autoStartVideo === true) {if (turnOnFlashMessaging === true) {autoStartVideo = false;containerEl = jQuery(document.getElementById(configObj.markupId));CNN.VideoPlayer.showFlashSlate(containerEl);} else {CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = true;}}}configObj.autostart = autoStartVideo;CNN.VideoPlayer.setPlayerProperties(configObj.markupId, autoStartVideo, isLivePlayer, mutePlayerEnabled);CNN.VideoPlayer.setFirstVideoInCollection(currentVideoCollection, configObj.markupId);videoEndSlateImpl = new CNN.VideoEndSlate(‘body-text_7’);/*** Finds the next video ID and URL in the current collection, if available.* @param currentVideoId The video that is currently playing* @param containerId The parent container Id of the video element*/function findNextVideo(currentVideoId) {var i,vidObj;if (currentVideoId jQuery.isArray(currentVideoCollection) currentVideoCollection.length 0) {for (i = 0; i 0) {videoEndSlateImpl.showEndSlateForContainer();}}}callbackObj = {onPlayerReady: function (containerId) {CNN.VideoPlayer.reportLoadTime(containerId);CNN.VideoPlayer.handleInitialExpandableVideoState(containerId);CNN.VideoPlayer.handleAdOnCVPVisibilityChange(containerId, CNN.pageVis.isDocumentVisible());if (Modernizr !Modernizr.phone !Modernizr.mobile !Modernizr.tablet) {var containerClassId = ‘#’ + containerId;if (jQuery(containerClassId).parents(‘.js-pg-rail-tall__head’).length) {videoPinner = new CNN.VideoPinner(containerClassId);videoPinner.init();} else {CNN.VideoPlayer.hideThumbnail(containerId);}}},/** Listen to the metadata event which fires right after the ad ends and the actual video playback begins*/onContentEntryLoad: function(containerId, playerId, contentid, isQueue) {CNN.VideoPlayer.showSpinner(containerId);},onContentMetadata: function (containerId, playerId, metadata, contentId, duration, width, height) {var endSlateLen = jQuery(document.getElementById(containerId)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0).length;CNN.VideoSourceUtils.updateSource(containerId, metadata);if (endSlateLen 0) {videoEndSlateImpl.fetchAndShowRecommendedVideos(metadata);}},onAdPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, token, mode, id, duration, blockId, adType) {clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);if (blockId === 0) {(new Image()).src = “http://traffic.outbrain.com/network/trackpxl?advid=814action=view”;}CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);if (Modernizr !Modernizr.phone !Modernizr.mobile !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);videoPinner.animateDown();}}},onContentPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, event) {var playerInstance,prevVideoId;/** When the video content starts playing, inject analytics data* for Aspen (if enabled) and the companion ad layout* (if it was set when the ad played) should switch back to* epic ad layout. onContentPlay calls updateCompanionLayout* with the ‘restoreEpicAds’ layout to make this switch*/if (CNN.companion typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘restoreEpicAds’);}clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);if (CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibraryName(containerId) === ‘fave’) {playerInstance = FAVE.player.getInstance(containerId) || null;} else {playerInstance = containerId window.cnnVideoManager.getPlayerByContainer(containerId).videoInstance.cvp || null;}prevVideoId = (window.jsmd window.jsmd.v (window.jsmd.v.eVar18 || window.jsmd.v.eVar4)) || ”;if (playerInstance typeof playerInstance.reportAnalytics === ‘function’) {if (prevVideoId.length === 0 document.referrer document.referrer.search(//videos//) = 0) {prevVideoId = document.referrer.replace(/^(?:http|https)://[^/]/videos/(.+.w+)(?:/video/playlists/.*)?$/, ‘/video/$1’);if (prevVideoId === document.referrer) {prevVideoId = ”;}}playerInstance.reportAnalytics(‘videoPageData’, {videoCollection: currentVideoCollectionId,videoBranding: CNN.omniture.branding_content_page,templateType: CNN.omniture.template_type,nextVideo: nextVideoId,previousVideo: prevVideoId,referrerType: ”,referrerUrl: document.referrer});}if (Modernizr !Modernizr.phone !Modernizr.mobile !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);videoPinner.animateDown();}}},onContentReplayRequest: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (Modernizr !Modernizr.phone !Modernizr.mobile !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);var $endSlate = jQuery(document.getElementById(containerId)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0);if ($endSlate.length 0) {$endSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–active’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’);}}}},onContentBegin: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {CNN.VideoPlayer.mutePlayer(containerId);if (CNN.companion typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘removeEpicAds’);}CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoSourceUtils.clearSource(containerId);jQuery(document).triggerVideoContentStarted();},onContentComplete: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (CNN.companion typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘restoreFreewheel’);}navigateToNextVideo(contentId, containerId);},onContentEnd: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (Modernizr !Modernizr.phone !Modernizr.mobile !