Journalist/Comedian Harmon Leon dives into comedy cult classics, comedic influences, and all things comedy history.
In 1975, Warner Brothers filmed a sitcom spinoff of the hit movie, Blazing Saddles, called: Black Bart.
The sitcom starred Lou Gossett Jr., featured pale imitations of the original cast, and had a canned laugh track. The only reason Warner Bros filmed the sitcom was due to a clause in Mel Brooks' contract - with the intent of producing a Blazing Saddles film franchise. Four seasons were filmed - and it was never meant to see the light of day.
The Unknown Comic skyrocketed to fame - from his appearances on The Gong Show in the 70's. His schtick was to perform with a paper bag on his head - and rattle off a series of paper bag-related puns.
But did you know that Murray Langston - the man behind the bag - got his start on Laugh-In and was a series regular on the Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour? Well, he was.
In this episode, we'll dive into the Unknown Comic origin story -and how the paper bag on his head came to be...
From the archives: The late George Martin will always be best remembered for his legendary work as the producer of The Beatles. Did you know that the man who made the Fab Four sound amazing got his start as a producer of comedy albums?
Yes, the man behind creating the soundscape for A Day in the Life - also produced comedy albums for Peter Sellers, The Goon Show, and Beyond the Fringe (featuring Dudley Moore). Producing comedy is where Martin learned his chops to produce such Beatles classics as Strawberry Fields Forever.
