Subscribe to ListverseTop 10 Funny Fat Guys In Entertainment
- Published June 23, 2008 - 275 Comments
There’s a long tradition of great “fat guy” comedians. In fact, often times the big men of comedy are some of the funniest and most popular comics of their time. The best skills of these comedians have varied. Whether it was stand up, sketch, or movie comedy, though, these guys have combined to make millions of fans laugh. So this brings up a great question: who are the ten greatest funny fat guys of all time?
This is a hard list to make because some were movie stars, some slap stick, some stand up comics – so a lot will depend on individual tastes, but here’s a list for ten of the funniest “big guy” comics ever. In no particular order:
Chris Farley shot up through the world of improvisational (improv) comedy, and ended up becoming a huge star on Saturday Night Live. This was followed by a short but successful movie career before his tragic death. Farley was known for loud intense characters with a lot of physical comedy, harkening back to the old slap stick days, and his “Best of Chris Farley” SNL DVD was one of the highest selling of all the SNL DVDs.
One of the classic big man comics, straight man Costello would always be paired with thin joking Abbott, and the pairing made comic gold. They were wildly popular, and their most famous verbal gag, “Who’s on First?” regarding a baseball team filled with an infield of oddly named players, is famous to this day and used as an example of miscommunication through fancy word play.
Cedric the Entertainer is not only a great big man, but he’s also one of the most popular African-American comics around. Aside from an incredible stand up career that includes several major shows at the famously fickle Apollo Theatre, and several HBO specials, Cedric also has some great film roles. One of the most notable characters is the elder barber Eddie from “Barbershop.”
Anyone who grew up without seeing “Uncle Buck” or “Trains, Planes, & Automobiles” is a poor deprived child who needs to make amends by renting the classic Candy movies. John Candy was a fantastic big man comic, who also had a major role in “Space Balls” and many other extremely popular movies that made him a comic legend on the big screen.
Ralphie is the epitome of a “fat guy comic.” A great stand up comedian, at one point Ralphie weighed nearly 800 pounds. He was first runner up in the reality show “Last Comic Standing,” and also participated in “Celebrity Fit Club.” Ralphie has since had two different specials on Comedy Central and a platinum selling DVD. He’s still a big man, but continues to lose weight to try and get into shape, often joking, “Don’t applaud, I lost an entire fat man and I’m still fat as h–l!” Only in his early thirties, this is a comic who may have many good years left ahead of him.
John Belushi was an absolute star when Saturday Night Live was just beginning, and was the inspiration for later comics such as Chris Farley. His ability to play straight man or crazy slapstick made him a legendary performer, and literally a living legend among movie comics and sketch comedians alike. Famous from Saturday Night Live and a hilarious impromptu imitation of Joe Cocker (while Joe Cocker was singing live) cemented Belushi as one of the great funny men of all time. So which famous Belushi role do you prefer: “Joliet” Jake Blues of the Blues Brothers, or Bluto from “Animal House?”
Iglesias is a young stand up comic who is wildly popular and whose specials have made him famous. He is known for having an incredible range of voice impersonations, as well as for the term “fluffy,” referring to the second highest level of being fat you can get, right before “damn!” So far Iglesias is only a stand up comedian, but his act is fantastic, and given the right situation he may have a shot at more in the future.
Before Abbott & Costello, before Chris Farley & David Spade, there was the all time duo of Laurel & Hardy. The brilliant duo starred in dozens of films, the most lasting being “Babes in Toyland.” The famous catch phrase “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!” comes from their acts, although the catch phrase is often misquoted.
How can you have a top funny fat guys list without perhaps the most famous of the stooges? The Three Stooges were the epitome of slap stick comedy with three morons who could never get it right. Sadly, success destroyed Curly. He began to drink, smoke, and eat excessively, feeling that his shaven head robbed him of his sex appeal.
It’s long past time this man gets the respect he deserves. One of the most well known stand up comedians of all time, Dangerfield also had a fairly impressive movie list. Of course above everything else, Dangerfield was known for never being able to get respect and he built an amazing career off of self deprecating humor. At the top of the list is the best fat guy comic of them all, the very respected Rodney Dangerfield.
Contributor: Shane Dayton
June 24th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Awesome list, twas nice seeing Candy up there=D
June 24th, 2008 at 5:50 am
Ralphie May should be number one. OOOBY-DOO!!!!
June 24th, 2008 at 5:50 am
I miss Chris Farley. Fat man in a little coat.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:52 am
I love Rodney Dangerfield. The whole “What’s in a name?” was hilarious. Awesome list and a great way to start my day! Thanks Shane.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:53 am
hmm, tryig to think of some british fat comedian guys!!
June 24th, 2008 at 5:53 am
Wow, that’s really interesting about Curly. I grew up watching the three stooges every morning before school.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:54 am
Oh – notable omission in my opinion is Mike Moore – he is hilarious with those skits he does pretending to be serious – har har – funny guy!
June 24th, 2008 at 5:57 am
Curly! He was always my favorite Stooge. I’m glad you put him up there.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:58 am
The late Louie Anderson was great, too.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:02 am
rushfan: Not to be picky, but the quote is “fat guy in a little coat” I believe.
Don’t agree with Ralphie and Gabriel being above the rest. I have seen their stand up and it is smile funny but I don’t find myslef falling out. Farley and Cedric could do that.
Overall a great list.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:06 am
I-man: I agree…ralphie and gabriel don’t deserve an all-time list…yet. Only time will tell. The great “fat” comics have no shame and i think that is why we connect with them so much – self-depricating humor. Great list, otherwise.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:09 am
Will have to look a few of these guys up, only heard of four of them before now and John Candy was a belter I have not seen a film that he was in i did not like.
One to watch from the UK is Johnny Vegas.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:10 am
By the way: What about Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle…he could easily have been number one. He was the original.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:14 am
I was thinking of John Candy only a few hours ago. I was thinking of making a reference to something being like a “Johnny La Rue crane shot” but I don’t know how many people remember, or would know the Johnny La Rue character from SCTV, and La Rue’s fondness for crane shots.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:14 am
Speaking as a fat man myself, I can only verify the old comedy formula that fat guys are funny for just being fat. We love to laugh at them. Even Jamie can’t deny the hilarity of Leporello in an otherwise very dark opera, or any fat funny man in Opera Buffa for that matter.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:16 am
humm.W.C. Fields, anyone?
June 24th, 2008 at 6:17 am
i too agree that ralphie and gabriel should not have been on here. jackie gleason is missing from the list along with louie anderson.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:20 am
Awesome list, Terrible order.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Planes, Trains & Automobiles.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Half of the people on this list are dead.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:22 am
Hehe… this list makes me laugh. Very cool
I’ve just been watching/listening to Gabriel Iglesias on YouTube ‘cos I’d never heard of him before. Most amusing.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:23 am
Oh and it’s kinda cool that Listverse isn’t scared of the F-word
June 24th, 2008 at 6:25 am
Nice list! I love getting to see who’s first. Rodney deserves that respect!
June 24th, 2008 at 6:26 am
Rodney Dangerfield finally gets some respect!
Nice list. But putting Ralphie May and Gabriel Iglesias (who were totally unknown to me until just now) before legends of comedy like Costello and John Candy is unacceptable. Just because their acts are from long ago doesn’t make them less memorable.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Chris Farley’s “Columbian Coffee Crystals” is one of my favorite sketches of all time. Hopefully some of the younger people on this will lose weight and stay off the chemicals so we can enjoy them for many years to come.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:37 am
A previous list on List Universe was “Hottest Plus-sized Celebrities” who were all women. Big men also have to funny to get listed?
June 24th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Oh, where to begin with this list….
First off, good effort Shane and certainly each one of these guys deserves to be on some sort of list (such as top unfunny comedy central hacks).
A few different lists may have been more appropriate.
Top Modern Funny Fat Guys
Top Dead Funny Fat Guys
Either separate them this way or make the list much longer. I don’t think any entertainment editor would include Gabriel Iglesias and Ralphie May on the same TOP TEN list as Belushi or Dangerfield.
Also, any proper list of funny fat men would include Rosanne.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Ralphie May and Gabriel Iglesias only talk about being fat..they’re as bad as Carlos Mencia with ethnic jokes and the three of them are not funny in the least. Farley should have been #1…
Was Dangerfield really that fat? He seemed normal sized to me. RIP though…he was funny.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:48 am
Good list, but no Jonathan Winters??? C’mon!
June 24th, 2008 at 6:50 am
anyone else notice how much thinner the “fat guys” from many years ago are than the “fat guys” of the past 20 years?
June 24th, 2008 at 6:52 am
What?! No John Pinette?
Nah Nah!
June 24th, 2008 at 6:53 am
I stunned. No Jackie Gleason?
June 24th, 2008 at 6:54 am
I love Chris Farley. He was so agile for a fat guy.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:54 am
Good choice in not including Jack Black to this list!
June 24th, 2008 at 6:55 am
My server thinks I’m rushfan for some reason..cool list idea.Oliver Hardy is a god..