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(false);}}},onCVPVisibilityChange: function (containerId, cvpId, visible) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleAdOnCVPVisibilityChange(containerId, visible);}};if (typeof configObj.context !== ‘string’ || configObj.context.length 0) {configObj.adsection = window.ssid;}CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibrary(configObj, callbackObj, isLivePlayer);});/* videodemanddust is a default feature of the injector */CNN.INJECTOR.scriptComplete(‘videodemanddust’);How personal turmoil shaped comedys greatshistory of comedy spark of madness RON 2_00012003MUST WATCH

    Jordan Peeles Get Out infuses horror with biting social satireSitcoms that influenced us and our parenting Make everybody laugh: How 6 famous funny women got their startComedic geniuses who left us too soonRobin Williams was, without a doubt, an entertainment marvel. From television to film, and from comedy to drama, Williams set a standard that only he could reach. Versatile, boisterous and surprising, his comedic style cracked up and comforted generations. lt;a href=quot;http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/11/showbiz/robin-williams-dead/index.htmlquot; target=quot;_blankquot;gt;In August 2014, those generations mournedlt;/agt; the loss of a comedic genius who changed the way we interpret, think about and enjoy comedy, much like these talents that follow: We didnt have John Belushi for long, but when we did? It was epic. One of the first quot;Saturday Night Livequot; stars, Belushi gave us a master class in televised sketch work, rolling out impersonations of everyone from Truman Capote to Elizabeth Taylor. And when Belushi transitioned to the big screen with 1978s quot;Animal House,quot; his role as the filthy frat boy Blutarsky became a cinema classic. It looked to his amazed fans that Belushi was just getting started, but in his private life the actor was also struggling with substance abuse. In March 1982, he overdosed at the age of 33. The world still hasnt come to terms with the loss of Andy Kaufman. Given that Kaufman was a sublime comedian and consummate prankster, there are those who still cling to the hope that the actor/performance artist faked his own death. But as far as we know, comedy lost a great in May 1984, when a 35-year-old Kaufman died of a rare form of cancer. Rather than stew on the quot;what ifs,quot; well instead say to Kaufman, quot;tank you veddy much.quot;The world still hasnt come to terms with the loss of Andy Kaufman. Given that Kaufman was a sublime comedian and consummate prankster, there are those who still cling to the hope that the actor/performance artist faked his own death. But as far as we know, comedy lost a great in May 1984, when a 35-year-old Kaufman died of a rare form of cancer. Rather than stew on the quot;what ifs,quot; well instead say to Kaufman, quot;tank you veddy much.quot;Good luck finding a comedian today who doesnt count Richard Pryor as an influence. Unflinchingly honest and as foul-mouthed as he was funny, Pryors uncanny observations and impeccable delivery turned the Illinois native, who had a notoriously tough childhood, into a legend. He took his talent from the comedy stage to the screen and back again during his career, and still performed even after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986. Pryor died in December 2005, but his influence as a singularly gifted, uproarious storyteller lives on. Knowing that wed never get to see Chris Farleys infectious smile again was very tough to swallow upon his death in 1997. It felt like wed just gotten to know the uncontainable comedian, who got his start on quot;Saturday Night Livequot; in 1990. Farleys career hurtled to the top of the comedy food chain, as he became an integral part of quot;SNLsquot; cast and starred in movies of his own. Yet in his personal life, Farley was struggling with alcohol and substance abuse. The actor, seen here with filmmakers Tyron Montgomery (left) and Thomas Stellmach (right) at the 69th Academy Awards in March 1997, died that December from an overdose. He was 33.It takes a special kind of creative to dream up the zany world of Pee-wee Herman, as comedic actor/writer Phil Hartman (right) did with Paul Reubens in the 80s. Hartman served as Captain Carl before his memorable work on quot;Saturday Night Live.quot; From there, he built a career that included