Why is Cleveland Laughing?
By Bijan C. Bayne
 Bob
Hope, Tim Conway, Arsenio Hall, Molly Shannon, Drew Carey, Steve Harvey. These
entertainers and others have started their careers in Cleveland before hitting
the national comedy scene. With every city that produces such a stream of
talent, one wonders if there is something tangible to which to attribute the
legacy. Is there something intrinsically funny about Cleveland or its residents,
and where can one go to experience stage humor in the city today?
British-born Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope moved to the U.S.
with his family at age five, his father a stonemason, his mother a light opera
singer-turned-cleaning woman. His family's Doan's Corner neighborhood was home
to several vaudeville theatres such as The Alhambra. As a youngster, Hope earned
money singing on the trolley en route to Luna Park. In 1915, he won a Charlie
Chaplin imitation contest at the amusement park. By 16, he had dropped out of
school.
 He
and his Cleveland girlfriend, Mildred Rosenquist, apsired to the dancing success
of Vernon and Irene Castle, the country's most popular hoofing couple. It was as
part of a two-man dance team that Hope, who also tried his hand at boxing under
the pseudonym "Packy East", was discovered as a dancer during the vaudeville era
by the legendary comic actor Fatty Arbuckle. Dance teams employed comedy lines
and repartee as a staple of their acts, and Hope's quick wit led him to the New
York's famed Palace Theatre. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
 One
requisite of effective comedy is the ability to speak comfortably before
audiences. Another is wit. Steve Harvey's parents were a churchgoing mother and
a construction worker dad who supplemented the family's finances during the slow
winter months by booking numbers in the organization headed by the aptly named
Don King. Harvey aspired to work as a t.v. comic from his teens- he graduated
Glenville High School in the Richard Pryor era of 1975. Arsenio Hall, like
Harvey, was exposed to the oral tradition of the Black church- his father was a
minister. Harvey, Hall and Carey all attended Kent State, though frat boy Carey
was expelled. In 1986, Carey rode the success of winning a local comedy contest
to an emcee position at the Cleveland Comedy Club. By then, Hall was opening for
acts such as R & B singer Patti LaBelle. It is worth noting that the signature
"Whoop, whoop, whoop" chant favored by Hall and his late night t.v. studio
audience was very similar to that used by Browns fans in the section of the
Municipal Stadium end zone known as The Dawg Pound. As for his church roots,
many recall Hall's archetypical Black preacher in the 1988 film "Coming to
America".
 What
about suburbia? Former "Saturday Night Live" star Molly Shannon (best known for
her pratfalling "Mary Katherine Gallagher" sketches) hails from Shaker Heights.
She currently stars in the film "Year of the Dog". Funnyman Tim Conway was born
in Willoughby, and grew up in Chagrin Falls. After majoring in speech and radio
at Bowling Green, and a stint in the Army, he took a job answering mail for a
Cleveland radio station. Conway became a writer in the promotions department. He
later worked with Cleveland broadcasting legend Ernie Anderson on WKYC and WJW
t.v. ("Ernie's Place") and recorded a comedy album with Anderson before landing
a starring role on the 1960's sitcom "McHale's Navy". No matter the training
ground or the era, there have always been mentors and outlets for Cleveland
comics.
 Observational
comics, as opposed to practitioners of the one-liner, are known to have open
minds. Think George Carlin, Steven Wright, Jerry Seinfeld. The Midwest has few
more open-minded cities than the one that produced progressive politicians the
likes of Mayors Carl Stokes and Dennis Kucinich, the former who was America's
first Black to govern a major city. Where corporate executives view Cincinnati
as conservative and Columbus as an ideal midstream market to test new foods,
Cuyahoga County provided stronger support for presidential candidate John Kerry
than any other in the state.
T he
city has long laughed at itself, another characteristic of a comic mind. From a
mammoth football/baseball stadium lovingly nicknamed "The Mistake on the Lake",
to the notoriety of the "Major League" movie series based on the woes of the
then-hapless baseball Indians, Clevelanders have joined in the fun Americans
have had at its expense. Native son Carey even set his popular sitcom in his
hometown.