June 24th, 2008 at 6:55 am
Sorry, I meant I’M stunned…My first post, 5 words, I screw it up…
June 24th, 2008 at 6:57 am
LOL! Anyone else see the ad for GayChubbyDating.com at the top of the page?
Heh. Immaturity rocks.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:01 am
Cedric the what? He’s remarkably unentertaining, in fact.
Maybe his name should have been Token?
June 24th, 2008 at 7:04 am
I’m not the biggest fan of Dangerfield, but very entertaining list.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:16 am
great list Shane. there are so many big comedians to pick from. I am amazed at how athletic some of these guys are/were. Most of them were funny without every joke being about their weight. Jackie Gleason would be my first choice of noted omissions.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:18 am
So-so list. How could you not include Jackie Gleason or W.C. Fields? Iglesias and Ralphie May are virtual unknowns.
There are some factual errors in Lou Costello — he was the funny one. Abbott was the straight man. To say they “would always be paired” doesn’t accurately describe them. They were a comedy team — like Burns & Allen, Martin & Lewis — and to my knowledge, one never appeared without the other.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:20 am
regarding Lou Costello, I never considered him the straight man in the duo. Am I missing something?
June 24th, 2008 at 7:22 am
thanks KimoK, beat my post by 2 minutes and made me look like a fool. I read every comment to make sure no one pointed that out and then you drop that just as I hit send.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:30 am
a sick list but i thought that jack black would be in there
June 24th, 2008 at 7:31 am
No Jackie Gleason?
No Sam Kinison?
No Louie Anderson?
No Larry the Cable Guy?
I was expecting at least Jackie Gleason. You did include some of the ones that came to my mind right away tho. Nice job on a list.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:33 am
I like the list overall, but it is in terrible order. Everyone can quote Farley, Belushi, and Candy, but there is a far lesser crowd that knows, much less quotes, Ralphie May and Gabriel Iglesias.
With that said, good list.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:35 am
A pretty good list, and I was particularly glad to see Oliver Hardy in there, who is often forgotten by today’s generation and was a comic genius.
But Gabriel Iglesias over John Belushi? Ralphie May over John Candy? Are you kidding? MAYBE they’re worthy of being on this list, but only at the bottom, and certainly not above two comic legends.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Fields, Gleason, Kinison, Anderson, Black, Winters. This list cannot be confined to 10 men! Now I have to find about May, Iglesias, Pinette. Comedy/humor is what life is all about.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:47 am
add my name to the list of people surprised by the inclusion of two guys, ralphie and gabriel, that are remarkably one dimensional in the midst of a list of comic geniuses. they may be great some day but if this is a “top 10″ list the mark has been missed with these two.
replace with jackie gleason and w.c. fields and you have a great list.
phenomenal idea, btw.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Good list but I agree with many people that it is out of order and Ralphie and Gabriel shouldn’t be included. Jackie Gleason definitely and Jonathon Winters, John Goodman, or Louie Anderson should have been on this list. IMHO, Farley, Costello, and Candy should have been in the top 5 along with Belushi and Dangerfield. I would have put Belushi at #1. But I didn’t write the list so who do I think I am? Yet another good job, Shane Dayton.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:03 am
farley should have been top 5. ralphie may excluded from list.
your list was intriguing but not well thought out.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Awww, I love all these guys (sans Hardy, and meh for Cedric. Poor Curly, and Rodney! He gets respect from me. Hmmm…maybe there’s a reason I have a fat funny guy for a bf.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Awww, I love all these guys (sans Hardy, and meh for Cedric). Poor Curly, and Rodney! He gets respect from me. Hmmm…maybe there’s a reason I have a fat funny guy for a bf.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Awww, I love all these guys (sans Hardy, and meh for Cedric). Poor Curly, and Rodney! He gets respect from me. Hmmm…maybe there’s a reason I have a fat funny guy for a bf.
I loved this list…off I go to youtube
June 24th, 2008 at 8:25 am
oops…sorry about that, must be the coffee
June 24th, 2008 at 8:28 am
I really think Farley should have been ahead of ralphie and Iglesias. Matter of fact those two should have been left off. You actually could put Jack Black in this list, Jackie Gleason, and Jonathan Winters would have been good too. Is Don Rickles considered a fat man comic? I love Rodney though. “Guy wears a hat like this oughtta get a fee bowl of soup……Looks good on you though” (Caddyshack)
June 24th, 2008 at 8:29 am
@comment #9 Ummmm…not to be picky, but Louie Anderson’s not dead…
June 24th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Well, unless you’re talking about his career…
)
June 24th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Jackie Gleason should be on here… but other than that….
The funniest moments I remember of Chris Farley’s stint on SNL were:
1) The Japanese game show, where contestants were forced to slice off a finger with every wrong answer… and Farley’s clueless American tourist, unable to speak the language and accidentally entered as a player in the game, has a rising and hilarious panic at the sight of all this–and somehow keeps winning. Until the end when, handcuffed to some kind of electrical iron maiden with jumper cables attached to his crotch, he screams out “MOTHER OF MERCY I DON’T SPEAK JAPANESE!” — the first time I saw that, in its original run years ago, I laughed so hard I almost fainted.
2) Farley in drag as a Gap sales girl along with Adam Sandler and David Spade, also in drag. They’re having lunch and Farley, looking totally ridiculous, and doing an absurd falsetto voice, starts wolfing down Spade’s french fries. Spade says, “I thought you were on a diet?” and without missing a beat, Farley puts a huge paw around Spade’s scrawny neck and bellows out in an incongruous DEEP voice: “LAY OFF ME I’M STARVING.” A milk through the nose moment if there ever was one.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Quiana (#18) hit the nail on the head.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:41 am
What about Peter kay, Bernard Manning, Ricky Gervais…….etc i dont understand why this list is exclusively american
June 24th, 2008 at 8:41 am
What abotu Artie Lange? He should be #1!!!!!!!!!!!
June 24th, 2008 at 8:43 am
randall: i saw that japanese skit last week. still friggin hilarious.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Can’t take it seriously (lol) with no Jackie Gleason.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:47 am
This is a great idea for a list. I do agree with some of the comments as far as the order they are in. Ralphie May & Gabriel Iglesias above Farley, Costello & Candy? However It was pointed out by Shane that because some were movie stars, some slap stick, some stand up comics it was hard and it really comes down to individual taste. I was looking for over all comedy talent someone that could do all of the above. I think if you are really into the standup comedy you will tend to place May & Iglesias higher on the list. My last gripe is no Jackie Gleason I was actually expecting “The great One” to be # 1.
Sorry, one more thing I think Rodney Dangerfield was great but I never thought of him as fat. (Just out of shape) Anyway I enjoyed the Shane. Everyone has their own opinion & that’s what makes it fun.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:51 am
DiscHuker:
It’s classic, isn’t it? I mean, it’s one of those TV moments that should be enshrined somewhere, because Farley’s performance is so hilariously over the top and perfect. Farley’s only flaw was that sometimes he was a little too inclined to go for the clownishness (though this was still often very funny, so it’s hardly a “flaw” per se) whereas Belushi was more subtle. But in that Japanese skit he’s just spot-on, drop-dead hilarious.
The perfection of that skit is proved by the fact that years ago, a friend of mine hadn’t seen it in the original run or in repeats. In those days SNL wasn’t run in syndication anywhere, so it was going to be a long while before he could catch it. So I described the whole skit to him as best I could, going into all the details, and doing my best Farley imitation. He laughed his ass off.
You’d think this would spoil it, but when he later saw the skit, finally, he told me he laughed so hard he thought his eyes would start bleeding.
Farley’s genius wasn’t just in the jokes, it was in his performances.
(Remember the ones where Adam Sandler was an old man and Farley, again in drag, was his cloying and revolting wife, reading out of Zagat’s guides? Sandler was key in those skits, his deadpan lines like “God kill me now!” But Farley’s ridiculous mannerisms and over the top gestures made it. You could always see Sandler fighting to keep a straight face.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:58 am
57. G Fresh – June 24th, 2008 at 8:29 am
@comment #9 Ummmm…not to be picky, but Louie Anderson’s not dead…
Really? I have no idea why I thought that. I could’ve sworn he died. Oops.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Gabriel Iglesias is obnoxious, and completely annoying. Just because someone is fat, does not mean they are funny. But, the others are pretty funny. Chris Farley should be closer to number 1- he put himself through some humiliating stuff to get laughs… Chipendales dancing is a good example. Unique list, other than Gabriel Iglesias, I like it.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:02 am
randall: kwa kee sur pee nee coo?
June 24th, 2008 at 9:18 am
DiscHuker:
Ahhhh… no, kwa kee sur pee PEE coo!
June 24th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Dischuker I alomst wrote that but didnt know if anyone would get it. I almost spit out some water when i was scrolling down the comments and saw that I love mike myers as the japanese game show host, that whig and glasses are great.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:26 am
These are mostly americans, am I right?
