sorryless

Chasing Rushmore: Women’s Edition!

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So me and Q were having a beer debate on favorite all time female comedians, and it was feeling every bit the same way as when you go shopping at Target. Yanno . . . you go in for a travel sized toiletries bag and some condoms, and you walk out with a High Def TV, a six month supply of cheesecake bites and Joanna Gaines’s cell number? You know exactly what I’m talking about . . unless you were born yesterday. In Canada.

The debate as per the funniest female on the planet runs longer than a red carpet show on the planet Venus. And truth be told, I’ve always been a fool for the the double X chromosome way of doing funny business. There is nothing quite like a dame who can steal the keys to your smile. And the double down comes when she cashes in your smile for a laugh that hurtles the planet Mars.

If you were wondering what a ‘beer debate’ is all about . . it’s really quite simple. Drink beers whilst texting a favorite comrade, and then throw a fun and sexy debate into the mix. I assure you, it beats the hell out of most any other debate you’re ever gonna involve yourself in.

So we debated our Mount Rushmore of female comedians as I was venturing into the first couple minutes of The Long, Long Trailer on TCM, with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. If you’ve never seen it, get to stepping . . like right now. Because it’s an hour and forty three minutes worth of the most wonderful science experiment known to humankind. These two kids from different sides of a ninety mile train track worth of oceans, they were a brilliant complication whose arrangement nested into our hearts and stayed put.

So Lucille Ball is my George Washington of a Mount Rushmore arrangement of female comedians. Q had no problema with that assessment. What’s not to love? Lucy was sexy and beautiful with comedic timing that could have talked Dante Alighieri into writing the best Goddamn sitcom ever.

So from those heights, we chiseled out some more of this rock of funny sages and we came to an agreement on Carol Burnett (That was Q’s get). Burnett’s comedy skits were of an age that hasn’t even arrived here quite yet. She introduced me to the kind of drug I’ve been in the market for ever since.

We arrived at the intermezzo with one hell of a situation on our hands. Because the talent that was spilling out of our texts was akin to a garden hose inside the dog days of summer.

Next up, I went for Ellen. Because I remember some of her early stuff, before she got ABC. And lemme tell you, I would have been her groupie if that had been her thing. No questions asked. She hit me that way. Hard and sublimely. I still quiver, yeah . . it’s like that. But man, the brilliance of her stand up act was worth a mighty intoxicating platter.

So here we stood, ninety feet from home plate with a harem of laugh makers that had to be cut. Which is why you choose beer for such a debate, kids. For the hops it gifts you.

We had Joan Rivers, whose balls were mighty and whose sacred cows were always missing in action; because she spared no one and nothing, ever. And damn if that isn’t what comedy is supposed to feel like. There was Tina Fey, whose politics were so fucking smart that she made you feel as if she was swimming three olives inside a perfectly constructed martini. And so what if Amy Schumer can’t be political to save her life? She does everything else spot on, including vagina (pun intended).

Lily Tomlin is first ballot Hall of Fame, and if you go with her . . you gotta bring Bette Midler along, because she is mirror image (Big Business reference). And speaking of mirror besties, you can’t leave Vicki Lawrence out of the Carol Burnett discussion if you stayed up to watch those two light up the screen. And if you were of that certain age, you watched Betty White, Phyllis Diller and Mary Tyler Moore do the same damned bit of wonderful. And then you watched Goldie Hawn make fun of the armed services without so much as a trip to the President’s office.

And of that certain age, when Saturday night at home wasn’t a complete waste of time because of SNL . . you remember Jane Curtin and Gilda Radner. Mightily. After which Amy Poehler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Kristin Wiig did the seats just fine.

And Whoopi did stand-up with the kind of hold you can’t teach, and then she doubled down on a cinematic career whose carom made Ghost one of the best movies. Ever. And there is Kathy Griffin, who seems a bit lost in space excepting for those NYE installments with her girlfriend Anderson (They are one of my favorite couples). But she is still all that, when she’s not beheading Trump. And speaking of women who don’t need a dude prop, Melissa McCarthy. Why she ever did that sitcom with the unfunny guy? I’ll never understand.

So me and Q debated ourselves into one last round as Lucy and Ricky gave way to Bing Crosby in Top ‘O The Morning before Q hit oil with a winner.

Wanda Sykes. Of course.

The gal throws the kind of heat that will leave you shuddering. She has worked with so many of the very biggest in the biz; from Larry David and Eddie Murphy, to Chris Rock and Homer Simpson. And her talent never played second fiddle, to any of ’em. You just can’t upstage a five alarm fire such as hers. And not for nothing, but she’s a masterful comedic writer to boot. Signed. Sealed and delivered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

109 thoughts on “Chasing Rushmore: Women’s Edition!”

