Wednesday is the 85th birthday of the great comedian and actor, Shelley Berman. (Wikipedia says he'll be 84. That'll teach you to listen to Wikipedia. Shelley will be 85 tomorrow.)
Shelley came out of improvisational comedy and revolutionized stand-up comedy. In his case, it was usually sit-down comedy. He'd park himself on a stool and engage the audience with sharp observations and engrossing scenes. His first record album, Inside Shelley Berman, is one of the best comedy recordings ever done and he spawned a legion of imitators, not a one of whom came close to being as funny or incisive. And amazingly, at his age, he's still funny and incisive, which may explains why he's still working all the time.
I've had the honor to work with Shelley once and to get to know him a little as part of a group to which I belong, a social group of comedians and comedy writers called Yarmy's Army. I've been meaning to write a little about Yarmy's Army and I will, one of these days soon. But among the perks of being a member is just being around Shelley. At our last meeting, he held the room riveted as he discussed his recent trip back to Chicago to participate in a reunion of his comedy alma mater, Second City.
Do you share my admiration for this man? Of course you do. Well, let's wish him a happy 85. If you're on Facebook, go to The Official Shelley Berman Facebook Page and post a birthday greeting to the man. I am assured he'll be reading the page this week and it would be great to fill it with well wishes, thereby bringing a smile to guy who's made so many smile…and laugh out loud.
Want an example? Here, courtesy of Shelley's webmaster of Shelley's website (where you'll find lots of great info about him and photos) is a clip of Shelley on an episode of Hollywood Palace that aired on November 21, 1964. He's introduced by Arthur Godfrey and he performs one of my favorite routines from Inside Shelley Berman. I've heard/seen this a couple hundred times and it still makes me laugh. See if it doesn't make you laugh…