June 24th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Oh man do you remember Farley playing Rudy Giuliani’s kid running around with the buck teeth and blond whig, soo funny.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Sorta racist don’t ya think?
j/k
June 24th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Iglesias ahead of Chris Farley and John Candy? Are you nuts?
June 24th, 2008 at 9:35 am
jayhawk:
I don’t remember that one, but do you remember Farley as The Lunch Lady, in Sandler’s song of the same name? You hadda just about die seeing that one.
And Farley as one of the Chicago Bears superfans, giving himself CPR every few minutes when his heart stopped? “I got a piece of Polish sahh-sahge lodged in the lining of my heart.”
June 24th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Oliver Norvell Hardy. MM-MM!! (twiddles with tie) Another fine mess!
And great call on Chris Farley, though he deserves much higher placement. He had guts, especially his greatest bit: the Chippendales tryout with Patrick Swayze.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:45 am
****
#66. Randall
…I mean, it’s one of those TV moments that should be enshrined somewhere, because Farley’s performance is so hilariously over the top and perfect…
****
It *almost certainly is* enshrined. In Burbank, CA. there is a museum dedicated to television arts and sciences. They have installed, by vote of the membership ( that is, actors, directors, producers, cinematographers, etc) , millions of rolls of film, tape, whatever format was used at the time, and it’s being kept at the optimum temperature/humidity so future generations will have the benefit of the classic television shows from the beginning of tv until the present day. Entries continue to be added.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:47 am
All very good ones, I almost think you could dedicate a list to Chris Farley, or the best SNL cast members.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:47 am
This list is absolutely no good without The Great One.
And to echo sentiments, the order is terrible. And who the hell are Ralphie May and Gabriel Iglesias? And Cedric the Unentertainer doesn’t belong either, I don’t care if he is the token black guy. I’d vote Eddie Murphy as Prof. Klump before him. The rest of the list is ok.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Best SNL cast members would be a great list…
June 24th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Randall, Disc, Jay: The one Farley skit that stands out to me (that shows his genius) is the interview with Paul McCartney. Also, the motivational speaker skit.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:54 am
I think there should be some british comedians on this list..
Not that the people on here arent good, its just that I’ve never seen SNL
June 24th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Warning: Your education will not be complete without watching a few highlights from SNL. It is such a shame what kids today are learning instead of the basics…like SNL comedy.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Great List, love Ralphie May and Gabriel, knew Cgris Farley and Rodney would be on here.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:59 am
sorry, Chris Farley
June 24th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Ralphie May ahead of Farley? Half of these guys ahead of Farley for that matter?
Sorry this list is rediicccculous
June 24th, 2008 at 10:00 am
trogan_man:
The Paul McCartney interview was subtle genius. “That, uh… thing where you guys pretended that you were dead? …Uh, that was a joke, right?” And then pounding himself in the forehead….
The motivational speaker is the one that made him, I think. Such a catchphrase: “I live in a VAN down by the river!” And then getting so worked up he flings himself on the coffee table, crushing it… and the thing with constantly pulling up his pants ever so slightly, tugging at his belt…
He was really a great physical comedian. Certainly Belushi’s equal… and that’s saying something.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Warningdon’tread:
ARE there fat British comedians besides Benny Hill? I honestly can’t recall any.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Trojan_man: I consider myself a comedy “geek”, and I love british comedy. Seeing as I live in Norway its difficult for me to see SNL despite the fact that I would love to, it seems to be a major stepping stone for lots of american comedians.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Glad to see the mentions for Louie Anderson. His 80’s standup comedy was hilarious. Loved his “Chinese Buffet” bit. (’You eat here no more, you been here 4 hours, you cut off!)
Also, John Candy had to be higher. Even his crap was funny. (I mean crap as in movies like Canadian Bacon or Delirious.) And he was in SCTV, which was great.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I find ‘fat’ offensive. But 10 looks funny!
June 24th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Randall: there are some I can think of that are quite “recent” , not as successful though.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:09 am
I can’t stand the “comedy” of any of the people on this list except John Candy and the two I never heard of. As for John Candy, he’s OK in some movies but I’ve never seen a comedy routine of his.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Excellent list, Shane! Correction…down right superb!
I am glad to see old school comedians like Costello and Hardy on the list. I am only 28 years old, but my father got me into the old school comedies like Laurel & Hardy, Budd Abbot & Lou Costello and The Three Stooges. Never really wathced too much of The Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin though I am sure that I would enjoy them equally.
My favorite Laurel & Hardy skit has to be their film Way Out West though I have yet to find it on DVD.
Thanks again, Shane!
June 24th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Strange. Earlier, say 12-14 hours ago, before seeing this list, I had a thought, “Who are the most famous fat guys?” I think John Candy came to mind, and a few other non-comedians.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:22 am
S_R: why not?
June 24th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Ralphie May ahead of Chris Farley? What is this world coming to?
June 24th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Matt Lucas from Little Britain is pretty funny.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Rodney Dangerfield may have been overweight, but he was not a “fat comic”. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of his weight ever being mentioned. Jackie Gleason would be a much better choice for the #1 slot.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:34 am
islanderbst:
“…“Chinese Buffet” bit. (’You eat here no more, you been here 4 hours, you cut off!)”
I’m pretty sure that was NOT Louie Anderson, actually. The comic’s name escapes me, but he looked rather like Ralphie May (but wasn’t him, I think… that routine was done years ago).
I was never a big fan of Louie Anderson–his whiny delivery got on my nerves… but he did ONE funny joke that always stayed with me… he said he had a goldfish when he was a kid, and he kept feeding it the same stuff HE was eating…. and then the goldfish began to get demanding, and he’d wake Lou up first thing in the morning going, “Lou! LOU! Get me a jelly donut Lou.”
Funny. You had to see and hear his delivery. A funny Brooklyn-esque fish voice.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I loved Louie Anderson, I watched his show when I was a kid. It was cute :3
June 24th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Having said all that about Chris Farley, there are really almost too many classic Belushi moments to mention. The man was gold.
1) His whacked out speech near the end of Animal House: “Ohh ohh, what’re we gonna dooo, Bluto? We might get into trouble! Well I don’t care! Wormer? He’s a DEAD MAN! Neidermeyer? DEAD!…”
2) Every single Samurai skit from SNL… Samurai Tailor, Samurai Delicatessen, etc. Always made great by Buck Henry’s deadpan straightman.
3) Every single second of his screen time in “The Blues Brothers.”
4) his weatherman rant on SNL’s Weekend Update, about the way various countries view March’s entrance and departure (”in Zimbabwe March comes in like a wildebeast, and goes out like a tapir… and they don’t even know what it means!”) until he just went flat-out nuts and flung himself writhing out of his chair, built to a frenzied crescendo of screaming…
5) and best of all, his similar tirade on Weekend Update when he told the lengthy story for St. Patrick’s Day about his Irish buddy whose mother had died (”OH but they love their mothers! It’s mother this and mother that, and Ireland must be heaven cuz my mother comes from there!”) and went overseas as a bum and then got arrested for smuggling weed into the country, and then when he called Belushi up to borrow money for bail, Belushi goes, “hey man, what the hell? I WORK for a living, I don’t have ten thousand dollars! Why don’t you ask your MOTHER?!…. which was a stupid thing to say cuz his mother just died… so now I got this crazy Irish guy after me who wants to kill me cuz of what I said about his mother…”
Again, fantastic physical comic. The stuff he could do on stage, when performing as the Blues Brothers… amazing. His mugging looks, with a lifted eyebrow… would make you bust a gut.
A funny son of a bitch, John Belushi. What a loss he and Farley are to us.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:48 am
great list!!
Gabriel Inglesias is awesome, but not quite as “great” yet as others (maybe #10??) Not all of his jokes are about being “fluffy”.
was hoping to see WC Fields and Louie Anderson. also hard to excuse Gleason, Winters, Roseanne
June 24th, 2008 at 10:52 am
How is Chris Farley the last person on the list?
If ralphie and iglesias are are the list then they should be at the last spots, but preferably not even on it.
Besides, Dangerfield was known for making fun of his looks, not his weight. He wasn’t particuarlly “fat” either.
Overall, great idea for a list but it’s in really bad order
June 24th, 2008 at 11:05 am
(42)robeywan, you are correct Bud Abbot was the straight man.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:06 am
#4 and #6 – my favorite comedians, fat or skinny.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:10 am
97. Csimmons: Personal taste, that’s all. Even as a kid I didn’t care for those on the list that were popular then. I do have a sense of humor, believe it or not–LOL!! It’s just that I don’t find any of these funny. I like Jerry Seinfeld, for example, although he’s not fat. And there are others.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:10 am
I hope the order isn’t really that important.
Otherwise, Cedric, Ralphie, and Iglesais above Chris Farley?
Please. That’s actually offensive.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I can’t believe nobody thought of Dom DeLuise!!! If ever there was a great comedian, he would was certainly in the top 3!
