The Funniest Comedians In History
ENTERTAINMENT | January 8, 2020
circa 1940: A laughing audience enjoying a show. (Photo by Weegee(Arthur Fellig). Source: (gettyimages.com)
Laughter is the best medicine. It has been proven even by medical staff that laughter has healing properties. Laughing releases stress and stress is the major cause of most diseases. Many men and women throughout history have made it their business to make people. In fact, for many of them, it became a lifelong commitment. Those who have that gift to be able to make people laugh should be paid as much as physicians receive to help people heal. It could mean the difference between life and death for many who allow themselves to laugh even if the jokes are not that funny.
Jerry Lewis was one of these comedians. Born in 1926, he became one of the funniest men alive. As quirky as he portrayed himself, people loved him as well as his sense of humor. He had a way of causing people to laugh until their bellies ached. Besides his sense of humor, he had a heart of compassion for those who were affected by diseases in the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He spent a lot of time and effort on raising money for this worthy cause. Together he and Dean Martin teamed up not only stand-up comedy but in many movies together as well in the comedy genre.
Redd Foxx was another hilarious comedian. While playing the role of Fred Sanford in Sanford and Son, one of his favorite lines on the show was “I’m coming to join you Elizabeth. This is the big one.”
He kept his audience in stitches with his witty remarks and comebacks. By constantly using witty sarcasm to cut down his sister-in-law and debate with his son, Lamont, he was able to keep the fans tuned in week after week. Even the reruns are still shown today.
Another great favorite was Sherman Hensley as George Jefferson on The Jeffersons. Just like Fred Sanford, he stole the show by using sarcasm. He constantly criticized his maid and made remarks about Tom Willis and others on the show. Louise Jefferson as well as the maid, Florence, could also hold their own when it came to making the fans laugh by criticizing George. Even George’s own mother could get a few one-liners in which were usually directed at Louise but sometimes at George as well.
There have been many other comedians that knew how to make people laugh such as Abbot and Costello, the Three Stooges, Dick Van Dyke, Lucile Ball, and others from the early days. Then there was Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Jim Carey, and many more. Despite their unique ability to make others laugh, sometimes they were the ones who needed to laugh because their own stories were not so funny.
John Candy was one of those. Even though he could make others laugh, he had a serious weight problem that was affecting his health. Despite his determination to lose weight through diet plans and gym memberships, he was unable to lose any real weight and keep it off. He stayed around 325 pounds. Tragically, he died at the age of 43 while in Mexico shooting a film. There were only two more scenes to shoot and they would have been done. Ironically, he had told someone beforehand that this was to be his last movie because he wanted to be at home with his family more. It was his last movie but not the way he thought.
Tags: Funniest Comedians
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Penny Chavers
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