A time honored tradition that I had while growing up was watching movies with my Dad every Sunday afternoon. We’d each stretch out on our respective couches in the downstairs den and watch whatever the Sunday afternoon matinee or HBO had to offer. We must have watched hundreds of movies together over the years in that room. It was during these weekly session that I was introduced to the legendary comics of yesteryear…and grew to truly worship some of these people.

As I grew older and began to earn some scratch mowing lawns and doing chores, I began to pick up comedy albums from a slew of comedians both young and old. I’d put on my gigantic ’70s headphones and listen to them while doing my homework, giggling away.

In the ’80s when the popularity of stand-up comics appearing in comedy clubs from coast to coast – and almost always being offered their own TV show – brought more and more comedians to the forefront.

Well, here I am in my adult years and it’s been a long, long time since I’ve run across a newer comic that can consistently make me laugh. This only makes me yearn for the jokesters of times gone by to drop me another witty one-liner or bust my sides with one last routine…but it’s just not in the cards, apparently.

What, according to me, makes a great comedian? Funny you should ask…first and foremost, they must be witty. The ability to ad lib well factors in there quite a bit. Their abilities must transcend the ages – in other words, they should be able to make people laugh across several generations. Other factors include originality, intelligence, creativity and, of course, timing. I’d bet that the majority of comedians you see today owe a great deal of their inspiration from some of the people on this list.

After pondering the thousands of people I’ve witnessed in movies, TV shows, stand-up routines, record albums, etc…I’ve compiled my list of the top ten comedians of all time.

People who were considered but didn’t quite make the list include (alphabetically by first name): Adam Sandler, Bill Murray, Bob Hope, Charlie Chaplin, Chevy Chase, Dave Chappelle, David Letterman, Eddie Murphy, Gallagher, Harold Lloyd, Jack Benny, Jerry Lewis, John Witherspoon, Jonathan Winters, Marsha Warfield, Milton Berle, Red Skelton, Redd Foxx, Rich Little, Rodney Dangerfield, Sam Kinison, Steve Martin, The Three Stooges, Tim Conway, and Will Ferrell.

…but the winners are…

10. Laurel & Hardy

“Well, here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten me into…” Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were one of the most popular comedy teams of the early part of the 20th century, producing their best work throughout 1920s and 1930s. Stan, the skinny Englishman of the pair, and Ollie, the rotund American, were masters of physical and slapstick comedy. While typically I’m not a big fan of slapstick, Laurel & Hardy’s onscreen chemistry was incredible. Combining verbal gags into their physical comedy routines at the advent of sound in the movies, Laurel & Hardy rose to even newer heights as a duo. Ollie’s eye-rolls while Stan delivered his legendary whimpering would just not have been the same in the silent era. My all-time favorite scene between the two is from the 1930 short Blotto in which the pair believe they are drunk during the Prohibition era and begin laughing. It feels as if you are not watching a short any longer, but rather two dear friends getting caught up at their own laughter. Love these two.

9. George Carlin

The man most famous for his “seven dirty words” was the king of social commentary in comedy as far as I’m concerned. Holding NOTHING sacred, Carlin told it like it was with an uncanny cleverness over his career which spanned the better part of five decades. A purely verbal comic, Carlin’s routines brilliantly tackled – and leveled – everything from religion to politics. All in all I believe he made somewhere close to 30 HBO specials, my favorite being his 1986 special, “Playin’ With Your Head” in which he delivered a routine about what is and is not a sport that I still quote to this day. Carlin passed away in 2008 leaving a score of faithful fans saddened. Here’s to you, George… shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker and tits. For those of you that don’t understand, “those are the heavy seven. Those are the ones that’ll infect your soul, curve your spine and keep the country from winning the war.”

8. Steven Wright

I know I’ll take some lumps for placing Steven Wright above George Carlin, but to me it’s where he belongs. Wright’s material, delivered in his trademarked deadpan style, is the ONLY comedy material from anyone that reads as brilliantly as it does when he performed it live. The intellectualism and absurdity of his one-liners is what made him one of my favorite comedians of all time. With lines like “I had some eyeglasses – I was walking down the street when suddenly the prescription ran out” and “I lost a button hole” had me hooked early on. Dad and I would try to catch his HBO comedy special each and every time it was on in the mid-80s. I’ll never get the visual of the box of powdered water (what do you add?) out of my head. Taking us on a journey and then twisting it at the end to where you have to think to put the joke together was Wright’s brilliance…and lands him at the #8 spot on my list.