Too bad most of our top heavy comedians are dead.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Chris Farley and Jackie Gleason should be 1 and 2 (respectively) hands down. I’ll never forget the first time I watched “Tommy Boy”. “Hey Richard, whose your favorite Little Rascal, is it Alphalpha or is it Spankie?” F-ing hilarious.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:17 am
by the way, Dangerfield??? ugh, please he’s not funny at all
June 24th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Randall – I’m positive Louie A. did it first (and funniest). A more recent comic, and fairly funny fat guy named John Pinette does it in his act.
Unfortunately, Louie’s was pre-internets and I have not find any clips of it yet.
Any one with a link would be much appreciated. Not to show up Randall at all, only because it was SO funny and I want to hear it!
June 24th, 2008 at 11:30 am
I was going to say Dom DeLuise too! As I kept scrolling down, I was thinking,”Surely he’ll be listed next.”
June 24th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Leaving Jackie Gleason,Jonathan Winters and Fatty Arbuckle out are sins.I also dont agree with the order of funniest with Rodney Dangerfield on top.But you can argue all day about whos on the list.Generally speaking list is ok.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Cedric the Entertainer,”one of the most popular African-American comics around.” Why qualify it by mentionng his race? How about: “one of the most popular comics around”?
June 24th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Are all these people American? If so it’s not a very broad list is it?
June 24th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Jfrater-for Costello, you made a mistake. Costello was the fat, funny guy, and Abbott was the thin straight man, who always made a remark about Costello’s stupidity whenever he could… Just thought I would point that out
June 24th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Rushfan- The late Louie Anderson? Louie Anderson is very mush alive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie_Anderson
June 24th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Warning: try getting some of the “best of” dvds of SNL…most of them are truly worth it.
Randall: favorite Belushi is his big speech to the frat guys when they are feeling sorry for themselves…”did we give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”
June 24th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
big ski: Kudos for seconding my Fatty Arbuckle. I was beginning to think that I was the only one with that vote. He was the original funny fat guy. Keystone Cops anyone? They invented sight gag comedy.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
****
83. WarningDontReadThis
I think there should be some british comedians on this list..
****
I totally agree! I even have one to nominate:
Clive Swift.
He is the husband on a show called “Keeping Up Appearances”. His “wife”, Patricia Routledge, is a bit hefty herself, and is also a *very*fine comedian.
Her name, on the show, is Hyacinth Bucket, which she insist everyone pronounce “Bouquet”.
The show is a screamer, if you understand British humor.
I’d love to add John Cleeves, but he’s just tall and big boned, not fat.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Segue: Surley you mean Cleese? And at his prime he wasnt fat at all, and I wouldnt say he is fat now. He just has a bit of a tummy :3
Phil Jupitus is very funny and Mel Smith is hilarious.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
pretty good list,don’t like the ordering though
a couple of notables:
Will Sasso, Frank Caliendo
June 24th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Trojan_man:
Yeah, that was the speech I was talking about. Fantastic.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Hey MPW hows your mother DOIN!
June 24th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Stupid List, Fat people Suck, and Rodney Dangerfield wasn’t fat.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Yep, you’re all assholes. Not one mention of George Carlins (Thin but Funny) recent demise. June 22, Heart failure. At least give a nod people, Damn.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Never found Chris Farley funny in the slightest. He was a one joke performer who wasn’t particularly funny the first time. I just don’t get it.
Chris Farley should be replaced by Jackie Gleason (who should also be higher than #10), Lou Costello should be #1, and I never thought of Rodney Dangerfield as being particularly fat so I might replace him with Louie Anderson, but that’s a judgment call.
Otherwise great list.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Tony: Nah, it’s a good list. Giving some recognition to some of the funniest comedic heavyweights of all time. I would have liked to see Jackie Gleason on here (as most other people would) but overall, not a stupid list. Rodney Dangerfield *was* portly, but I wouldn’t call him a “funny fat guy.” He didn’t use his size to make people laugh. Oh, and Tony…fat people don’t suck any more than your mother does. Have a nice day.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Yun:
That you have a low opinion of Chris Farley indicates that your taste is at least somewhat… skewed.
That you’d place Lou Costello (LOU COSTELLO! for god’s sake!) at number one is clear proof that you are a philistine.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
MPW: I don’t think Frank Caliendo holds a candle to any of the guys on this list. He only has 6 impersonations he does really well, and there is only so many times you can hear the same half-dozen jokes and laugh at them. The other problem is when he realizes the problem with trying to keep 6 jokes fresh and funny, and starts going outside his comfort zone. It usually ends in flabby, uninspired impressions that are neither very funny, nor very good. Every single episode of his short-lived TV show failed to garner a laugh from me, because I’ve already seen his stand-up.
Will Sasso is good though. At least an honorable mention.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
farley should have been farther up there and ralphie may just kinda weirds me out but other than that, badass list, i looooooooooove gabriel iglesias!!!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
*breathe*
pepsi.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Slickwilly, true that, but he is fat:)
Crimanon: visit the forums, there is a RIP thread for George Carlin
God, she is well, thank you
June 24th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
crimanon has rightly called us all to task.
Let’s have a moment’s silence for the elder statesmen of comedy, George Carlin.
Goodbye Al Sleet, Hippy Dippy Weatherman…
“Tonight’s forecast… DARK. Continued mostly dark until morning, with some scattered light.”
June 24th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Good list. I don’t agree with all the choices and the order, but I enjoyed it.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Rodney Dangerfield is probably the least funny person on the face of the earth. PERIOD.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
rushfan – “The late Louie Anderson?” He may be late for dinner, but he’s not dead.
Maybe you’re getting him confused with the other host of Family Feud, Ray Combs, who committed suicide.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Ahh, I see, its not that everybody says great list, its that the moderator deletes any comments that don’t shower each list which complements. I just posted a negative comment, and sure enough it was promply deleted, probably like this one is going to be.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
“If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?”
George Carlin
June 24th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
To all: I assumed that I could come back to ListVerse where people welcomed others and were a little open-minded. It disappoints me that comments from other threads/forums have carried over onto lists. I ignored it on my recent list, but it seems as though it has become out of control.
I suppose that assuming was my problem in the first place.
I returned to this website because I thought that it was mature, but a lot of you have proven me wrong.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
BrotherMan: By and large, the regulars around here *are* welcoming and open-minded. In general, it is the one-timers that come around and start pushing and shoving. It is irresponsible to let those people slide by without admonishing them for their poor taste and/or willfull ignorance. It is a shame that conversation topics end up spilling over from other lists, I’ll agree with you there, but are we not allowed to engage in debate in the list comments? Not everyone posts in the forums, but those that post in the lists raise some very intereting topics from time to time that beg to be commented on. Of course not everyone agrees, and nature takes its course. I too lament how caustic and polarized the discussions become at times, but is that any reason to stifle debate? Or insult those of us who engage it with no small amount of spirit?
This website is my regular haunt, and for the most part I conduct myself in a mature and respectful manner (though I’ll be the first to admit I occasionally let my emotions get the better of me – however I never cross the line into open and intentional insult). Most of the other regulars do too, with varying degrees of bravado. I visit everyday, read the same posts that you read…and I still feel like I can discuss controversial topics here on this site unlike anywhere else on the web, while maintaining a high standard of diplomacy and mutual respect. On the whole, this website *is* still more mature than most other similar places on the web. There are a lot of immature people who post, which has become more frequence as the site becomes increasingly mainstream (remember what happened to eBaums?), but those of us who go out of their way to try to maintain some degree of dignity might be more than a little uncomfortable being lumped in with the fly-by-nighters.
All that aside, please don’t leave BrotherMan. We need your lists…hell, *I* need your lists to keep me going from day to day. If you leave and stop writing lists, I may very well have nothing else to live for and take the big plunge. Can you live with yourself knowing that you indirectly caused the death of another human being?
June 24th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Tony: No, your derogatory comment, while ultimately pointless and mean-spirited, is still up at post #127.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
brotherman: what are you talking about?
June 24th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Jonathon Winters should have been #1. He was absolutely brilliant at improvisation, and just looking at his different facial expressions made me laugh and laugh. I miss him.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
What DiscHuker said. O.O
June 24th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
BrotherMan: What did “we” do wrong to make you say that ?
June 24th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Yeah, while someone has posted a stupid remark, the “other” list only spilled a little into yours. It was still a raw time for some and an innocent comment just spurred a little uproar. But I don’t see that happening here.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
BooRadley, Jonathan Winters is still with us.
June 24th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I just want to say…that pic of Chris Farley must be from near the end of his life. He is looking *horrible* in that picture. Poor guy.
June 24th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
****
#122. segue
I’d love to add John Cleeves, but he’s just tall and big boned, not fat.
#123. WarningDontReadThis
Segue: Surley you mean Cleese?
****
Yes, indeed, WarningDontReadThis, I do mean Cleese. Thank you. I’d say it was a typo, but obviously, I just wasn’t paying attention.
Truth to tell, I’d like to recognize the entire Monty Python ensemble. Brilliant comedians all, but not a fatty amongst them.
