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Quiz about The Comedians  1
Quiz about The Comedians  1

The Comedians [ 1 ] Trivia Quiz


They made us laugh and, though they are gone, the echo of that laughter lingers. What do you remember about these great comedians of the past? Please read the 'interesting information' for a few chuckles.

A multiple-choice quiz by Rehaberpro. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
Rehaberpro
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
322,775
Updated
Jul 04 23
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
1392
Last 3 plays: Guest 166 (10/10), Guest 209 (7/10), Guest 35 (6/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. I was a soft-spoken comic with a self-efacing humor who told stories about my wife (spooky ol' Alice) and about my mid-western background with a certain naivety that was part of my charm. I could match wits with the best of them, with my many stand-up routines on television and my own show. Who was I? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. A good salesman first sells himself and then his wares. I lived by this creed. I used 'ice breaking' stories to make my sales. I gave up the salesman role and began to tell my stories in a stand-up comedy routine. I was a regular on "The Ed Sullivan Show" with my ethnic Jewish humor. What was my name? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. I played the finest night clubs in the United States and on top-rated television variety shows. I appeared in several films but am most remembered for my role as Adolf Hitler in "The Producers". What was my name? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. I came on the stage carrying a violin that I sometimes played, but my act was rapid fire one-liners. "Take my wife--Please!" was my most remembered line. Who was I? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. I spent a lot of time on the 'road'. I was born in England but grew up in Cleveland. Much of my career was spent entertaining for the USO overseas. I lived to be a hundred. What was my name? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In the 1930s I was called "The Fire Chief" on radio. When television came along I hosted the first "Texaco Star Theater". I was lovingly called "The Perfect Fool". What was my name? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Some found my wit too biting and satiric, as compared to my contemporaries. I had an on-going feud with Jack Benny. I met my friends in an alley. I relied a lot on Portland. Who am I? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Do you know me? I didn't think you did because I get no respect. Who was I? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. It was hard for some people to believe that I started out as a preacher. My act was counter-culture, sometimes outrageous, controversial, and profane. If you did not get the joke I might scream right in your ear or maybe I would just do a primal scream for therapy. Who was I? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. I was known as the "Arkansas Traveler" and had a low-key rustic humor, telling stories about my fictional relatives, like Uncle Fud and Aunt Doody. Part of my act was an instrument that I invented during World War One, as leader of a military jazz band. I made it out of old stove pipes and a whiskey funnel. I share my name with a famous poet. Who was I? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Oct 22 2024 : Guest 166: 10/10
Oct 16 2024 : Guest 209: 7/10
Sep 19 2024 : Guest 35: 6/10
Sep 18 2024 : Guest 24: 9/10
Sep 14 2024 : nikkanikachu: 8/10
Sep 11 2024 : jmel2: 7/10
Sep 07 2024 : Guest 12: 5/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. I was a soft-spoken comic with a self-efacing humor who told stories about my wife (spooky ol' Alice) and about my mid-western background with a certain naivety that was part of my charm. I could match wits with the best of them, with my many stand-up routines on television and my own show. Who was I?

Answer: George Gobel

George Gobel got his start in show business at the age 14, on the National Barn Dance out of Chicago, doing both comedy and music. Gobel was on the "Tom Mix" radio show playing Tom's ward. He served with distinction in the US Air Force during World War II. His personal appearances on television, radio, and films were numerous. From 1956 to 1960 he hosted his own television comedy show. Here are some snippets of Gobel's humor:

"Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?"

"My uncle was the town drunk - and we lived in Chicago."

"College is a place to keep warm between high school and an early marriage."
2. A good salesman first sells himself and then his wares. I lived by this creed. I used 'ice breaking' stories to make my sales. I gave up the salesman role and began to tell my stories in a stand-up comedy routine. I was a regular on "The Ed Sullivan Show" with my ethnic Jewish humor. What was my name?

