'Comedy College' to offer lessons in laughs

Laughter is not a response customarily associated with public radio programs. On KRCU FM 90.9, the exceptions are Saturday morning's "Car Talk" and "Wha'd Ya Know" and on Saturday nights Garrison's Keillor's variety show "A Prairie Home Companion." Keillor is responsible for KRCU's newest venture in humor, a program that plumbs the great comedy routines of the past.

Called "Comedy College," the show is hosted by comedians Steve Martin, Rita Rudner and Bob Newhart. On a rotating basis, they introduce the sketches by people like Jack Benny, Shelley Berman, Lucille Ball, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Flip Wilson, Phyllis Diller, Burns and Allen, Redd Foxx and Bill Cosby.

"Every show is tailored to the personality of the person we're featuring, and every show sounds different," says producer Tiffany Hanssen.

The first show will air from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday on KRCU. Bill Cosby and the late Totie Fields, a zaftig comedienne who appeared regularly on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in the 1970s, will be in the spotlight.

Keillor began talking to Hanssen about doing a public radio comedy show two years ago. "At that time he was really wanting to shape a show that would feature classic comedy material in its full, unedited form," she says.

Hanssen, who previously was a producer on "A Prairie Home Companion," spent many hours scouring the Internet for rare LPs containing the comedy routines. "Much of the source material can only be found on LP," she said. "This was a source of some consternation for me, as the quality of old audio is obviously not what people have become accustomed to in the digital age. But I think there is great value and charm in the old recordings ..."

Hanssen says Keillor has been "my constant creative sounding board." After producing some pilot episodes, they approached Martin, Rudner and Newhart about hosting. They wanted hosts who had real experience as stand-up comedians. "While the show is 99 percent original comedy sketches, skits and routines, it was nevertheless important for me to find hosts who could draw the listener in with interesting biographical material and anecdotes about the business of making comedy," Hanssen said. "I think I have succeeded."

Almost all of the material was performed before the 1980s, but the program does draw parallels to more current comedians. "What the program does, I think, is offer a little insight into why these people were and are funny," Hanssen says. "I get many letters and e-mail messages from budding comedians who are thrilled to hear the classic material and thrilled to get a little dirt on how it was all conceived."

Thirteen episodes have been recorded. Hanssen hopes they will be the first in a regular special series that subsequently will feature the comedy of more recent entertainers.

But in some ways, "Comedy College" is documenting an era that has passed. Much less standup material is being recorded now. HBO specials seem to have replaced the comedy album.

"In the '50s and '60s, people would go to nightclubs to hear these people," Hanssen says. "They would record them live and issue them as albums.

"It's a different climate."

Subsequent broadcasts will be presented each Tuesday. The program replaces "Music from Chautauqua," a classical music show, on the KRCU schedule. That series probably will resume at a later date, said Mary Kay Poljan, the station's director of development.

The program is underwritten by the Southeast Missourian newspaper.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182