work on standouts like quot;The Simpsonsquot; and quot;NewsRadio.quot; But tragedy in 1998 brought Hartmans career to an abrupt end; the actor, seen here co-starring with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1996 movie quot;Jingle All The Way,quot; was shot to death by his wife, Brynn Hartman, who killed herself hours later.The death of John Candy was like the death of childhood for many of his fans, who grew up watching him in classic comedies like 1987s quot;Planes, Trains and Automobiles.quot; Candys rsum reads like a list of pop cultures favorite films: quot;Blues Brothers,quot; quot;Stripes,quot; quot;National Lampoons Vacation,quot; quot;Splash,quot; quot;Spaceballsquot; and quot;Home Alone,quot; all made between 1980 and 1990, not to mention his ensemble work on the Emmy-winning TV series, quot;SCTV,quot; or his starring role in 1993s quot;Cool Runnings.quot; His comedy was gentler and more accessible than some of his raunchier brethren, but it was just as enthralling. A prolific actor, Candy, who struggled with his weight throughout his career, was at work on 1994s quot;Wagons Eastquot; when he died in his sleep on the set. He was 43.The death of John Candy was like the death of childhood for many of his fans, who grew up watching him in classic comedies like 1987’s “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” Candy’s résumé reads like a list of pop culture’s favorite films: “Blues Brothers,” “Stripes,” “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “Splash,” “Spaceballs” and “Home Alone,” all made between 1980 and 1990, not to mention his ensemble work on the Emmy-winning TV series, “SCTV,” or his starring role in 1993’s “Cool Runnings.” His comedy was gentler and more accessible than some of his raunchier brethren, but it was just as enthralling. A prolific actor, Candy, who struggled with his weight throughout his career, was at work on 1994’s “Wagons East” when he died in his sleep on the set. He was 43.Bill Hicks was never afraid to deliver a controversial message -- his gift was that he could make you belly laugh while doing so. Hicks time in the spotlight was brief, but he honed his craft since he was a kid, and grew to be known in the 80s as a dark comedy giant and social critic, with frequent appearances on David Lettermans late-night programs. But before Hicks could gain his footing with an even broader audience, he died of cancer in 1994. He was 32.It didnt matter if Mitch Hedberg was talking about koala bears or candy bars; when he stepped to the stage, he had your attention. The comedian once dubbed quot;the next Seinfeldquot; had reached cult status in the late 90s and was approaching mainstream popularity when he died suddenly in March 2005 of a drug overdose at age 37.Patrice ONeal is another stand-up comedian whose staunch frankness is missed to this day. At turns brilliant and gleefully brash, ONeal was a comics comic -- the kind of sharp storyteller who could enrapture even those who did stand-up for a living. His views and comedy were controversial, to be certain, but they were also a welcome challenge. ONeal, seen here in September 2011, died from complications of a stroke that November at age 41.By the time quot;The Bernie Mac Showquot; made its way to Fox in 2001, the comedys tart-tongued star had been making audiences laugh for close to a decade, stretching all the way back to HBOs quot;Def Comedy Jam.quot; But that sitcom gave Bernie Mac an even bigger platform for his distinctive delivery, snowballing an already successful career into stardom territory with movies like the quot;Oceans Elevenquot; franchise, quot;Guess Whoquot; and quot;Transformers.quot; Macs seemingly unstoppable rise was cut short in 2008 when the comedian died of complications from pneumonia at the age of 50.Another original quot;Saturday Night Livequot; cast member, Gilda Radner, gave us the gift of characters like Roseanne Roseannadanna and her unforgettable spin on Barbara Walters, Baba Wawa. For anyone who thought comedy was a boys game, Radner was there to prove them wrong, hanging in league with co-stars like John Belushi. Radner was poised to shine on film, with movies like 1982s quot;Hanky Panky,quot; but she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1986, and passed away three years later at the age of 42.Its only right that John Ritter lt;a href=quot;http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/09/16/amy.yasbeck/index.html?iref=allsearchquot;gt;signed his autographslt;/agt; quot;with love and laughter,quot; as thats what he brought to audiences during his decades-long career. With the start of quot;Threes Companyquot; in 1977, Ritter became the roommate everyone wished they had as the secretly hetero Jack Tripper. He starred in movies and did voice work, but it seemed to be the sitcom Ritter loved most. At the time of his shocking death