  1. Let’s boot Schumer because vagina and penis humor is the easiest to manufacture and add in Tig Notaro, a woman who can drag a stool across a stage for 10 minutes and it’s hilarious.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. B,

    It was a hoot and a half to help you out with this list. I think you could have easily had a threesome of posts and still only touched on a few of these comedic belles!

    Obviously, I can’t complain about the list, having been privy to the creation hereof… I may, however, have to take objection to that Canadian comment which was unnecessary. Coz, for that blink of an eye when we had Tarjay here, we did have that issue of coming out with way more stuff then we planned, going in – as happens with Costco and Wallyworld… ‘course you also know I am totally teasing here.

    Q

    Liked by 1 person

    • Q,

      You’re right, it could have gone on for several more posts. But I really dig the fact that it was just this one AND there was disagreement as to the choices. It’s so much more interesting that way.

      Wait . . . I made a Canadian comment? No. Way!

      No, it’s true. Peeps go into Target for toothpaste and they end up having to take out a second mortgage to cover all the (mostly needless) shit they buy, LOL.

      Muchisimas gracias for the assistance on this one. I paid for my night of merriment . . ugh!

      B

      Liked by 1 person

      • I must agree… said we could have but glad it was limited to this one so that we could argue our choices!

        Way.

        Same with all those big box stores. The way I see it, only way NOT to do that? To go sans cart. Only take that which you can carry… 😉

        Was lots of fun – and I am still paying for the afternoon/evening of merriment! Just got back from a surprise birthday get-together at a bar and had. Water. (Mind you, had supper with a girlfriend which involved one hops-related beverage – but that was sufficient.)

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I don’t remember how it happened — but some time in the last year or two I found my self watching The Long Long Trailer. I don’t think I saw the whole thing, but I do remember thinking “you can’t possibly be serious. They made this movie?!?!” It’s one of those movies that is just so ridiculous, it’s funny.

    As for your song of choice .. my older son, when he was about 4 years old, loved to sing that song.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Ball, Burnett, Ellen, & Tomlin hands down – but I want to know how you got Joanna Gaines’ cell phone number? Meanwhile, still sweating after watching Shania over and over on full screen.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Just when I thought this post couldn’t get any better, you hit me with one of my favorite Twain songs. Made me want to sign up for a sex change. (Well, just being dramatic) Anyway, I think all of the selections had their moments. What decides the best of the best for me is how much my brain hurts after a performance. I can’t explain it, but that nod goes to Tina Fey. She kills me even in the commercial bits. Ellen is second. Excellent job, Marc and Dale.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I’m weigh’in since I know lots on this topic. Yes, Lucy is Queen. No argument there. But you left out so many greats like Elayne Boosler and Rita Ruther. Two great comedy writers the likes of an Amy Schumer who couldn’t shine their pumps. Actress wise,Jean Harlow was pretty funny along with her close pal, Carole Lombard. I liked early Joan Rivers before she went QVC along with getting her face simonized like a hubcap. Joy Behar was a great stand-up before she got The View. Paula Poundstone, another underrated Chica to use your word. And my favorite who kinda slipped away, Margaret Smith, who told one of my all time favorite jokes: She’s seated at a bar when a guy says, hey cupcake, can I buy ya a drink? And she says, no, but I’ll take the 3 bucks. You can see how old a joke it is. 😴

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Glad you got Phyllis in there. I saw Rita Rudner in Vegas once and she was not only funny, but classy. As your “George” (Lucy) shows, humor doesn’t have to be raunchy to make you ROFL.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. You guys…hope you enjoyed a nice raspberry wheat or IPA whilst going back and forth. All I can say is…’sock it to me, sock it to me, sock. it. to. me! Seeing Goldie on Laugh-In and remembering all that silliness just makes me smile. Jo Anne Worley, Ruth Buzzi, Lily Tomlin, Judy Carne, what a cast! And the guys weren’t too bad either.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. #1 Lucille Ball – Her cough syrup and candy factor sketch can still bring me to tears.
    #2 Ellen – she makes mundane conversations funny.
    #3 Paula Poundstone – when she was drinking cuz that shit was funny! And I like drunks!
    #4 It’s a toss-up – Tina, Amy, Wanda all good choices. How about Betty White, not a stand-up comedian, but damn she’s funny.

    And Target – Right!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Veggie Vita! Those two are my favorites!

      I love how Ellen does that. She makes it look so easy too.

      You happen to be correct on this one.

      Betty White is a great get. I would agree.

      Booyah!

      Liked by 1 person

  11. I think Lucille Ball would top most lists but I’m also a big fan of Gilda Radner and Ellen. They never disappoint. Joan River and Phyllis Diller are not from this time but they are timeless and Carol Burnett has to be there somewhere.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Gilda was one of a kind. And gone much too soon. I remember Rivers and Diller quite well, and you’re right on.
      Burnett had some skits on her show that STILL make me belly laugh.

      Liked by 1 person

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