Comedian Alan King Dies

COMEDIAN ALAN KING DIES. Subtitle: Death of a transitional comic revolutionary: The death of comedian Alan King at 76 due to lung cancer is another sad indication of a rapidly changing of the generational guard, as a noble and classy generation exits the stage.

Modern comedians owe a huge debt to King since he was far more than his often swaggering stage persona revealed — and he played a pivotal role in America's comedians' history.

You can read the full obit/bio of the man born Irwin Alan Kniberg here. And when you read it, you can see how his career included everything from New York's talent-fostering borscht-belt resorts, the era of Jewish-dominated stand-up comedy, television vaudeville (otherwise known as variety) shows, the comedy club era (he was a big role model), films, performances before England's royal family, cable television, Las Vegas and Broadway.

The Moderate Voice remembers King's always smash performances on TV, recounted by the New York Times here:

Mr. King became especially well known through his 56 appearances — only the Italian puppet mouse Topo Gigio and the Canadian comedy team Wayne and Schuster had more — on "The Ed Sullivan Show" during the 1950's and 60's and his frequent guest-host appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

He'd appear outraged, talk about family or modern day annoyances, be impeccably dressed in suit and tie, often clutching a cigar, and have a look on his face that could only be described as dismay peppered with a dose of nausea at the absurdities and outrages swirling around him. But it wasn't a threatening he's-gonna-punch-me-anger...but a common sensical anger.

Indeed, audiences saw King so much they seemingly took it for granted that his style and schtick had always been that way.

Not true.

In his superb book Seriously Funny Gerald Nachman chronicles King, as well as other "Rebel Comedians of the 1950s and 1960s." He writes:

Article Author: Joe Gandelman

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