Saul Turteltaub, an Emmy-nominated writer/producer who teamed up with Bernie Orenstein on several hit sitcoms from the 1960s through the 1990s, has died. Turtletaub was 87. He died April 9 at his home in Beverly Hills of natural causes. Born and raised…
Continue ReadingThe Nacelle Company, parent of Comedy Dynamics, has promoted Cisco Henson to president of production. Former executive in charge of the half-hour Comedy Central Presents, Henson has worked with New Wave as it begat Comedy Dynamics and now parent compan…
Continue ReadingProducers/directors Paul Toogood and Lloyd Stanton enjoyed so much access to so many comedians over the last several years to make their documentary, This Is Stand-Up, which premiered Easter Sunday on Comedy Central. So much as, that to only have 82 mi…
Continue ReadingTim Brooke-Taylor, beloved British comedian of stage and screen for more than 50 years, died today from the coronavirus. He was 79. Born in Buxton, he found his calling as well as his comedy community as part of the Cambridge University Footlights Club…
Continue ReadingWhat’s Saturday Night Live if it’s not broadcasting from inside 30 Rock, and not even live TV? We found out this Saturday of Passover/Easter weekend. The resulting product of having SNL’s cast and crew working remotely revealed that s…
Continue ReadingOther MAD magazine illustrators may have been flashy or more memorable for their eccentricities (see Sergio Aragonés and his “Spy vs. Spy” or Al Jaffee for his Fold-In features), but Mort Drucker may have been the most accessible of them al…
Continue ReadingMichael Clayton McCarthy achieved the comedy dream and proved you could do it going in the opposite direction. McCarthy (no relation) became a staff writer for Saturday Night Live at age 24 in 1983, followed that up with two years writing for Sesame St…
Continue ReadingHal Willner, the longtime musical guru behind Saturday Night Live who also brought musicians together for cross-genre tributes and movie soundtracks, and who won a Grammy for his efforts, died on April 7. Although he was never formally diagnosed with C…
Continue ReadingEddie Large, the bigger, brasher half of the British comedy duo Little and Large, died on April 2 from coronavirus. He had been in the hospital in Bristol, England, receiving treatment due to heart failure. He was 78. Born Edward Hugh McGinnis in Glasg…
Continue ReadingKen Shimura, Japan’s most famous comedian, died on March 29 from a pneumonia brought upon by coronavirus. He had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 24. Shimura was 70. Born Feb. 20, 1950, Shimura was a fixture on Japanese television for decade…
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