American Comedy Box 1915-1994: But Seriously... [Box set]

American Comedy Box 1915-1994: But Seriously... [Box set]

Track Listings

Disc: 1
1. Uncle Josh in a Barber Shop - Cal Stewart
2. Cohen at the Telephone - Barney Bernard
3. Two Black Crows (Pt. 1) - Moran & Mack
4. Dr. Kronkite and His Only Living Patient - Smith & Dale
5. Sam and Henry at the Dentist's - Sam 'N' Henry
See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2
1. Hope in Russia [Excerpt] - Bob Hope
2. At the Hungry I [Excerpt] - Mort Sahl
3. Point of View; Ku Klux Klan - Lenny Bruce
4. New Year's Eve Bust - Dick Gregory
5. Wide Wide World of War - Committee
See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3
1. Morning After the Night Before - Shelley Berman
2. What It Was, Was Football - Andy Griffith
3. Chauffeur and the Professor - Jerry Clower
4. Bill Cosby Goes to a Football Game - Bill Cosby
5. N.Y. N.Y. ; L.A. L.A. - David Brenner
See all 10 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4
1. Funniest Woman in the World [Excerpt] - Moms Mabley
2. Astronaut - Bill Dana, Don Hinkley
3. 2000 and Two Year Old Man - Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner
4. Get a Horse/Lost - Rodney Dangerfield
5. Diet - Buddy Hackett
See all 13 tracks on this disc

American Comedy Box 1915-1994: But Seriously...,Various Artists,Rhino / Wea,10's,20's,30's,40's,50's,60's,70's,80's,90's,Blue Humor,Box Sets (Audio Only),Ethnic Comedy,Musical Comedy,Novelty,Observational Humor,Political Comedy,Pop,Satire,Sketch Comedy,Song Parody,Spoken / Comedy / Radio Shows,Spoken Word Comedy,Standup Comedy


American Comedy Box 1915-1994: But Seriously...
Average customer rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
  • Totally disappointing comedy box leaves 'em asking...
  • Memorable...but disappointing...
  • A Scholarly Sampling Of Comedy
American Comedy Box 1915-1994: But Seriously...
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
ComedyComedy | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
1910-19191910-1919 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
1920-19291920-1929 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
1940-19491940-1949 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
1930-19391930-1939 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
1960-19691960-1969 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
1950-19591950-1959 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
1970-19791970-1979 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
1980-19891980-1989 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
1990-19991990-1999 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Country ComedyCountry Comedy | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Shock ComedyShock Comedy | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Novelty MusicNovelty Music | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
1950s1950s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music
1960s1960s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music
1970s1970s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music
1980s1980s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music
1990s1990s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music
Broadway & MusicalsBroadway & Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Comedy & Spoken WordComedy & Spoken Word | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Rhino RecordsRhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000338N
Release Date: 1995-05-23

Tracks:

  1. Uncle Josh In A Barber Shop - Cal Stewart
  2. Cohen At The Telephone - Barney Bernard
  3. Two Black Crows (Part 1) - Moran & Mack
  4. Dr. Kronkite And His Only Living Patient - Smith & Dale
  5. Sam And Henry At The Dentist's - Sam 'N' Henry
  6. The Temperance Lecture - W.C. Fields
  7. Who's On First - Bud Abbott & Lou Costello
  8. Morgan On Wagner - Henry Morgan
  9. Komodo Dragon, Gabe Preston #1 - Bob Elliott & Ray Goulding
  10. Little Blue Riding Hood - Stan Freberg
  11. Pal-Yat-Chee (Pagliacci) - Spike Jones & His City Slickers
  12. Al 'N Yetta - Allan Sherman
  13. Pollution - Tom Lehrer
  14. The Impossible Dream (The Quest) - The Smothers Brothers
  15. Men - Martin Mull

Tracks:

  1. Hope In Russia - Bob Hope
  2. At The Hungry I - Mort Sahl
  3. Point Of View; Ku Klux Klan - Lenny Bruce
  4. New Year's Eve Bust - Dick Gregory
  5. Wide Wide World Of War - The Committee
  6. Stand By Your Dan - Capitol Steps
  7. The Best Of The Worst Of... - Henny Youngman
  8. An Assortment Of Yarns: Morris Of Arabia; Matzo Ball Soup; Cohen; Goldberg And Lipshitz... - Myron Cohen
  9. The Beauty Parlor - Phyllis Diller
  10. Joan Talks About....Rock Stars; Men Vs. Women - Joan Rivers
  11. Hitchiking - Steven Wright