June 24th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
SlickWilly: Thank you! It was rather discouraging when the parasite list went from parasites to Biblical quotes and discussions about God and spirituality and the history of the universe and….Everyone points to everyone else. It is all reciprocal.
Keep on feeding the fire on one another’s comments. It is cyclical and nothing ever becomes solved.
June 24th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Agh! More cultural imperialism!
As a number of people have noted: the word ‘American’ is missing from the title of the list.
June 24th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Less fighting, More Laughing!!! Since when was God considered a Funny Fat Man?
June 24th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
S_R: You are more hateful than most of the Christians that I know.
(this will encourage him even more)
June 24th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
BrotherMan: and what does that have to do with THIS list?
June 24th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
What about Jack Black?
June 24th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Brotherman; I second SlickWilly’s comment, and please don’t leave. I’m a regular, and I try to be civil and helpful and not nasty. (I fail occasionally). To be honest I was a little disappointed not to see Jackie Gleason, but I’m old so you’ll have to excuse me.
Segue: Hyacinth Bucket is a hilarious show. I love the brother and sister-in-law’s reactions when Hyacinth comes to visit. They usually try to hide, ignore the door, etc. etc. and always fail. Worthy mention.
Randall; Love the Farley/Belushi comments and quotes. My favorite skits on SNL were the week-end updates, but the broad physical humour was superb as well. By the way imho the early years of SCTV beat the hell out of SNL.
June 24th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
nice list tho i wouldnt have put Rodney Dangerfield first, tho he would still be in the list and i wouldve put Farley higher,
and well other chubby comedians could include jack black and mencia…. well ok mencia lost a bunch of weight so he yeah
June 24th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
••••
158. Mom424
Segue: Hyacinth Bucket is a hilarious show.
****
Mom424: do you know that every episode of “Keeping Up Appearances” is on UTube?
Hyacinth Bucket’s famous line, “I just detest it when people brush up against my walls.” slays me.
BrotherMan: Please don’t let a few incidents sour you on your return to the List.
Please.
June 24th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
BrotherMan: I will be keeping a close eye on things (when I am in the land of the living) to try to make sure that we stay on topic. A few lists recently have not done so and I agree that it can be annoying.
June 24th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Oh – btw, this is in no particular order – a fact I omitted to mention
June 24th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Chris Farley’s death “tragic”? Yes – three cheap hookers, speed-balls and fifteen cheeseburgers broke into his house and overpowered him. I am sure he struggled. Give me a tragic death any day!
***
Segue 122: The Cleese spelling error was one thing, but Clive Swift fat? Surely you jest? He is a very trim gentleman.
Perhaps you were thinking of Geoffrey Hughes, the brilliant and overweight actor who played Onslow?
June 24th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
really, no John Goodman?
June 24th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Speaking of SNL Jfrater’s last comment prompted me to remember one of Gilda Radner’s characters.
Jfrater: – “Oh – btw, this is in no particular order – a fact I omitted to mention”
Everyone that that complained about the order of this list: “Oh that’s different never mind”
June 24th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Sam Kinison!
But, anyways…great list! I don’t mind having some new blood there: because Iglesias and May are awesome.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Yeah I agree that Jackie Gleason should have definatly been on the list.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Just want to put in another word for John
Goodman: The Big Lebowski. How about all those years on Roseanne? Maybe the problem is that he’s not *only* a comedian. BTW this is my first submission.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Gabriel Iglesias? not yet a great.
Ralphie May? not yet a great.
Cedric the entertainer? not even close to a great, and not even close to funny.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
RALPHIE MAY over ARTIE LANGE??? A reality show freak over Stern’s right hand man and one of the most popular touring comedians there is?
June 24th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
****
163. Wally
…Clive Swift fat? Surely you jest? He is a very trim gentleman…
****
No, I meant Clive Swift. I will agree that Swift isn’t *fat* in the same way as , say, Chris Farley was fat, but he does have a bit of a paunch in a slightly too tight suit.
He’s soooooo funny. I totally love KUA.
Now, as to trim…Johnny Depp is trim.
But, you see, here’s the rub. What’s trim to one eye is a bit of a paunch to another.
None of this matters though. The List was wonderful. Great.
All of the choices were perfect in and of themselves. We’re just discussing alternatives.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
lomez: read the last sentence of the introduction – these are not in any particular order
June 24th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Randall:
I’m a philistine for preferring a man who became famous for clever wordplay, including quite possibly the greatest comedy routine in history (Who’s on First) over a guy who is famous for slapping himself in the face and yelling “Stupid”?
June 24th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Blogball:
I didn’t mean to imply that Jonathan Winters is dead, just that I never get to see him perform anymore.
“Oh, that’s different. Never mind!”
June 24th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
HEY, where’s Fatty Arbuckle and Horatio Sanz ???
June 24th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
First off: great idea for a list. Can’t speak to Cedric, May, or Iglesias, as I haven’t seen them.
First thoughts: W.C. Fields, Gleason- yep, where are they?
Second thoughts: Sydney Greenstreet. Just for the timing and precision in Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon, he should be considered (if not actually included). The man didn’t do standup, but his timing could not be gainsaid.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
I second/third Sam Kinison. One of the funniest standups of all time, IMO. And fat as an 8-ball.
Quote from one of Farley’s last sketches: “I am El Nino!!! El Nino is spanish for… the Nino!!!”
Farley was 90% performance, 10% writing. It’s not what he said, but how he said it.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Even after Rodney Dangerfield’s death he gets no respect, I tell ya, story of his life. He was funny, but he isn’t remembered for his weight
rushfan, were you talking about Louie Anderson’s career rather than his life.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I tell ya, I get no respect. Take my wife… Please!
June 24th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
mpw, i have no earthy idea why i thought he was dead. but i would have bet money on it.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
that’s the second comedian death related error i’ve made in the past few days. i didn’t know richard jeni committed suicide.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
it was a joke……..A joke
rushfan I bet you fifty bucks that Louie is dead:)
June 24th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Great list, but thats a really creepy picture of Chris Farley
June 24th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Good list. We love the three stooges here go Curly!
June 24th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
This is the most as–backwards list ever. Maybe the right people, definitely wrong order.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
“Farley was 90% performance, 10% writing. It’s not what he said, but how he said it.”
Interesting concept Logar. I was thinking about George Carlin today and it’s just the opposite with him. His comedy involves ideas and wordplay, so it’s as funny to read as to see performed on stage. Most of the great comics though, are more about the delivery.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Fatty Arbuckle needs to be on the list somewhere, he was basically the first fat guy comic, a lot of these people wouldn’t be in the business if he hadn’t of paved the way.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
As a proud Canuck, I was thrilled to see John Candy on the list. His was the first celebrity death that actually made me cry. I loved how his humour was never mean, and could make you laught til you cried.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Larry the Cable Guy………..not
June 25th, 2008 at 2:38 am
Artie Lange,
Artie Lange,
Artie Lange!
and what about Kevin James?
Ralphie and that other guy Gabriel….bleccchhhh….
June 25th, 2008 at 5:25 am
Mom:
SCTV *was* a goddamned funny show. The odd thing is, I don’t remember a lot of Candy’s stuff on it. I remember the station manager, “Crazy Legs,” which never got old for me…. I’d laugh my ass off every time.
SNL has always been very uneven… right from the beginning. It had good years and bad years, good casts and bad casts… but even within the good years there were awful shows and terrible skits. It’s really one of those things where the good condenses down in memory, and you forget the crap. But then again you got some periods where you had a guy like Phil Hartman on there, and pretty much every time he was onscreen, it was funny.
June 25th, 2008 at 6:13 am
I would put Bruce Bruce on the list, His stand up is hysterical
June 25th, 2008 at 7:01 am
Rodney gets no respect. Fat? Didn’t he high-dive into a pool in “Back to School”?
and, logar (179):
“Take my wife … please” was Henny Youngman …
June 25th, 2008 at 7:22 am
I don’t comment here enough, but i just had to throw out a hearty thank you for recognizing the GREATNESS of Curly and the Three Stooges in general. It seems they are being forgotten with each generation. These guys were TRULY comedic GENIUS. This is not a commercial but Sony has finally gotten around to releasing the entire stooges set in chronological order on dvd. Volume 1 and 2 are out already. Anyway, thanks Shane for giving Curly some props, great list….
June 25th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Chris Farley top 10???? i wouldn’t agree……..
June 25th, 2008 at 7:41 am
i mean his in the 10th spot….. should be no. 2
June 25th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I’m female, so for some obscure reason I’m not supposed to be a Stooges fan…but I am, and always have been. So years ago, when I was on a shoot at Moe Howard’s house ( even though he hadn’t lived there in years ) I was thrilled! Just being there for a week was great.
Certainly not the crowning moment of my career, but a truly lovely memory, because I loved the stooges in whatever configuration they happened to be in at the time.
Re: Gleason. I always thought he was hilariously funny for about 3 minutes at a time. Otherwise, not so much.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:52 am
*Gabriel Iglesias?
*Ralphie May?
*Cedric the entertainer?
And not even a *NOD* to W.C. Fields? What’s wrong with this picture?
