Editing Comedian (section)

==Media==
In the modern era, as technology produced forms of [[mass media|mass communications media]], these were adapted to entertainment and comedians adapted to the new media, sometimes switching to new forms as they were introduced.

===Stand-up===
{{Main|Stand-up comedy}}
[[File:Bob hope lackland afb.jpg|thumb|[[Bob Hope]] performing at Lackland Air Force Base in 1990|upright]]
Stand-up comedy is a comic [[monologue]] performed standing on a stage.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stand-up+comedy?s=t | title='stand-up comedy' definition|website=Dictionary.reference.com | access-date=2 December 2013}}</ref>  [[Bob Hope]] became the most popular stand-up comedian of the 20th century in a nearly 80-year career that included numerous [[comedy film]] roles over a five-decade span in radio, television, and entertaining armed-service troops through the [[USO]].  Other noted stand-up comedians include [[Lenny Bruce]], [[Billy Connolly]], [[George Carlin]], [[Richard Pryor]], [[Victoria Wood]], [[Joan Rivers]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]] and [[Jo Brand]].

===Audio recording===
{{Main|Comedy album}}
Some of the earliest commercial sound recordings were made by standup comedians such as [[Cal Stewart]], who recorded collections of his humorous monologues on [[Edison Records]] as early as 1898, and other labels until his death in 1919.<ref>Ronald L. Smith, ''Comedy on Record: The Complete Critical Discography'' (1988), p. 624.</ref>

Bandleader [[Spike Jones]] recorded 15 musical comedy [[album]]s satirizing popular and [[classical music]] from 1950 to his death in 1965. [[Tom Lehrer]] wrote and recorded five albums of songs [[satire|satirizing]] political and social issues from 1953 to 1965. Musician [[Peter Schickele]], inspired by Jones, parodied [[classical music]] with 17 albums of his music which he presented as written by "[[P.D.Q. Bach]]" (fictional son of [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]) from 1965 through 2007.

In 1968, radio [[surreal comedy]] group [[The Firesign Theatre]] revolutionized the concept of the spoken comedy album by writing and recording elaborate radio plays employing [[sound effects]] and [[multitrack recording]], which comedian [[Robin Williams]] called "the audio equivalent of a [[Hieronymous Bosch]] painting." Comedy duo [[Cheech and Chong]] recorded comedy albums in a similar format from 1971 through 1985.

===Film===
{{Main|Comedy film}}
Karno took Chaplin and Laurel on two trips to the United States to tour the vaudeville circuit. On the second one, they were recruited by the fledgling [[silent film]] industry. Chaplin became the most popular screen comedian of the first half of the 20th century. Chaplin and [[Stan Laurel]] were protégés of [[Fred Karno]], the English theatre impresario of British [[music hall]], and in his biography Laurel stated, "Fred Karno didn't teach Charlie [Chaplin] and me all we know about comedy. He just taught us most of it".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Burton|first1=Alan|title=Pimple, pranks & pratfalls: British film comedy before 1930|date=2000|publisher=Flicks Books|isbn=9781862360105|page=51}}</ref> Chaplin wrote films such as ''[[Modern Times (film)|Modern Times]]'' and ''[[The Kid (1921 film)|The Kid]]''. His films still have a major impact on comedy in films today.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/hpolscrv/msiegler.htm | title=Charlie Chaplin Biography | date=1 May 2001 | access-date=2 December 2013 | author=Sigler, Michael S | archive-date=26 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326140923/http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/hpolscrv/msiegler.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Laurel met [[Oliver Hardy]] in the US and teamed up as [[Laurel and Hardy]]. Keaton also started making silent comedies.

Fields appeared in Broadway [[musical comedies]], three silent films in 1915 and 1925, and in [[sound film]]s starting in 1926. The Marx brothers also made the transition to film in 1929, by way of two Broadway musicals.