7. Bill Cosby

The Cos. Growing up, I enjoyed the cartoon Fat Albert very much…and discovering that Bill Cosby also did comedy albums made me want to get my hands on them even more. When I Was a Kid was, without a doubt, the first comedy routine that I memorized verbatim…including Cosby’s voice inflections. The man’s innocent genius has mesmerized generation after generation. I credit Bill Cosby with making me want to mimic voices, an oft-used device I’ve employed with my kids to garner laughter for almost two decades now. The highlight, to me, of Cosby’s career was his 1983 concert performance “Bill Cosby: Himself”. I still quote portions of this routine to this day. “Brain damage!”

6. Robin Williams

If I was asked to name the two fastest wits in the history of comedy, the person at #1 on this list would still be the tops with Robin Williams an extremely close second. Talk about a person with energy…Williams has it all. He’s incredibly intelligent, a brilliant storyteller and has at his disposal a plethora of voices that he can use to draw people into his routines. I grew up watching him on “Mork & Mindy” – where I got to see him alongside the most influential comic in his life, Jonathan Winters – but nothing tops his 1986 special “Robin Williams: Live at the Met”. The man was absolutely hilarious from beginning to end. While his movies as of late have left much to be desired, Robin will always be one of my favorite comedians.

5. Johnny Carson

Heeeeeeere’s Johnny…at the #5 spot. Talk about a class act. Carson, along with Carroll O’Connor, holds the distinction of being one of two celebrities whose death actually brought me to tears. For thirty years, Carson entertained the world on “The Tonight Show” and was one of the most beloved personalities TV has ever featured. If you don’t believe me, just listen to the audiences reaction when Carson made a surprise visit on David Letterman’s show after he’d retired. Carson’s ad libbing ability was legendary amongst his peers and I, along with millions of others, adored him for it. More than anyone else on this top ten list, Carson helped propel more comedians into the mainstream than anyone else in the history of comedy.

4. Don Rickles

Few people would ever believe that the sharp-tongued insult comic Don Rickles, who seemingly holds nothing sacred, is one of the nicest and most sincere people you could ever hope to meet…and that’s one of the traits that puts Rickles at the #4 spot on my list. Talk about having a mind as sharp as a tack. I saw Rickles (back when he was at an age of 70+, mind you) perform in Vegas and the man doesn’t miss a step. Here’s a man who can make us all laugh at ourselves while tossing out lines that hardly any one else can – or even would – dare to say aloud. From the every day man to the most powerful people alive, Rickles will call them out to their face and skewer them…and people come back for more. Watching Rickles do his thing takes me on a roller coaster ride that includes fits of laughter and, quite often, tears at the end when he truly tells his subject(s) how much he cares for and respects them. Of all the comedians on this list, he’s the one I’d most love to sit down with and have a conversation. RIckles is God as far as I’m concerned.

3. Richard Pryor

If you look up the word “cool” in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of Richard Pryor. One of the most outspoken and revolutionary comics in the field, Pryor broke all kinds of barriers in his standup acts while amassing a fan base that covered the globe. While my parents didn’t approve of the language he used in his act, I nonetheless HAD to continue to track down his comedy albums and kept them hidden in my Bill Cosby album covers, my personal favorite being his 1974 album That N*gger’s Crazy. Be it the characters he portrayed in his act or the no holds barred approach to tackling racism, Richard Pryor’s adeptness as a social critic and telling it like it really was is unsurpassed even to this day.

2. Benny Hill

Simply put, Benny Hill was brilliant…bawdy, but absolutely brilliant. One of a very few British comedians that I have ever found funny, Benny’s repertoire had it all — wry wit, double entendres, an ear for music which he used to tell stories and enough physical comedy to be universal. What impressed me the most about Benny as a comedian was that he was constantly writing and performing his own material in a multitude of styles including everything from pantomime to large musical numbers. Moreso than anyone else on this list, Benny was a consummate entertainer. He could sing, he could dance, he could act and, damn, could he tell risque stories. As I wrote in another post on this site, Benny Hill was the own most influential comic in helping me define my own sense of humor.

1. Groucho Marx

Ladies and gentlemen, the fastest wit in the entire history of comedy – and my undisputed #1 favorite comedian of all time – Groucho Marx. Part of the well-known Marx Brothers, Groucho singularly stands out as the premier comic in the group. After being the king of comedy for decades in films, Groucho found what I consider to be THE showcase for his talents years later when he was the host of the TV game show You Bet Your Life. Groucho, with only a mere glance and/or a raise of his eyebrows towards the live audience, could completely twist the meaning of what a contestant had just said. The #5 guy on my list borrowed heavily from this ability of Groucho’s. Marx’s legacy will live on for generations to come through his famous “Groucho Glasses”, synonymous with comedy and general silliness. Without a doubt, Groucho is the funniest comedian that the world will ever know in my book.

And there you have it…the ten comics that have made me laugh more so than all the others. Who are your top ten favorite funny people?