in 2003, Ritter was starring on ABCs quot;8 Simple Rules.quot; His passing, caused by an aortic dissection, felt like a sucker punch for all of us hoping to see his charming smile for years to come. Madeline Kahn has been called quot;lt;a href=quot;http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/04/arts/madeline-kahn-comedian-of-film-fame-dies-at-57.htmlquot; target=quot;_blankquot;gt;a kind of toy person: diminutive, delightful, sexy, impish, cute and capable of squirting vinegar in your eye.lt;/agt; Or, according to Mel Brooks, quot;one of the most talented people that ever lived.quot; And he would know, as he directed Kahn in four classic films: quot;Blazing Saddlesquot; (pictured here with Harvey Korman), quot;Young Frankenstein,quot; quot;High Anxietyquot; and quot;History of the World Part 1.quot; Whether her quirky comedy was featured on Broadway, film or TV, Kahn shone bright.lt;a href=quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8d8y4BLWtIquot; target=quot;_blankquot;gt; Like, flames.lt;/agt; Her light dimmed too soon when she died of ovarian cancer at 57.Madeline Kahn has been called “a kind of toy person: diminutive, delightful, sexy, impish, cute and capable of squirting vinegar in your eye.” Or, according to Mel Brooks, “one of the most talented people that ever lived.” And he would know, as he directed Kahn in four classic films: “Blazing Saddles” (pictured here with Harvey Korman), “Young Frankenstein,” “High Anxiety” and “History of the World Part 1.” Whether her quirky comedy was featured on Broadway, film or TV, Kahn shone bright. Like, flames. Her light dimmed too soon when she died of ovarian cancer at 57.Counterculture comedian, social satirist and expletive enthusiast, Lenny Bruce (seen here circa 1965), knew how to talk dirty and influence people. He kept his audience in rapt attention while speaking frankly -- often in a stream of consciousness -- about taboo subjects such as religion, politics and sex. But not everyone was amused. Bruce was arrested several times for obscenity in his act, ultimately leading to a conviction at trial following a 1964 charge. The good news is he was granted a full pardon. The bad news is that it came in 2003, 37 years after Bruce died of a drug overdose in his Hollywood house at the age of 40.Greg Giraldo was such a talented insult comic, he could eviscerate you on stage or at a roast, and you would probably ask for more so you could revel in his acerbic wit. But in an all-too-familiar story, Giraldo -- a recovering alcoholic -- died of an accidental prescription pill overdose at 44. Fellow comics paid tribute to Giraldo in sincere tweets of mourning (Sarah Silverman and Patton Oswalt) to the appropriately tasteless. At a roast for Jim Florentine shortly after Giraldos death, roastmaster Rich Vos said, quot;I wasnt the first choice to host. Greg Giraldo was asked, but he said lt;a href=quot;http://www.laughspin.com/2010/11/03/comedian-friends-joke-about-greg-giraldos-death-at-roast/quot; target=quot;_blankquot;gt;hed rather be dead than host thislt;/agt;.quot; Giraldo is survived by three sons.A rare glimpse of the comic out of his trademark duster and beret, shrieking Sam Kinison attends the Emmy Awards in 1991, a year before his untimely death at 38 from a head-on collision. Kinison -- who admitted to struggling with drugs, alcohol and his weight --  rose to mainstream fame in Rodney Dangerfields quot;Back to Schoolquot; and appearances on quot;Late Night with David Lettermanquot; and quot;SNL.quot; He also had his own HBO special, 1987s quot;Breaking the Rules.quot;If you tuned into quot;The Tonight Showquot; between 1988 and 2007, you have likely laughed at Richard Jenis stand-up. Before his death, he clocked the most appearances on the late-night institution, both in the Johnny Carson and Jay Leno years. Sadly, those accolades could not prevent the dark turn of events that led to Jenis death from an apparent self-inflicted shotgun wound. He was 49.Freddie Prinze was a comic extraordinaire, titular star of quot;Chico and the Manquot; (with Jack Albertson, left) and father of quot;Shes All Thatquot; heartthrob Freddie Prinze, Jr. Reportedly depressed over the breakup of his marriage and addicted to Quaaludes, Prinze shot himself in the head in 1977. He was just 22 years old. Originally, Prinzes death was ruled a suicide, but was later designated an accident in a civil case.Robin Williams 05 comedic loss RESTRICTED andy kaufman03 comedic loss 04 comedic loss 07 comedic loss 08 comedic loss 11 comedic loss 09 comedic loss 06 comedic loss 10 comedic loss 12 comedic loss RESTRICTEDJohn Ritter 200313 comedic loss 14 comedic loss 15 comedic loss 16 comedic loss RESTRICTED17 comedic loss 18 comedic loss RESTRICTEDLife lessons from Sarah Silverman No joke: 6 times comedy changed the way we live

Related News

Search

Find best hotel offers