Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s

In the late 1950s, a fresh, unconventional style of standup comedy emerged in sharp contrast to the standard "Take my wife, please" approach. It tackled such previously taboo subjects as sex, religion, drugs, and politics, and ushered in an avant-garde era of comedy that was decidedly more cerebral, satirical, and improvisational than before. Here are many of the maverick comedians who took those big risks years ago and paved the way for today’s current crop of outrageous, in-your-face comics. Many of these rare television performances have not been seen in 30 or 40 years. Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks (1966) Jackie Mason (1961) Bob Newhart (1966) Shelly Berman (1966) Bill Cosby (1965) Jonathan Winters (1961) Smothers Brothers (1974) Steve Martin (1977) Rowan & Martin (1964) Lily Tomlin (1975) George Carlin (1967 & 1975) Richard Pryor (1967 & 1974) Andy Kaufman (1977) Hendra & Ullett (1966) Billy Crystal (1976) Jay Leno (1978) David Letterman (1979)

Bill Cosby

Self (archive footage)

Steve Martin

Self (archive footage)

Lily Tomlin

Self (archive footage)

Mel Brooks

Self (archive footage)

Jackie Mason

Self (archive footage)

Bob Newhart

Self (archive footage)

Carl Reiner

Self (archive footage)

Shelley Berman

Self (archive footage)

Jonathan Winters

Self (archive footage)

George Carlin

Self (archive footage)

Richard Pryor

Self (archive footage)

Andy Kaufman

Self (archive footage)

Billy Crystal

Self (archive footage)

Jay Leno

Self (archive footage)

David Letterman

Self (archive footage)

Dan Rowan

Self (archive footage)

• Dante J. PuglieseExecutive Producer

Release date

April 10, 2007

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

2h

Genres

Comedy, Documentary