Comedy History 101
Comedian and journalist Harmon Leon dives deep into the wild, weird, and hilarious history of comedy. Each episode explores the backstories of legendary comedians, iconic sketches, cult classics, stand-up milestones, and forgotten gems from the comedy world. From SNL to viral videos, we unpack the moments that shaped what makes us laugh. Whether you're a hardcore comedy nerd or just comedy-curious, this is your crash course in the funny business. Subscribe now and discover how comedy got to where it is today—one punchline at a time.
More:
harmonleon.com
comedyhistory101.com
- Update frequency
- every 9 days
- Average duration
- 42 minutes
- Episodes
- 203
- Years Active
- 2017 - 2025
CH101 Select: Comedy Central Origin Story
Reprise: Our guest is Art Bell; the man who pitched the idea that became Comedy Central. Art was also the head of programming at the network.
We do a deep dive into the origin of such iconic shows as…
01:02:12 |
Thu 27 Jul 2023
The Mr. Bill Show with Walter Williams
Mr. Bill is one of the most iconic characters in the history of Saturday Night Live. He got his start in the first season of SNL - as a viewer submitted Super 8 film. In his heyday, this bundle of Pl…
00:45:02 |
Thu 29 Jun 2023
History of Irish Stand Up Comedy with Johnny Candon
Some of the best comedians in the world come from Ireland. We're talking your Dylan Morans, your Ardal O'Hanlons, your Tommy Tiernans - and just about every comedian you've seen on the TV show: Fathe…
00:55:24 |
Thu 22 Jun 2023
The Wolf of Wall Street with Jordan Belfort
I talk to Jordan Belfort - the man whose life story was told onscreen in the Martin Scorsese movie: The Wolf of Wall Street (as well as in the movie: The Boiler Room) - where he was portrayed on scre…
00:23:42 |
Thu 15 Jun 2023
The Kids in the Hall with Paul Myers
The Kids in the Hall are one of the most iconic sketch comedy groups in history. And we do a deep dive into their origin story with Paul Myers - who knew KITH in their early days.
Paul is the author …
00:38:39 |
Thu 08 Jun 2023
CH101 Select: Rick Overton and Set List
Legendary comedian Rick Overton joins us to talk comedy. Rick's IMDB page is the size of a phone book; and includes Beverly Hills Cop, playing Matt Damon's boss in Steven Soderbergh's, The Informant!…
00:51:50 |
Fri 02 Jun 2023
Last Comic Standing with Rob Cantrell
The iconic TV show Last Comic Standing - ran from 2003 to 2015. It was a reality show, where comedians competed to be, well, the last comic standing. The show helped launch the careers of such comedi…
00:53:40 |
Thu 25 May 2023
CH101 Select: Wayne Federman and the History of Stand Up Comedy
Our special guest is Wayne Federman author of the new book: The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain to Dave Chappelle.
Wayne's impressive creds include Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Larry Sanders Show, …
00:52:28 |
Fri 19 May 2023
Jackie Mason & Caddyshack 2
As a tribute to the great Jackie Mason - who passed away this weekend - we have a reprise of our episode on Caddyshack 2. Jackie starred in the movie - which has the notoriety of being the worst sequ…
00:44:47 |
Mon 26 Jul 2021
Rick Overton and Set List
Legendary comedian Rick Overton joins us to talk comedy. Rick's IMDB page is the size of a phone book; which includes Beverly Hills Cop, playing Matt Damon's boss in Steven Soderbergh's, The Informan…
00:50:21 |
Fri 16 Jul 2021
CH101 Select: Abbie Hoffman and The Second City
From the archives: Sasha Baron Cohen plays activist Abbie Hoffman in the Netflix film, The Trial of the Chicago 7.
As seen in the film, by day, Hoffman was in the courtroom - fighting conspiracy cha…
00:32:52 |
Fri 09 Jul 2021
CH101 Select: Comedy After 9/11
To bookend the pandemic, we have a CH101 reprise on comedy helping to deal with tragic events.
We look at comedy right directly after 9/11. They said irony was dead - but comedy help us pull through …
00:45:41 |
Fri 18 Jun 2021
Comedy Central's Origin Story
Our guest is Art Bell; the man who pitched the idea that became Comedy Central. Art was also the head of programming at the network.
We do a deep dive into the origin of such iconic shows as Mystery …
01:03:02 |
Fri 11 Jun 2021
CH101 Select: Obama's Joke Writer: David Litt
From the archives: I talk to David Litt- former head joke writer for President Obama. We dive into what made Obama funny in the Oval Office; and contrast that to Trump's vastly different sense of pre…
00:42:38 |
Mon 07 Jun 2021
CH101 Select: Dick Gregory: From Comedian to Activist
From the archives: In 1961, Dick Gregory was the first African American comedian to headline a white club.
A pioneer in the world of stand-up comedy, Gregory's material mocked the bigotry and racism …
00:33:00 |
Tue 01 Jun 2021
Wayne Federman and the History of Stand Up Comedy
Our special guest is Wayne Federman author of the new book: The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain to Dave Chappelle. Wayne's impressive creds include Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Larry Sanders Show, …
00:53:34 |
Fri 14 May 2021
CH101 Select: Comedians, The Mob, and the Copacabana
From Our Archives: Remember in Goodfellas when mobster Henry Hill took his date, Karen, to The Copacabana? That was pretty true to form. The mob actually owned the legendary club. We saw this recentl…
00:48:33 |
Fri 07 May 2021
CH101 Select: Slipping on a Banana Peel
From the Archives: Since the beginning of the 20th century, slipping on a banana peel has been a comedy trope. We’ve seen such legendary silent comedians as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Llo…
00:51:12 |
Fri 08 Jan 2021
(Pt 4) John Belushi: The Sad Final Years
We conclude our 4-part series on John Belushi - with his sad final years. This involves the film disaster, Neighbors - and what happened the night he died at the Chateau Marmont.
Ending on a good not…
00:54:23 |
Wed 30 Dec 2020
(PT 3) John Belushi: Making of the Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers is one of the most iconic screen comedies of all time. The movie held the record for the amount of cars destroyed - and actually had a budget for cocaine. That's why production was…
00:52:04 |
Mon 21 Dec 2020
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are the property of Harmon Leon. This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by eachpod.com.