Answer: Myron Cohen

Ethnic humor often gets a bad rap from the politically correct. But take out the labels and we have a testimony to human foibles. Cohen never had any malice toward others in this stories and only love for the Jews he spoke about. Here are some examples:

"An undertaker calls a son-in-law: "About your mother-in-law, should we embalm her, cremate her, or bury her?" He says, "Do all three. Don't take chances."

"One older lady asks another "What do you think of Red China?" She says "It goes well with a yellow table cloth."

"A chronic borrower begged an old friend to lend him a hundred dollars. "I'll pay it back the minute I return from Chicago," he promised. "Exactly what day are you returning?" the friend asked. The man shrugged. "Who's going?"
3. I played the finest night clubs in the United States and on top-rated television variety shows. I appeared in several films but am most remembered for my role as Adolf Hitler in "The Producers". What was my name?

Answer: Dick Shawn

In his stand-up act, Dick Shawn used to break through a fake brick wall as he came on stage. Upon occasion he would vomit up 'pea soup'. On April 17. 1987 he was playing politician, making a campaign promise never to lay down on the job. At that point he fell to the floor. After a couple of minutes the audience began to jeer. Dick Shawn had died of a heart attack on stage at age 63. Here are some lines he spoke:

"I can't work places like Vegas or the Catskills where people are belching. Maybe I belong in colleges. At least if I die, I die in front of intelligent people who know what I'm talking about."

"I think of my relationship with any audience as a love affair. It lasts only a little while but I always look forward to a happy ending. For both of us."


"One and one's two/ Two and two's four/ I feel so bad 'cause I'm losin' the war! (as Hitler in "The Producers" (1968)".
4. I came on the stage carrying a violin that I sometimes played, but my act was rapid fire one-liners. "Take my wife--Please!" was my most remembered line. Who was I?

Answer: Henny Youngman

Walter Winchell dubbed him the 'King of the One-liners'. Youngman started out writing funny greeting cards, becoming as a violinist in an orchestra. When the scheduled comedian did not show up, Youngman took over. He never retired and died at age 91. It is too bad that space does not allow more examples of his best lines:

"A doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn't pay his bill, so he gave him another six months."

"I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up - they have no holidays."

"She's been married so many times she has rice marks on her face."
5. I spent a lot of time on the 'road'. I was born in England but grew up in Cleveland. Much of my career was spent entertaining for the USO overseas. I lived to be a hundred. What was my name?

Answer: Bob Hope

Hope was probably the most dominant comedian of the 20th century. He was a friend to everyone from a foot soldier to the President. He had success on Broadway, vaudeville, radio, television, movies, and personal appearances. Here are a few of his quips:

"When they asked Jack Benny to do something for the Actor's Orphanage - he shot both his parents and moved in."

"I do benefits for all religions - I'd hate to blow the hereafter on a technicality."

"I like to play in the low 70s. If it gets any hotter than that I'll stay in the bar!"
6. In the 1930s I was called "The Fire Chief" on radio. When television came along I hosted the first "Texaco Star Theater". I was lovingly called "The Perfect Fool". What was my name?

Answer: Ed Wynn

Wynn was funny but hated vulgarity. He did his radio show in front of a live audience. When he felt he was ready for retirement, he had success as a dramatic actor. His son was Keenan Wynn. Here are some sage comments from The Perfect Fool:

"I've found a formula for avoiding these exaggerated fears of age; you take care of every day - let the calendar take care of the years."

"A bachelor is a man who never makes the same mistake once."

A comedian is not a man who says funny things. A comedian is one who says things funny."
7. Some found my wit too biting and satiric, as compared to my contemporaries. I had an on-going feud with Jack Benny. I met my friends in an alley. I relied a lot on Portland. Who am I?

