The Paragon of Comedy

A Hollywood talent agency tries to avoid finacial ruin by getting its best clients on the air.

With their golden era long behind them, comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy embark on a variety hall tour of Britain and Ireland. Despite the pressures of a hectic schedule, and with the support of their wives Lucille and Ida – a formidable double act in their own right – the pair's love of performing, as well as for each other, endures as they secure their place in the hearts of their adoring public

Children's musical based on Grimm's fairy tale of The Frog-King. A young girl learns how to be a good friend and princess with the help of a "tall frog."

A fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger inspires Pee-wee Herman to take his first-ever holiday.

An all-star revue featuring MGM contract players.

In this amiable Columbia B musical, society girl Ann Miller escapes her Back Bay family by performing in the chorus line in a burlesque house. But trouble starts when her boss (William Wright) decides to build her up as a star. One of the many bread-and-butter Columbia productions graced by the contributions of Cole’s in-house dance studio. Cole dances behind Miller in “I’m Gonna See My Baby.” --Museum of Modern Art

An evil business executive is releasing dangerous toxins and the Barbarian Brothers set out to stop his evil work.

When Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks stepped onstage for the first time to perform their now-legendary skit "The 2000 Year Old Man," they turned live comedy on its head with their irreverent, cutting-edge humor. Done in animated style, catch the dynamic duo riffing on everything from Robin Hood to Saran Wrap in this crowd-pleasing performance as straight-man Reiner interviews a centuries-old Brooks, who shares his wickedly funny musings and opinions with the usual aplomb.

Pee-wee Herman and pals are celebrating Christmas in the Playhouse in their own creative ways: Pee-wee makes a list for Santa Claus 1 1/2 miles long, teaches Little Richard how to ice skate, goes for a sleigh ride with Magic Johnson, commands Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello to make Christmas cards, receives a long phone call from Dinah Shore, even has more musical fun with k.d. lang, the Del Rubio Triplettes and Charo! Finally, Big Red arrives and announces that Pee-wee's Christmas list was so big, he didn't have enough presents for all the children of the world. Will Pee-wee follow his own advice and help others?

A whiskey-fueled writing assignment takes one man on an epic motorcycle road trip through the bars and taverns across the American West. Riding a 1960 BMW R60/2, the journey leads Sanders from the red rock deserts of Arizona and Utah north to the mountains of Montana. With help of fellow traveler and sage, Northway and a variety of other colorful characters along the way, Sanders gets learns the way of the road and the zen of the bar.

An adult-oriented version of what would eventually become an award-winning children's classic. This version of the show features Pee-wee's playhouse and many of the characters of the later series, but with adult and sexual overtones and jokes including "mirror shoes" and others.

Filmed for CBS in 1993, this unaired pilot features the witch Elvira, her aunt, and their pet cat welcoming a long-lost niece into their new Kansas home and contending with a couple of overzealous cops.

A series of 19 musical and comedy "vaudeville" sketches presented in the form of a live television broadcast hosted by Tommy Handley (as himself).

Mitzi Gaynor opens her second special with a dazzling performance of "Let Go." Additional songs include "Poor Papa," and "What'll I Do." She welcomes guest star Ross Martin (The Wild, Wild, West) for a musical-comedy spoof of Gone with the Wind. Other comedy skits include Mitzi as "The Kid" describing a school recital, and as a Hungarian Gypsy performing "Those Were the Days."

Aubri Callahan is an aspiring comedian and ghost writer for Bella Delmonico, acclaimed stand up comic and owner of the Vista Theater. Performing at the Vista is a key step on the way to stardom and despite her natural talent, Aubri patiently waits for her time to shine, writing jokes for Bella in the shadows of the comedic giants that came before her. When The Vista Theater Variety Show lands in Aubri’s lap she must plan the whole event and find a headliner all before Christmas eve, just three weeks away.

The Amanda Show is an American live action sketch comedy and variety show that aired on Nickelodeon from October 16, 1999 to September 21, 2002. It starred Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, and Nancy Sullivan, along with several performing artists who came and left at different points, such as John Kassir, Raquel Lee, and Josh Peck. The show was a spin-off from All That, in which Bynes had co-starred for several years. The show was unexpectedly cancelled at the end of 2002, according to creator Dan Schneider's blog. Writers for the show included John Hoberg, Steven Molaro, Andrew Hill Newman, and Dan Schneider. Two years after the end of The Amanda Show, Dan Schneider created a new series, called Drake & Josh, featuring Drake Bell, Josh Peck and Nancy Sullivan.

