Many years ago, I dated a lady who had a videotape I desperately wanted to copy but never did. It was a tape of about thirty Albert Brooks appearances, all done back in the days when he used to show up on talk shows with routines. Sometimes, they took the form of stand-up. Sometimes, he was sitting down with the host. They were always fresh and outrageously funny…and he rarely repeated. He'd do a bit once, get huge laughs with it…then retire it forever.
I used to watch the tape at her place when I went over to pick her up and she wasn't ready to leave. When she emerged, ready to head out to dinner or a show or whatever, she'd say, "How do I look?" Usually, when your date asks you that, you say "Great," because…well, if she doesn't, going back and putting on a different top is not going to make a bit of difference. With this lady, I used to say, "Uh, I don't think that's a good color for you," because I wanted to see the rest of whatever Albert Brooks routine I was watching. When we finally broke up, I thought of calling and asking her if I could take the tape out for an evening.
Our clip today is from Mr. Carson's Tonight Show…and the best part of it is watching Johnny's delight. He obviously had not seen Albert's routine in advance…though in that skillful way that neither Leno nor Letterman are able to do, he helped Brooks set up the premise of the bit and clarified it slightly to make sure the audience understood it. Here's Albert Brooks demonstrating his new kit that allows you to do impressions at home…