June 25th, 2008 at 8:32 am
I don’t know if this has been mentioned before but I still see people doing it SO… this list is NOT in any particular order!!! Read the intro people, it’ll save you from looking foolish.
Great list though, I really enjoy the comedy of most of the folks up there. The only one I’ve never heard of is Hardy, guess I should check him out!
June 25th, 2008 at 8:56 am
jfrater:
A suggestion. To avoid the unending debates about order of position on lists like these (i.e., who should be #1, etc., when it was not meant to be a list of ascending or descending order) what about eschewing the use of the word “top” and like words, in the title of such lists?
So the title of this list would have then been, “Ten Funny Fat Guys in Entertainment.” It may not sink in, even then, with some people–but I think psychologically, for many, it would remove the idea of an actual hierarchy… that this is not the list of the all-time BEST funny fat guys, but merely a list of ten great ones, in no particular order. Do you follow?
This would work even better when considered in juxtaposition to *other* lists that DID use a hierachy… Top Ten Parasitic Next Door Neighbors, for instance, or Top Ten Things You Wanna Beat with a Rock. To then see a list that was titled, Six Dirty Things to do with Your Electric Toothbrush alongside the others would do even more to suggest to the audience that it is NOT a list of the TOP six dirty things, but merely A list of random, if primary, six. Understand?
June 25th, 2008 at 9:08 am
I think a better solution would just be to order them from 1 to 10 rather than from 10 to 1, or foregoing the use of numbers altogether. The “Top” in the name of a list denotes a substantive meaning that is changed if you removed it. No reason to make a list about something if you are not somehow bestowing some kind of recognition for some extraordinary reason.
June 25th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Slick:
“The “Top” in the name of a list denotes a substantive meaning that is changed if you removed it.”
Naturally, but that was my point. Not all these lists are really about the “top” of anything. They are often just lists in no particular order and not really about what the best or most important is, within the topic. Merely that which is notable.
“No reason to make a list about something if you are not somehow bestowing some kind of recognition for some extraordinary reason.”
I disagree entirely. Here’s a list: Five Cars that Get Great Gas Mileage. A useful list, it offers information. But it doesn’t have to be the TOP Five Cars… why does it? And even if you feel it does for some reason, then think of it this way–there may exist a couple kinds of cars out there that run on compressed air (the French and Indians, in fact, are working on this) and on hydrogen. But let’s say said cars are A) extremely hard to find–let’s say only four of each have been built… and B) are extremely expensive. Just for argument, let’s say they each cost ten million dollars.
Now yes, if these kinds of cars get a bajillion miles per gallon, then they should be on a strict list of cars that get the best gas mileage. But if you want to provide a list of average vehicles that get great gas mileage–cars that an average person could actually purchase… then you can be less strict about your parameters. Then, semantically, you are simply creating a list of such cars–not THE best, not the TOP cars… just as list of five.
It’s still a useful and purposeful list. The Book of Lists, which I agree with Jamie is a wonderful template for this site and its rules of listings, has many such lists.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:01 am
How is Chris Farley behind Cedric and Gabriel Iglesias? Come on!!!
June 25th, 2008 at 10:20 am
****
#203. PC – June 25th, 2008
How is Chris Farley behind Cedric and Gabriel Iglesias? Come on!!!
****
How many times and ways do the words ” IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER” have to be said?
June 25th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Whether or not you are ranking a list, the one that appears on the first page is really the most important. The photo and the text should hook the readers, compelling them to click open the entire list.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:24 am
****
#203. PC – June 25th, 2008
How is Chris Farley behind Cedric and Gabriel Iglesias? Come on!!!
****
How many times, and in how many ways, do the words “IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER” have to be said?
June 25th, 2008 at 10:41 am
GEORGE CARLIN
One of the greats of all time.
I was lucky enough to see him on stage in the mid 70’s. I laughed so hard I really thought I’d loose my last meal.
He had it all. His words, his expressions, his body language…he could be funnier with a shoulder half-shrug than almost anyone else’s entire ACT!
A genius.
He was political, yes, but he was also beyond politics. He was involved in all things human, which is where his power as a comedian had it’s foundation.
I’ll miss his wit. I’ll miss his humor. I’ll miss him.
I know I won’t be alone.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:23 am
YogiBarrister:
Very good point. Sell the list with that top page item/image.
segue:
I think I have every record Carlin ever made (sadly, can’t listen to ‘em as I no longer have a functioning turntable.. must buy one one of these days). He was a genius, and we should have had him for another 10-20 years. It’s a shame.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Where the hell did Sam Kinison go? That dude was hilarious. I vaguely remember seeing Ralphie on Last Comic Standing, and I found him funny too, just not enough to find him listed among legends. That Gabriel fellow, I’ve never heard of. But as far as comics go in general, George Carlin was the top dog. RIP for that funny mofo.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:41 am
****
#208. Randall
segue:
I think I have every record Carlin ever made (sadly, can’t listen to ‘em as I no longer have a functioning turntable.. must buy one one of these days)
He was a genius, and we should have had him for another 10-20 years. It’s a shame.
****
A shame indeed.
re: the turn table. I know you know this, but on the off-chance you don’t – EBay often has some available.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:41 am
kerrick:
Sam died. In a car accident. Several years ago.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:43 am
seque:
Yeah, I know… I just never get around to it, and it’s also kind of a large item to send through the mail… I always figured I’d just as soon buy a new one somewhere. It’s just a low priority… even though I have about 300 goddamn records that I haven’t listened to in over ten years. But I’ve replaced some of them with CDs over the years, so the motivation just isn’t there all that much.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Benny Hill!
June 25th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Chris Farley is my all time favorite comedian. I wish he was still around, seems all the good ones go and die.
I totally love Gabriel Iglesias too, he’s amazing. My dad has always been a huge fan of Rodney Dangerfield, I never really liked him that much, I always thought he was pretty crude…just my opinion though.
June 25th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Randall:
Do you not think that some recordings are better on vinyl? That sometimes the digital re-mastering takes something out of the music?
Better get out and get that turntable.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
I only got to comment 51, but everyone is going on and on about order. It says at the top of the list in no particular order. I’ll have to go read the rest of the comments. Love WC Fields, BTW.
June 25th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Ok. Now at 105 and people are still complaining about order. Hmm. I will continue on my quest.
June 25th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Ahh Jfrater #162 explains it all.
I, too, feel we all lost out with the premature death of John Belushi. Sheer genious. Timing, etc cannot be taught. It was truly a gift that he had. I am sorry that no one who was close to him could help him. Really drives home the point that we all need to take care of eachother. No man is an island. We all need help now and again.
Footprints in the sand.
June 25th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Who is the tall, black stand-up comedian. It began with an “S” He was so funny it was all I could do not to pee in my pants. To this day, when I remember the routine I saw (not in person, but on TV), of him talking about platform shoes, and farting while walking knocks me out.
June 26th, 2008 at 3:16 am
(off topic)
For some reason I’m not getting e-mail notification of following comments.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Vera Lynn:
Sinbad?
June 26th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Mom:
Yeah, I suppose… I’ve thought that at times, but I’m also not of these “vinyl purists.” Sometimes I think it’s just the scratchy slight vagueness of vinyl that people miss.
What *I* miss about vinyl is the wider array of *packaging.* You could really see the photos and read the lyrics back then, in that far larger format. Records sometimes came with booklets, posters… it could be great fun. With that little disc-sized package… it’s just too limiting.
And I miss the tactile feel of records. There was something about holding the vinyl in your fingers, gingerly, and looking at this black disc with grooves in it, and thinking how the music was engraved there… of course it’s just as magical that music is “engraved” on a CD… but there was something more tactilely mechanical about vinyl that was more human in a way. Records also seemed less fragile. But then you could never stick a record player in your car so you could listen to Otis Redding. You had to transfer Otis to tape. So progress marches on.
What I DON’T like the idea of is the chance that someday we won’t even have discs, but just buy music and put it directly onto our computers our portable memory sticks. I wouldn’t want that–and I bet many consumers will never go for it. You need the touchable sense of having *bought* something, I think. You need something to hold in your hand and look at when you’re listening to music. It’s part of the experience.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I used to have a zillion vinyl albums that I meticulously took care of. Most of them hadn’t been played more than twice – once when I got it, and once to make a tape. I drug them out about a year ago and listened to them for a while and started thinking, how the hell did I enjoy this with all the shitty scratchy sound? Part of me thinks the drum and bass lines are better sounding, but part of me also enjoys lower back pain. I used to have the entire set-up including a thousand dollar record player. I don’t claim to be an audiophile, but CD’s just sound better, and I can pump up the bass if I want to and it usually has more range. The packaging does suck as Randall said, some of you pups missed out on all the uber cool posters and stuff that came with the record.
Now I’m just an iTunes junkie.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
buc:
Yeah, I agree… I had a record collection of about three hundred LPs I’d guess. God knows how many 45’s. But technology? I don’t much care. CD’s are better.
