Robin Williams would be on the Mt. Rushmore of comedians. None of the others on the list even come close.
Of all the Mount Rushmores, I think the comedian Mt. Rushmore might be the most difficult to assemble. There are some really good ones but no legendary ones.
No legendary ones? You are nuts.
A huge problem is there are different styles of comedy and lumping them together to get 4 would be impossible for me to do. Even the eras play a role.
I would think Lenny Bruce has to be in the discussion though as he broke barriers. He was blue and that allowed people to follow like Pryor and Murphy and Carlin to be mainstream.
This gets me thinking of a comment elsewhere I made about genres. For instance Joan Rivers did standup; Dreyfus never did (or at least of note). A comic actor is different to me than a stand up comic.
Ranking them strictly by their stand-up and not tv shows or movies:
Chris Rock (easily the best of the group. terrible GI Jane joke, though)
Joy Behar (better as a comedian than as a tv host)
Robin Williams (better as a dramatic actor, actually. used too much coke in his stand-up)
Whoopie Goldberg (had some good standup specials in her day)
Jerry Seinfeld (great show. average stand-up)
Carrot Top (he has some funny moments)
Totally disagree that Seinfeld is avg in standup, but this goes to one's style of comedy too and it is different than Rock or Williams. Williams, of this group, had the best range. Could be the crazy guy and also carry a serious acting gig (Good Will Hunting).
I have done some amateur stand up you clearly do not know comedy. Carrot Top is easily in the same league as the above comedians he is a prop comic and arguably the best to ever do that style of comedy.
I don’t know why Seinfeld gets ranked so high here. He was the least funniest person on his own show, and that includes the side characters. His stand up is basic observation with no jokes that make you react with anything but a chuckle.
I don’t know why Seinfeld gets ranked so high here. He was the least funniest person on his own show, and that includes the side characters. His stand up is basic observation with no jokes that make you react with anything but a chuckle.
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