Journalist/Comedian Harmon Leon dives into comedy cult classics, comedic influences, and all things comedy history.
Dangerfield’s was a NYC comedy club – named after part-owner Rodney Dangerfield. It opened in 1969 (and closed in 2020) and was plain CREEPY. Dangerfield’s can be seen in the movie, The Joker and the legendary Young Comedian’s special that launched Sam Kinison, Andrew Dice Clay, and Louie Anderson.
And we talk to comedian Dave Juskow about the history of this creepy comedy club.
CH101 Select; Michael Small was a staff member of The Harvard Lampoon. He is our guest today - on his history at one of the oldest and most prestigious humor magazines in the world.
The alumni of The Harvard Lampoon include such icons in comedy as Conan O'Brien, Greg Daniels, Jim Downey, Colin Jost, BJ Novak - and numerous writers for SNL, The Simpsons, Letterman, Curb Your Enthusiasm - as well as almost every known comedy entity in TV and movies.
Be sure to check out Michael's podcast: I Couldn't Throw It Out.
In 2006, a producer thought it would be a good idea for double-acquitted murderer OJ Simpson's comeback project project to be a zany hidden camera prank show called Juice'd. As in, a prank is pulled, OJ Simpson pops out, and goes, "You've been Juiced," at which point the person pranked goes, "HEY, AREN'T YOU THAT GUY WHO MURDERED THOSE PEOPLE?!
And I, Harmon Leon, was hired off an ad on Craigslist to be OJ's funny little sidekick.. I actually got to pull hidden camera pranks alongside OJ Simpson. What followed was the worst train wreck in reality television history.
