Comedy Talks Speaker Series: Carol Channing, Rich Little and Steve Rossi

Every young comedian should have been there
Robert Strong and Juliana Gallin launched “Comedy Talks” speaker series this summer at University of San Francisco’s “Presentation Theater.” Thank goodness they did! These legends are national treasures and experienced teachers, all of whom are still going strong. “Comedy Talks” captured the interaction, wisdom, artistry and fun of Carol Channing, Rich Little and Steve Rossi on film, too, for generations to come. The good news is that there is one more show, this Sunday, Aug. 15, with Robert Morse, Shelley Berman and Will Durst.

Last Sunday’s performance of “Comedy Talks” was punctuated with standing ovations for the three stars. The show’s format was perfect for showcasing these comedy legends and giving the audience a full view of their motivations, hard work and insights through decades of comedy. Stories abounded.

Strong did a phenomenal job of guiding the vibrant stars’ discourse (which was a lot like herding cats). Strong and Gallin hope to tour “Comedy Talks” nationally, as well as to produce a television show.

As a nation, we need “Comedy Talks.” America is terribly youth-fixated and we’re missing out. Collectively, we don’t really value the experience and wisdom of age. We call people who have lived awhile “old,” but nothing could be further from the truth. What I witnessed at “Comedy Talks” last Sunday was anything but “old.” It was inspiring, refreshing, beautiful, the pure art of comedy at its finest, most poignant and nourishing. Every young comedian should have been there to absorb the collective wisdom, love, candor and fun.The chemistry of the three performers was perfect — delightful, hilarious, affectionate and playful.

Oh, the stories!
Steve Rossi, 82, of the famed “Allen & Rossi” comedy duo walked on stage and said, “If you think I look good now, you ought to have seen me alive.” When Strong asked Rich Little whether he had any great stories about San Francisco, he replied, “It’s a great little city, if they ever get it finished.”

Delightful stories flowed the entire time. David Letterman gave Rich Little the title, “Dean of Impersonators.” Stories about Ed Sullivan came up repeatedly, as his penchant for getting names wrong, his quirky lack of paying attention to the details and his creative problem solving made for good stories. For example, Sullivan commented after Little’s impersonation of Judy Garland, “Now there’s a fellow to remember, Little Richard!” Little’s impersonation of Sullivan was priceless.

Never too late for love
Channing met her husband, Harry Kullijian, when she was twelve and he was thirteen in 1929 in the middle of the Great Depression. They stopped dating, though, and it took 70 years for them to meet again.

A friend called Channing and said, “I’m reading your book [‘Just Lucky I Guess: A Memoir of Sorts’] where you met your first love.” He asked Channing if she would like to see Kullijian again. The friend arranged it and two weeks later, they were married at his home.

Kullijian had been married for sixty years before. He told this writer at the V.I.P. reception after the show that he told Channing, “My first marriage of sixty-years prepared me for you.” Kullijian also said, “Carol has such a sweet innocence. That’s why I liked her when we were kids. You won’t find a more innocent, sweet person.”

The show must go on
Other interesting things came out, such as the fact that, in a span of thirty-years, Channing never missed a performance. The only time she missed half a performance was in Kalamazoo when she had food poisoning. She was throwing up on stage during her performance and the stage manager called the ambulance to come get her.

“You never get your mind off the audiences. You don’t do it for yourself. You do it for them, to lift them, not to lift yourself.” – Carol Channing

April Fool’s day
At the outset of his career, Little did a Toronto radio show on April Fool’s day impersonating different celebrities. He did the morning show as Elvis and reported the news as David Brinkley. For the afternoon show, he impersonated Ed Sullivan. Listeners came to the station from far and wide to meet these celebrities, only to find Little. When he explained to them that the voices of Elvis, David Brinkley and Ed Sullivan were all his, the crowd booed him.

On stage after the Beatles
Rossi told about the time he was on “The Ed Sullivan Show” with the Beatles. After the Beatles performed their set, Sullivan asked Rossi to get out there and sing Granada. He told Sullivan that no one was going to listen to him sing Granada after the Beatles. The Beatles’ fans were still screaming. No one could hear a thing. Sullivan assured him that everything would be all right. Rossi got out there and sang Granada. The Beatles fans yelled, “Boo, you stink! Bring back the Beatles!”

Mae West and Rossi
Rossi met Mae West in 1953 when he was twenty-years old. She introduced herself, “I’m Mae West. Have you heard of me?” to which he replied, “No.” West renamed Rossi from “Joseph Charles Michael Tafarella” to “Steve Rossi” so there’d be room on the billboard for her name.

Ronald Reagan
Little’s favorite president of all time — and one of his favorite persons — was Ronald Reagan. Little was late to a luncheon at the White House. When he arrived, Reagan was talking to the press. The invasion of Granada was taking place at the time. When Reagan saw Little, he said, “You do me better than I do. You take over. I’m going to go get a sandwich.” And he left! So, Little fielded questions as Reagan. He saw Reagan watching the whole thing from behind a door. Reagan gave him two thumbs up.

“It’s interesting with political humor, because you can’t be too cutting. You gotta walk a fine line . . . With Nixon, I had a field day. Nixon was born to be impersonated.” — Rich Little

Surprise
Channing found out on the stage at “Comedy Talks” that Little did an impersonation of her, too. He impersonated Channing singing “Hello, Dolly,” adding in Louie Armstrong. Then he put the mic up to Carol and she finished the song. Channing commented that Little sounded just like her father.

When you can’t do it
Channing asked a friend, “Why did you miss your show?” Her friend replied that she had had a cold. Channing told her, “You just missed your very best performance.”

“When I’m so sick — I had ovarian cancer for awhile — that’s my best show. When you can’t do it, you reach for the heavens.” — Carol Channing

Advice for young comedians
“Don’t tell anybody you’re going to do it. Don’t talk about it. Just do it.” says Channing. “Everybody wants to be on the stage, don’t they? It’s only human.”

Rossi said, “You have to be qualified to do it. I’d recommend to young comedians that they don’t work dirty. If they work clean, they have the opportunity for a broader audience. If it’s dirty, it’s dirty. You have to go out with clean, decent material.”

“Some comics mistake a shock-laugh for a laugh,” said Channing.

Regarding how to handle hecklers, Rossi said, “Don’t let it throw you. Don’t get annoyed, because it doesn’t go over well. Hecklers are people who have had too much to drink or they think it’s a two-way thing. You cannot be antagonistic and cannot make it worse. Disarm them with good comedy and good lines.”

“Comedy is a real art. Comedy is no laughing matter.” — Steve Rossi

Cecilia
One of the highlights of the show was Channing’s piece as “Cecilia,” star of silent screen who was desirous to be in “talking pictures.” Alas, poor Cecilia whistled with every ess! Channing was hilarious.

The perfect show
When Strong asked Rossi, “Do you know when you’ve hit the perfect show?” Rossi replied, “Yes, tonight.”

I agree. And I’m confident in saying that I bet everyone else who had the good fortune to be at “Comedy Talks” last Sunday would agree. There are still tickets available for this Sunday’s show. Tell them you’re a friend of Jennifer Gordon and you’ll get $10 off the ticket price. And, if you can swing it, splurge to go to the V.I.P. reception afterward, held in a classroom on campus. It’s informal, intimate and fun and the stars are wonderfully present and accessible. You can purchase your tickets at ComedyTalks.

To see more spectacular pictures of this event, click here to go to Steven Hellon Photography’s site.

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