The Stand-Up Comedy Boom of the 1980s: Part One

From small, smoky nightclubs to prime time TV and Hollywood, stand-up comedy has gone through many iterations over more than a century. But it was in the 1980s when a true comedy boom took place. In part one of this two-part episode, we look back at the origins of stand-up comedy, going back to the days of Vaudeville, and then into the 50s and 60s when people like Jackie Gleason and Lucille Ball began to entertain millions.  Then, through the 60s and into the 70s, comedians like Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, and Richard Pryor took stand-up to the next level. But then, heading into the 80s, everything changes; the opening of some famous clubs, a comedy strike, and some of the most famous names of our time are about to take stand-up comedy to levels never seen before.  Subscribe to the Everything 80s Podcast so you don't miss out on Part two, where we look at some of those specific comedians that helped shape the 80s, the rise of sitcoms based around stand-ups, and how the comedy explosion spread throughout North America