Tracks:

  1. The Morning After The Night Before - Shelley Berman
  2. What It Was, Was Football - Andy Griffith
  3. The Chauffeur And The Professor - Jerry Clower
  4. Bill Cosby Goes To A Football Game - Bill Cosby
  5. N.Y.N.Y.; L.A.L.A. - David Brenner
  6. Football Comes To The University Of Chicago - The Second City
  7. Sister Mary Elephant - Cheech & Chong
  8. Catch It And You Keep It - National Lampoon
  9. 16 Golden Bits - The Credibility Gap
  10. Rewriting The National Anthem - Albert Brooks

Tracks:

  1. The Funniest Woman In The World... - Moms Mabley
  2. The Astronaut - Bill Dana, With Don Hinkley
  3. 2000 And Two Year Old Man - Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks
  4. Get A Horse; Lost - Rodney Dangerfield
  5. The Diet - Buddy Hackett
  6. Women In Paris - Redd Foxx
  7. Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television - George Carlin
  8. Civil Defense (No Talking) - Robert Klein
  9. Ugly Baby - Flip Wilson
  10. Washington Heights; Survival - Freddie Prinze
  11. Heart Attacks - Richard Pryor
  12. Mad At My Mother - Steve Martin
  13. Lorena Bobbitt - Robin Williams

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars Totally disappointing comedy box leaves 'em asking..........2007-02-23

RHINO really screwed up with THE AMERICAN COMEDY BOX.

The cover has a raised image in plastic of a pair of Groucho gag eyeglasses (with nose and mustache). But look inside the package-- there's not a Marx Brother to be found anywhere! An excerpt of one of Groucho's many 1940s radio appearances would have been most welcome here. Speaking of radio--

There's -nothing- from Burns & Allen, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Fred Allen or Fanny Brice-- vaudeville and radio stars all. So what do we get from that great comic medium? A lesser Stan Freberg single, a weak Henry Morgan track and two tepid Bob & Ray routines-- and that's IT. Oh-- and where are Jonathan Winters, Prof. Irwin Corey, Don Rickles, Bob Newhart, Pat Cooper, Rusty Warren, Don Adams and so many others? There's no Firesign Theater or P.D.Q. Bach on this album, either. So, why not???

A further problem are the tracks that ARE here. Smith & Dale were certainly "Pioneers," yet their recording isn't vintage-- it's the last one these old vaudevillians made, from the early 1960s. It seems that in the majority of other cases, better material was available. For instance, why an excerpt of 2000 AND TWO YEAR OLD MAN and not the original classic Brooks & Reiner routine? Why a Tom Lehrer song from 1965, instead of his great earlier stuff, or "Al 'N Yetta" rather than "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah"? ALL bad bad choices!

The guaranteed-to-disintegrate tabloid-style newspaper liner notes are a poor decision, too-- mine has already yellowed and frayed. Finally, why do the four CDs average only an hour each? For these reasons and more, THE AMERICAN COMEDY BOX could have been so much better! NOT recommended.

TOTAL RUNNING TIMES --
DISC ONE (Pioneers/Radio & The Movies/Musical Comedy) -- 59:47
DISC TWO (Political Humor/One-Liners) -- 48:04
DISC THREE (Storytellers/Sketches) -- 62:26
DISC FOUR (Characters/Stand-Ups) -- 60:51

3 out of 5 stars Memorable...but disappointing..........2002-04-25

Four CDs' worth of memorable moments from recorded comedy in the 20th Century. It can't help but be disappointing, at times, considering the breadth of material that could have been included, but one unforgivable flaw is that the CDs are simply not filled to capacity. (One disc is barely fifty minutes long, for example). Considering the asking price ..., this is inexcusable. That said, many great comics are represented (Lenny Bruce, Reiner and Brooks, Tom Lehrer, W.C. Fields, Shelley Berman, Spike Jones, Abbott and Costello, Allan Sherman, Bob and
Ray, Bill Cosby, George Carlin, the Credibility Gap and Steven Wright), as well as good to middling material from lesser lights. The liner notes (in the form of a mock newspaper--again with the chintz) are OK.