Mike Polk, a promotions writer for a local t.v. station and
freelance comedy writer, performs stand up and improv. He is part of a sketch
comedy group called Last Call Cleveland. Says Polk, "the Cleveland comedy scene
has a pretty rich history and has produced some rather respectable stars over
time. I think that Cleveland is a such a remarkable breeding ground for comedic
minds for the same reason that it is a swing state. The state is ecletic, with
many differing opinions and cultures. There is a little bit of everything and it
is all concentrated into small areas. Within fifteen miles around the Cleveland
area, you have the blue collar working class, intense poverty, extreme
affluence, and rural farm dwellers. Unlike other parts of the country where
areas have a consistent mindset with rare exceptions, ie: California is liberal
and blue, Alabama is rural and red, etc. Cleveland is all over the map. I
believe that it is this exposure to tons of different types of people and
circumstances that feeds comics and makes their material approachable to so many
people. Cleveland's underdog status is a factor as well. We are consistently the
nation's poorest city. We are losing people and jobs at an alarming pace. Our
weather is, at times, wretched. Crime is high. Our sports teams are cursed. Our
river caught on fire. Much like the fat kid in grade school, we as Clevelanders
have been forced to develop a sense of humor about ourselves and what goes on
around us as a self-defense mechanism."
 According
to Polk, Cleveland has ample opportunity for stand up comics to work on their
acts before moving on to bigger and better things. There have been open mic
comedy nights periodically at various bars and clubs, which last until owners
decide karaoke is more profitable and interactive. The two main venues in town,
for rising comics, Hilarities and the Improv, provide a stage for area comics in
addition to bringing in national headliners. The Second City Theater, widely
regarded as the world's foremost improv training theater, had a stint here in
Playhouse Square a few years back, and though the comedic scene as a whole was
appreciative and supportive, ticket sales simply weren't good enough to sustain
the company. Second City left town, and closed their improv training school.
Some of the offshoot groups spawned by Second City have survived, others have
not been as fortunate.
Something Dada is the area's longest running improv group.
Celebrating 12 years of existence, the troupe is moving into a new theatre in
the Tower Press Building at East 21st and Superior. Their motto- "Never the same
show twice". In January 2007 they will participate in the Chicago Sketch Fest
for the third consecutive year.
Contemporary Cleveland nightlife offers several comedy
options. Pickwick and Frolic, a retroswank martini bar, features an old style
revue at Hilarities. For the unrepentant frat boy and coed in many of us,
there's the bawdy dueling piano bar of Howl at the Moon in The Flats.
Wednesday's at 9:30 p.m., Lakewood's underground Bassa Vita Lounge presents
their Grimey Ninety comedy show, with performers such as Mike Baker, John David
Sidley and Kathie Dice. The Improv is located at 2000 Sycamore in The Flats'
Powerhouse. In early November, Cleveland native Tammy Pescatelli, who was
featured on two seasons of NBC's "Last Comic Standing", performed there. This
city's rich legacy of laughs inspires one to check out the scene, form one's own
opinions and catch a rising star. History shows it is well worth the effort.
The Clubs:
The Improv - Cleveland, OH (216) 696-4677 The Powerhouse
2000 Sycamore, Level 1 Cleveland, OH 44113 Web Site:
http://www.improvupcoming.com/
Hilarities / Pickwick and Frolic 2035 East 4th Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44115 (216)-241-7425 Web Site:
http://www.pickwickandfrolic.com
Bassa Vita / Bottoms Up 1572 W 117th St. Lakewood, Ohio
44107 (216) 521-4386 Website:
http://www.bassavitalounge.com
Cabaret Dada 1210 West 6th Street Cleveland, OH 44113 (216)
696-4242 Web Site:
http://www.cabaretdada.com/
The Winchester 12112 Madison Lakewood, Ohio 9:00 p.m.
216-226-5681 Website:
http://www.thewinchester.net/pages/1/index.htm |
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