This colorful series leads preschoolers room to room through a fantastical dollhouse of delightful mini-worlds and irresistible kitty characters.

Hee Haw was an American variety show featuring a mixture of country music and comedy skits. Co-hosted by Buck Owens and Roy Clark for most of the series, the show also guested well-established country music stars including Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. Originally airing on CBS from 1969 to 1971, the show ran for over 20 years in syndication until 1993.

Pee-wee's Playhouse is an American children's television program starring Paul Reubens as the childlike Pee-wee Herman.

The show where everything's made up and the points don't matter. Not a talk show, not a sitcom, not a game show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a completely unique concept to network television. Four talented actors perform completely unrehearsed skits and games in front of a studio audience. Host Drew Carey sets the scene, with contributions from the audience, but the actors rely completely on their quick wit and improvisational skills. It's genuinely improvised, so anything can happen - and often does.

A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.

The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963 to 1967 on Wednesday nights. Directed by Robert Scheerer, the show premiered in black-and-white, but later switched to color broadcasts. At the time, Kaye was at the height of his popularity, having starred in a string of successful films in the 1940s and '50's, made successful personal appearances at such venues as the London Palladium, and appeared many times on television. His most recent films had been considered disappointing, but the television specials he starred in were triumphant, leading to this series. Prior to his television and film career, Kaye had made a name for himself with his own radio show, and numerous other guest appearances on other shows.

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, presents low-budget scary movies and provides sarcastic, campy commentary.

"The Birthday Boys" is a scripted original sketch comedy, executive produced by Bob Odenkirk ("Breaking Bad", "Mr. Show") and Ben Stiller ("The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", "Zoolander"). The series features the Los Angeles comedy group of the same name (UCB Theatre Los Angeles, Just for Laughs Festival) along with Odenkirk and is in the classic vein of absurd/silly/smart/funny variety shows ("Mr. Show", Monty Python), featuring sketches that twist real-life moments and cultural touchstones.

Within comedy circles, Maya Rudolph and Martin Short are considered two of the best sketch performers in the business. This series will feature sketches that spoof current events, celebrities and topical trends, as well as musical performances.

The Great American Dream Machine was a weekly satirical variety television series, produced in New York City by WNET and broadcast on PBS from 1971 to 1973. The program was hosted by humorist and commentator Marshall Efron. The show centered around skits and satirical political commentary. The hour and a half long show usually contained at least seven different current event topics. In the second season, the show was trimmed down to an hour. Other notable cast members included Chevy Chase. Contributors included Albert Brooks and Andy Rooney. Some of the skits would later be revamped for the movie The Groove Tube. There were also occasional short films presented on the show, most of them "experimental" or documentaries about artistic endeavours. Some of these were subtitled.

While working as a staff writer on The Red Skelton Show, local Los Angeles television comedian Carson filled in as host when Skelton was injured during a show rehearsal. As a result of Carson’s performance, CBS created the primetime variety program: The Johnny Carson Show, a traditional potpourri of comedy, music, dance, skits and monologues. The short-lived 1955-56 series served as a precursor of what would come later for Carson, planting the seeds for sketches he would perform on the later The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson such as "Mighty Carson Art Players".

Marti Caine presents a star studded variety show in which she performs comedy material, sings and dances alongside special guests.

The John Henson Project was an American reality television series that explores the world through the eyes of host John Henson. The series was shown on Spike TV in 2004. The intent of the show was to create a half hour variety-type program that would highlight news, entertainment and sports from a "guy"'s perspective, punctuated by Henson's sardonic sense of humor. The show would feature regular segments like "Cruise the News", "Guys and Balls" and "Man of the Week". More bizarre features were "Could I Kick His Ass?", where Henson would handicap himself, Vegas-style, in theoretical fights with celebrities and reenactments of famous sports tirades performed by grade school aged children.

A half-hour variety show that features a parade of pets performing ridiculous, silly fun and extraordinary tricks, and demonstrates the bond between humans and their animal friends.