Answer: Fred Allen

Allen's humor was ahead of its time. You might say that he inspired comics like Mort Saul, Dennis Miller, and Bill Maher. Portland Hoffa was his wife. Down Allen's Alley you might meet Senator Claghorn (that's a joke, son), Falstaff Upshaw (a poet), Titus Moody (a New Englander) or Sampson Souse (the town drunk). Allen often ran afoul of censers, but that added to his mystique. Allen's wit is seen in these few lines:

"A committee is a group of the unprepared, appointed by the unwilling to do the unnecessary."

"Hanging is too good for a man who makes puns; he should be drawn and quoted."

"Imitation is the sincerest form of television."
8. Do you know me? I didn't think you did because I get no respect. Who was I?

Answer: Rodney Dangerfield

Born Jacob Cohen, he adopted Rodney Dangerfield as his stage name, which was previously used by Jack Benny and Ricky Nelson. After a marginal career in show business he was called on as a last minute replacement on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and was a hit. In the late 1960s he opened a night club for beginning comics. Roseanne, Tim Allen, Jim Carrey, Jeff Foxworthy, Sam Kinison, among others got a boost from their appearances there. People never seemed to tire of his self-deprecating, black humor. Most of his jokes were where he could say "I get no respect." Here are just a few:

"A girl phoned me the other day and said... Come on over, there's nobody home. I went over. Nobody was home."

"I drink too much. The last time I gave a urine sample it had an olive in it."

"I could tell my parents hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio."
9. It was hard for some people to believe that I started out as a preacher. My act was counter-culture, sometimes outrageous, controversial, and profane. If you did not get the joke I might scream right in your ear or maybe I would just do a primal scream for therapy. Who was I?

Answer: Sam Kinison

In spite of his pious beginnings, Kinison lived life as it came to him, with a mixture of alcohol, drugs, women, and fast-paced living. His license plate was EX REV. It came as no surprise that he died at 39 in a car wreck, with drugs in his system. Here is an example of his routine:

"There's no happy ending to cocaine. You either die, you go to jail, or else you run out."

[The following is in caps as Sam screamed it]
THERE WOULDN'T BE WORLD HUNGER IF YOU PEOLE WOULD LIVE WHERE THE FOOD IS! YOU LIVE IN A DESERT! YOU LIVE IN DESERT! NOTHING GROWS OUT HERE! NOTHING'S GONNA GROW OUT HERE! YOU SEE THIS? HUH? THIS IS SAND. KNOW WHAT IT'S GONNA BE A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW? IT'S GONNA BE SAND! YOU LIVE IN A DESERT! GET YOUR STUFF, AND WE'LL MAKE ONE TRIP, WE'LL TAKE YOU TO WHERE THE FOOD IS! WE HAVE DESERTS IN AMERICA - WE JUST DON'T LIVE IN THEM!"

"Folks, I've been straight for seventeen days...but not all in a row!"
10. I was known as the "Arkansas Traveler" and had a low-key rustic humor, telling stories about my fictional relatives, like Uncle Fud and Aunt Doody. Part of my act was an instrument that I invented during World War One, as leader of a military jazz band. I made it out of old stove pipes and a whiskey funnel. I share my name with a famous poet. Who was I?

Answer: Bob Burns

If Bob Burns has been forgotten by modern people as a comedian, the name bazooka should ring a bell. Burns' contraption, that sounded something like a trombone but with less range, was the name given during World War II for an anti-tank hand-held cannon. How many of you have chewed Bazooka bubble gum as a kid? Thank the Arkansas Traveler. Hear the voice of Bob Burns:

"I am supposed to be the Ozark Sage, though there are plenty of wise fellows back home who look like William Cullen Bryant and have even longer beards. To be a sage, I guess the formula is to stay a long way off from where you're born, or else you'll get found out."

"If the country folk I tell these stories about don't mind, I can't see why the city people want to kick. City folks are the same everywhere. They ain't different enough to be interesting."

"Some folks out here get inflated ideas. But they usually have to come down to earth. I know I'm the same fellow I was years ago when I was glad to make $25 a week. I haven't gotten any smarter."
Source: Author Rehaberpro

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
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