I DO miss the 45 though, there’s no equivalent of that today. Oh, they have CD singles, but they’re too pricey and have never caught on (for that reason, I’m sure).
June 26th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
With regard to post #172
I realize there’s no particular order, but I can’t understand the inclusion of Ralphie May.
And Artie Lange isn’t even listed. A guy who’s the #2 on THE most successful and important radio show in history, but more than that a comic who has to be funny for 5 HOURS A DAY, 4 DAYS A WEEK!
June 27th, 2008 at 3:28 am
Hells yea! Im seein Gabriel Iglesias tonight..hes hella funny!
June 27th, 2008 at 6:57 am
Lou Costello was the funny one. Bud Abbot was the straight man. “I don’t know…” “Third Base!”
No question…Farley is dead and has more to his credit than Iglesias or Ralphie May (who’s just annoying) will ever have. I do love me some Cedric, though…funny in ANYTHING.
But no Gleason? Ah, THAT’s screwing the pooch! He’s not called “The Great One” for nothing! Number 1, baby!!
June 27th, 2008 at 11:33 am
where the hell is Gleason??
June 28th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
No Gleason?
I’m beginning to think that if you KIDS composed a list of “Nobel-Winning White-Haired German Physicists Named Albert”, you’d forget to put Einstein on the list.
June 29th, 2008 at 1:07 am
how the hell is chris farley and john candy so low on this list
June 29th, 2008 at 1:47 am
albert: why the hell don’t people read the introduction paragraphs? In which you can read the text: “in no particular order”.
June 29th, 2008 at 2:56 am
what the hell is going on?
sorry. had the how. had the why. needed the what.
oh..before someone else says it..
when the hell will this end?
June 29th, 2008 at 4:25 am
Who the hell knows when this will end?
There, Cyn, now it’s complete.
June 29th, 2008 at 4:35 am
slowly, she turns step by step….
who’s on first?
mixed classics, eh?
it ain’t over til its over.
June 29th, 2008 at 4:41 am
http://www.clown-ministry.com/index_1.php?/site/articles/slowly_i_turned_burlesque_routine_bud_abbott_lou_costello_poko_moko_niagra/
http://www.clown-ministry.com/index_1.php/site/articles/whos_on_first_script_classic_baseball_routine_abbott_and_costello/
now its over
June 29th, 2008 at 8:25 am
****
Author: Cyn
Comment:
what the hell is going on?
sorry. had the how. had the why. needed the what.
oh..before someone else says it..
when the hell will this end?
****
It’s summer vacation.
June 30th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
How the hell is Kevin James not on this list!
June 30th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Thanks for the redirection, jfr. Or do we now know one another well enough for it to be Jamie (remember, I am a stiff-arsed Brit, after all).
I guess much of the fun of these lists is wot they provoke and the off-the-wall interaction. If you got everybody’s top ten fat funnies (careful how you say that) straight off and no arguments, it’d be pretty BOOORRRRIIINNNNGGGGGGGG.
Well, O.K. I seem to have spent a decent bit of my life in some condition between chuckling gently to nearly drowning in my own weak uric acid solution laughing at fat guys of stage, screen and radio. I reckoned I could come up with a sackful(probably a ton would be better)you had missed, including a number of Brits, but I didn’t. I conclude that maybe a lot of my obese actors must have been anonymous bit-parters and prat-fallers who were in there to make up funny situations. Or maybe to act as stooges (3 Stooges pun not intended)to well-known performers like Bob Hope. Come to think of it, every fatty I’ve known in actual life has had a real presence or charisma of some sort, never been a misery-guts, and was often good for a laugh.
And before anyone starts slagging off your list as American chauvinist or ‘racist’, and whinges about, “Where are all the Brits?”, how about coming up with some names yourselves?
Most funny fat guys are indeed from the other side of the pond to wot I was born on. (Even though I don’t know several of yours here.) Of those I know, I head my list with Ollie (though obviously not without Stan). But that makes me start to feel guilty about W.C.F. (as you lot bloody well ought to):
“I always keep a stimulant handy in case I see a snake …..
which I also keep handy.” How COULD you have left him out?
And a word from me for Fatty Arbuckle too.
So I’m not only a Brit, but an Ancient Brit to boot, and here are a few more funny weighty ones who have entertained me down my years. The rest of you may not have heard of them, but you’ll find them profiled in Wikipedia if you’re interested. Several feature in movies obtainable on DVD too. Most of the following probably add up more to comedy and character actors than comedians, but so what? The qualifications are funny and entertainment. No pretence that they are Top Ten either, but something different from the rest here in this column anyway.
Margaret Rutherford (”Guys” isn’t intended as sexist, is it you guys?). British. 1892-1972. Madame Arcati, the cycling spirit medium, in Noel Coward’s ‘Blithe Spirit’. Utterly priceless. I never met her, but she happened to be elocution mistress to one of my childhood next-door-neighbours. My nearest brush with fame.
Gert Fröbe. German. 1913-1988. My favourite of several of his arrogant fat Prussian send-ups is Colonel Manfred von Holstein in ‘Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines’. (Incidentally, Benny Hill was also in that).
Robert Morley. British. 1908-1992. Womderfully effective as a pompous, blustering, fairly upper-crust English windbag in numbers of films over a long career. E.g. ‘Topkapi’.
Hattie Jacques. British. 1922-1980. Dear Hattie appeared in 14 of the ‘Carry On’ films, usually as a blowsy, passé sexpot, or a starchy hospital matron trying to control lecherous patients, or similar.
Fred Emney. British. 1900-1986. You bet your sweet no one has heard of HIM. Emney virtually made a career out of being fat. He tried to keep sideways-on, a bit like the Alfred Hitchcock silhouette come to life. He was huge. Whereas most transatlantic comics have to be motormouths, Emney was mainly a motorbelly. There are a precious few funny guys who just have to walk on stage without saying a word or hardly doing a thing, and the audience folds up. Peter Sellers could do that. John Cleese can. The silents like Buster had to. We had one on British TV called Tommy Cooper, who acted the bungling magician. He used to walk on with this hunted look in his eyes, like he’d been pushed on without time to prepare his act. People used to fold up simply at the thought of him coming on, before he’d even walked through the curtain. Emney was a bit like that. He is described as, “The posh, fat bloke with the monocle, the cigar and gruff voice”, but words alone won’t do him justice.
Finally, I’m going to log in -
Gerard Hoffnung. Adopted British. 1925-1959. A musical and general eccentric genius, who invented instruments out of garden hosepipies and the like, then got real composers to write serio-comic pieces for them, which he performed at hilarious public concerts. I’m not sure how fat Hoffnung was, or even if he actually was truly fat, but most of his legacy is recorded, and no one could possibly SOUND fatter than Gerard Hoffnung does. His famous ‘Bricklayers Lament’ is one of the all-time classics of recorded spoken comedy, along with Shelley Berman, etc., etc. Get it, or get to hear it, if you can.
And hey, Benny Hill wasn’t fat. Plump maybe, or chubby, but never fat. Otherwise he couldn’t have gone haring around the park at double-speed with all those gorgeous semi-nude young ladies in hot (Yeah, hot) pursuit.
As far as I can make out, nowhere does it say the fatties have to be alive alive o. So I am going to nominate two more honorary entries here.
Ancient. Billy Bunter. British Public Schoolboy, the ‘Owl of the Remove’. Once played by appropriately-shaped actor Gerald Campion.
and Modern. Homer Simpson, who is my only American, and ironically, although never having breathed, the only one still ‘living’. I’m not saying anything about him, Homer can speak for himself and a lot of others too.
WARNING: Humour is highly personal. None of the above may make YOU laugh.
Top Ten Wafer-Thin Guys next?
June 30th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Could anyone who often posts to listverse please contact me at Nerikasne@hotmail.com? I am coming up with a little birthday present for Jamie/the site. Sorry for the repetition; I’m posting this on all active lists.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Wafer-Thin Funny Guys, that is.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:19 am
Vera Lynn at 219,
We’ve met again some sunny day.
Not actually concerning funny fat guys, but you asked there about a guy who farted in performance as he walked (Sinbad?).
The funniest ever in that line, and it probably would indeed make you wet yourself, is a little-known short film called ‘Le Petomâne’ (The Farter), starring the late, great British comedy actor, Leonard Rossiter. It’s actually a biopic of a real guy, a Frenchman called Josef Pujol, who, due to an accident when young, could draw air into his sphincter and fart at will. So he took himself to Paris as a public performer and became all the rage of the town. He used to fart the Marseilleise (sod, forgotten how to spell it, O.K. the French National Anthem) and imitate the Battle of Waterloo on stage. He’d ask people in the audience to name a popular song, and fart it. He had a very varied repertoire. He became so famous and well-off financially that others tried to imitate him. One woman began to get better and juicier contracts. Pujol challenged her to a personal farting duel. In the middle of the contest he swept up her voluminous skirts and revealed a pair of bellows and a sound reed. I think that’s when I needed to change my underwear. Rossiter is fantastic. He plays the whole thing as it was historically: straight-faced as a professional performer, and that makes it ten times funnier than if he went for crude laughs. Pujol became so famous that Bertie (Edward, Prince of Wales) used to attend his performances during his frequent visits to France. He wanted to bring Pujol over to perform in private for him at Windsor Castle or somewhere. Mum (Queen Vic) was not amused and refused. Pujol’s professional career came to a rather sad end as he aged. Ever more frequently he used to ‘lose control’ and shit himself in mid-performance. So eventually he was obliged to retire. The way Rossiter handled that aspect is beyond words. It was actually deeply moving (and I’m not making a pun on bowels there).