Many other comedians made sound films, such as Bob Hope (both alone, and in a series of "[[Road to ...]]" comedies with partner [[Bing Crosby]]), [[ventriloquist]] [[Edgar Bergen]], and [[Jerry Lewis]] (both with and without partner [[Martin and Lewis|Dean Martin]]).

Some comedians who entered film expanded their acting skills to become dramatic actors, or started as actors specializing in comic roles, such as [[Dick Van Dyke]], [[Paul Lynde]], [[Michael Keaton]], [[Bill Murray]] and [[Denis Leary]].

===Radio===
{{Main|Radio comedy}}
Radio comedy began in the United States when [[Raymond Knight (radio)|Raymond Knight]] launched ''[[The Cuckoo Hour]]'' on [[NBC]] in 1930,<ref name="Hickerson">Hickerson, Jay. ''The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide to All Circulating Shows''. Hamden, Connecticut: Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, CT 06514, second edition December 1992, page 92.</ref> along with the 1931 network debut of [[Stoopnagle and Budd]] on [[CBS]]. Most of the Hollywood comedians who did not become dramatic actors (e.g. Bergen, Fields, [[Groucho Marx|Groucho]] and [[Chico Marx]], [[Red Skelton]], [[Jack Benny]], [[Fred Allen]], [[Judy Canova]], Hope, [[Martin and Lewis]]), transitioned to United States radio in the 1930s and 1940s.
These programs had a ready supply of Hollywood comedians to draw from, including the cream of British [[music hall]] talent.

Restrained by the conservative values of the nation's only broadcaster ([[BBC Radio|BBC]]), radio comedy did not develop in the United Kingdom until a generation later, when wartime morale demanded a greater emphasis on light entertainment{{cn|date=May 2025}}. Popular shows included ''[[Danger – Men at Work!]]'', ''[[It's That Man Again|ITMA]]'', and ''[[Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh]]''. These led to the post-war development of such hits as ''[[The Goon Show]]'' and ''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]''. Radio became a proving-ground for many later United Kingdom comedians. [[Chris Morris (satirist)|Chris Morris]] began his career in 1986 at [[BBC Radio Cambridgeshire|Radio Cambridgeshire]], and [[Ricky Gervais]] began his comedy career in 1997 at [[London]] radio station [[Radio X (United Kingdom)|XFM]]. ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]'', [[Mitchell and Webb]] and [[The Mighty Boosh]] all transferred to television after broadcasting on [[BBC Radio 4]].

===Television===
{{Main|Television comedy}}
On television there are comedy talk shows where comedians make fun of current news or popular topics. Such comedians include [[Jay Leno]], [[Conan O'Brien]], [[Graham Norton]], [[Jim Jefferies (comedian)|Jim Jefferies]], [[James Corden]], [[John Oliver]], [[Jonathan Ross]], [[David Letterman]], and [[Chelsea Handler]]. There are sketch comedies, such as ''[[Mr. Show with Bob and David]]'' and [[Monty Python]] who created their sketch comedy show ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' (a [[BBC]] show that influenced ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''), and sitcoms, such as ''[[Roseanne]]'', ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'', and ''[[Not Going Out]]'', as well as popular panel shows like ''[[The Big Fat Quiz of the Year]]'', ''[[Have I Got News for You]]'', and ''[[Celebrity Juice]]''. The most acclaimed sitcoms include ''[[Seinfeld]]'' and ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Is Seinfeld the funniest sitcom of all time? |url=https://theweek.com/articles/469837/isseinfeld-funniest-sitcom-all-time |first1= Scott |last1=Meslow |date=January 8, 2015  |access-date=2022-02-27 |website=The Week |language=en}}</ref>

===Internet===
Comedy is increasingly enjoyed online. Several comedians got their start through the internet such as [[Bo Burnham ]]. Comedians streaming videos of their stand-up include [[Bridget Christie]], [[Louis C.K.]] and [[Daniel Kitson]].