3 out of 5 stars A Scholarly Sampling Of Comedy.......2000-09-04

I had wanted this pricey CD box set for years. It was frankly, disappointing. Some of the recordings at the beginning, (they're listed chronologically), are of such poor quality that they're difficult to understand. Even though it was truly interesting listening to the individual styles, it's sort of a listen once then file it kind of deal. It's not something I'd listen to repeatedly or bring out at parties. I was also sorry to hear that many of the more recent entries have concepts or words that aren't appropriate for children to listen to, (i.e.Robin Williams' take on Lorena Bobbitt). It's not like Robin Williams has never worked clean and been funny at the same time.

On the more positive side, I learned a lot, both from the recordings and also from the extensive newspaper-style liner notes that accompany it. It also contains several comedy bits I remember having heard as a child in the 60's, such as those by the Smothers Brothers, Flip Wilson, and the classic "Who's On First" by Abbott & Costello. Okay, all things considered I guess I'm not sorry I bought it. It brought back memories, and allowed me to share some of them with my neice and nephew.
The American Comedy Box (But Seriously)1915-1994 Vol 1
Average customer rating: Not rated
    The American Comedy Box (But Seriously)1915-1994 Vol 1
    Various Artists
    Manufacturer: Rhino
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD
    ASIN: B000SHYO7K

    Product Description

    Playlist: Pioneers: 1.Cal Stewart-Uncle Josh in a barber shop 2.Barney Bernard-Cohen at the telephone 3.Moran & Mack-two Black Crows Part 1 4.Smith & Dale-Dr.Kronkite and his only living patient Radio & The Movies: 5.Sam 'N' Henry-Sam and Henry at the dentist 6.W.C. Fields-The Temperance Lecture 7.Bud Abbott & Lou Costello-Who's on First 8.Henry Morgan-Morgan on Wagner 9.Bob Elliot & Ray Goulding-Komodo Dragon,Gabe Preston #1 10.Stan Freberg- Little Blue Riding Hood Musical Comedy 11.Spike Jones & His City Slickers vocal: Homer & Jethro assisted by Sir Frederic Gas- Pal Yat Chee (Pagliacci) 12.Allan Sherman-Al 'N Yetta 13.Tom Lehrer -Pollution 14.The Smothers Brothers-The Impossible Dream (The Quest) 15.Martin Mull-Men
    The American Comedy Box 1915-1994 (But Seriously) Vol.3
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      The American Comedy Box 1915-1994 (But Seriously) Vol.3
      Various Artists
      Manufacturer: Rhino
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD
      ASIN: B000SJE4WI

      Product Description

      Playlist: Storytellers: 1.Shelley Berman-The morning after the night before 2.Andy Griffith-What it was,was football 3.Jerry Clower-The Chauffeur and the Professor 4.Bill Cosby- Bill Cosby goes to a football game 5.David Brenner-N.Y. N.Y.L.A. L.A. Sketches: 6.The Second City-Football comes to the University of Chicago 7.Cheech & Chong- Sister Mary Elephant 8.National Lampoon -Catch it and you keep it 9.The Credibility Gap-16 Golden bits 10.Albert Brooks-Rewriting the National Anthem

      Mexican Music:

      1. As American as Apple Pie [Enhanced]
      2. Bootlegging Apples on the Road to Redemption
      3. British Invasion, Vol. 2 [Enhanced] [Karaoke]
      4. Caught in the Act
      5. Cheech & Chong [Explicit Lyrics]
      6. Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album
      7. Class Clown [Explicit Lyrics]
      8. Classic Male Standards [Enhanced] [Karaoke]
      9. Comic Relief V [Explicit Lyrics]
      10. Cosby and the Kids [Live]

      Mexican Music

      mexican music

      Mexican Music

      Fantasea

      Mieczyslaw Karlowicz: Eternal Songs

      Kool Jazz Live From Midem [Live]

      Music CD: Manzana [Import]

      Le Grand Docu-Soap [Import]

      Hambre

      Magic Disney [Import]

      Leifs: Dettifoss, Organ Concerto, etc / Shao, Iceland SO

      Lost Train of Thought

      Kamasutra

      Live in Concert [Import] [Live]

      Live in Europe 1979

      Latino Romantico [Import]

      The Gospel Sound

      King of the Blues