I saw this film on the BBC once and it was scheduled again when I was unfortunately away. I asked friends to tape it for me and they cocked up. I have a snippet from it on a tape of Rossiter (probably available on DVD now) called ‘The Very Best of Leonard Rossiter’. But it seems the entire film is not avaialble. It’s a bloody unforgiveable crime against humour that it hasn’t been recorded and isn’t on general sale. It ought to be on DVD. Write to your Prime Minister, or President, or whoever.
It never occurred to me before I started writing this, but you could probably find out more about both Pujol and Rossiter on Wikipedia.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:39 am
CORRECTION AND ADDENDUM
Blimey, I spelled Marseilleise correctly!
It should be Joseph Pujol though, not Josef.
I also had to go away and be sure of the other two well-known names who wanted to play Pujol in that film. They were indeed Peter Sellers and David Niven. Both were advised by their agents not to take the part at any price. They should have replied with a fart, but honestly, it’s impossible to think of anyone, even either of them, out-performing Rossiter.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:10 am
****
241. Spanner in the works – July 1st, 2008
Joseph Pujol
****
Spanner: The Pujol story has to be one of the funniest things I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a very long time (the end wasn’t wasn’t funny, it was sad. Oh! But his performing life!).
Thank you for sharing this with us.
I’m going to do a search and see if there is *something* available of his performances.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:27 am
segue,
Thanks.
DO let us all know if you find more available than the snippet I noted above.
I seem to remember a thin hardback a friend showed me once, way back in the 60s, also called ‘Le Petomane’. It was this that alerted me to Pujol. The friend forgot when I asked him recently (O.K. he’s in his 80s now), but I’m sure. It had a yellow and white cover drawn in black.
Never mind, this is one story that just HAS to be audio plus visual rather than purely visual anyway for obvious reasons.
For those into British humour, Rossiter’s recorded TV legacy of ‘Rising Damp’ (sneering, sleazy, lecherous landlord)and ‘The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrins’ (plot undescribable in a few words)are well worth investigating. He is the matchless lead in both.
July 1st, 2008 at 1:54 pm
When I wrote this two and a half hours ago (posting problems), I’d just come back from a late lunch (now you know I live in off-clock time-zone) and maybe it upped my blood sugar count and boosted my memory neurone connections.
I was quite wrong about the little book I described above. That wasn’t ‘Le Petomane’ at all, it was a much more famous classic called ‘The Specialist’ about a work-proud artisan who dug country bogs, latrines, shit pits, whatever you like to call them*. It introduced a whole generation of genteel, prudish folks to terms such as one-, two-, three-holers, etc.
My dear old dad had a great true tale about the industrial type at his factory in the bad old days. It was a multi-, multi-holer, all in a long line, with a diverted stream conveniently (at your convenience) flowing sedately beneath. This acted as a watery conveyor belt to run its length, dump the dumps in the nearby Thames, and leave the environment smelling as near to sweet as a spring dawn as central London dockland then could. There was always a certain, regular time of the day, around mid-morning, when a maximum of holes was covered by straining occupants, with newspapers being read for the last time prior to being recycled. At that moment on one such ordinary day, a wag brought along a large, shallow, lightweight cook-dish, piled it high with screwed-up newspaper, which he set alight, and then launched his “fireship” down the flushway. I leave the rest to your vivid imaginations. This may not have much to do with fat funnies, but I bet there were a few fat bums in the line of fire.
*Including johns if you are in the Yew Ess of Ay, which happily for me in that respect, I ain’t.
Well, I got off-track again. But it’s still true that my friend did TELL me in great detail about Pujol. I can almost hear his measured, cultured voice explaining the relationship between the French words for firework and fart, for example, although I’m now quite sure he never actually showed me the book.
July 4th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Hot n’ fluffy!! ^_^ gabriel roks! But were is jack black n larry the cable guy? =(
July 12th, 2008 at 9:53 am
There is one guy missung still. I am searching on line for him and see him on the comedy channel . He is a very big and funny guy- talks about eating. He did a great skit on a time when the banned meat shipments
August 7th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Jackie Gleason should be on the list. Probably at #1. He was original and ahead of his time. He was also physically gifted and more athletic than smaller men. He could do a “flat out” fall or dance a waltz gracefully. He created a charcter that was a mute had the skits were done only with facial and physical expressions. As far as the Honey Mooners TV show, much of that was improvised in front of a live audience and was very, very funny. That was decades before Saturday Night Live.
August 8th, 2008 at 6:24 am
i can certainly think of a fat british comedian.Erm, Peter Kay anybody?
and how about Matt Lucas?
August 11th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Fatty Arbuckle?
August 20th, 2008 at 10:13 am
where is Peter Griffin of Family Guy???
August 21st, 2008 at 4:03 pm
YEAAAA!! WE WANT PETER GRIFFIN UP THERE!!!! WOOOO GO PETTER !!!
September 28th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
No Fatty Arbuckle? :C
October 16th, 2008 at 5:43 am
JOHN CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He is really the only one on this list who could absolutely dissolve me into tears.
You are dead right… if a person hasn’t seen “Uncle Buck” or, especially, “Plains, Trains and Automobiles” they ARE deprived.
To this day, I think that is the funniest movie EVER. It is out and out classic. WHO does not quip about “going the wrong way… awwww how do THEY know which way we’re going?”
…or “PILLOWS?!”
…or “doin’ the Mess Around”???
SOLID GOLD!!
I was sad when this genuinely funny man died.
October 19th, 2008 at 7:29 am
seth rogen!
October 20th, 2008 at 9:31 am
this list site is brilliant. im new to it but its keeping me entertained here in work on my teabreak. the comments are hilarious. im really shocked nobody mentioned danny devito. i think he’s a legend.
October 21st, 2008 at 9:07 pm
i think sam kinison wouldve been a great addition to the list
December 18th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Huh !!! No Jack Black !!!!
December 21st, 2008 at 7:20 pm
hmm.. don rickles should probably be at least honorable mention..and the two (may/iglesias) should not be anywhere near this list.
December 28th, 2008 at 2:39 am
Ah Gabrial is amazing. he is hilarious.. but i think Chris should be farther down the list..
February 14th, 2009 at 8:55 am
I m thinking of putting a list together on Chris Farleys top ten sketches.Do you think its a good idea?
February 18th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
wheres jackie gleason? and wayne knight(newman in seinfeld)
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:11 pm
uhh what about kevin james??? u cant have a list without kevin james
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:13 pm
and jack black i forgot about him and kyle gas!!!
May 1st, 2009 at 9:11 pm
WHERE IS FAT ALBERT?
May 8th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
This is my very first post after lurking on LV for a long time, mainly because I nearly cried when I say Rodney Dangerfield as number one. I love that man. Did you know he was denied membership in the Screen Actors Guild? They didn’t consider him an actor. He’s was that and much more!
However, I have to agree with many of the 265 posters before me. This list is sadly lacking. These a just of few who came to mind as soon as I read this list; and then those that other people also commented on.
1. Jackie Gleason
2. Dom deLouise
3. Sam Kinison
4. John Goodman
5. Larry the Cable Guy
6. Drew Carey
7. Jay Leno
8. Louie Anderson
9. Jason Alexander
10.Buddy Hackett
11.Rosco “Fatty” Arbuckle
12.Stubby Kaye
13.Benny Hill
14.Jack Black
15.W.C. Fields
And that’s not even all of them. So much talent missed on this list. And Ralphie May and G. Iglasias are funny, but not funny enough to rank so high.
Considering just the fifteen extra that I posted, another list could easily be done…. …yep, that’s a hint. : )
May 9th, 2009 at 12:37 am
266. CatChick1964
You should submit a list! It seems like you’ve got a decent head start on one already, haha. I’ve gotten one list published already and have a few in the works right now. It’s fun!
I hope to see one of your lists on LV sometime soon!
May 11th, 2009 at 12:24 am
Thanks gabi—
Ya know.. I just might.
May 28th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Bernard Manning – well funny!
June 30th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I know this is all fairly old. But to everyone that thought Larry the Cable Guy should have made the list… please grow a brain. Larry the Cable Guy is an embarrassment to comedy everywhere. He get’s on stage, says the dumbest jokes I have ever heard, then follows it up with “GIT ER’ DUN” and people laugh… The only list he should be on is “top 10 most idiotic Rednecks”.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:46 pm
what about Homer
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:25 pm
what about larry the cable guy
July 5th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
no jack black?