Waaa! Ricky!

Where have all the funny ladies gone? There's a great series on KET called Pioneers of Television that reaches back to the earliest days, even before I was around, and shows the origins of sitcoms, the soaps, kids' shows, and cop shows, just to name a few. The one we watched the other night was titled "Funny Ladies".

They listed most all my favorites, although they left out some. But, for an hour-long show, I think they did a good job of including some of the powerhouses -- Lucille Ball, Phyllis Diller, Carol Burnett, Moms Mabley (anyone remember her? You pretty much have to be a Boomer to remember Moms.), Betty White, Mary Tyler Moore, and Joan Rivers. Some of them, especially Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers, really pushed the envelope, going where no female comic had gone before.

What was interesting was hearing how they got started. Some started off in completely different entertainment career choices than what they ended up in. Carol Burnett started off trying to sing on Broadway; Mary Tyler Moore was a dancer prior to The Dick Van Dyke Show, and had never done comedy. Joan Rivers did more dramatic work in the beginning. Others, like Lucille Ball, started off with a long history of physical comedy, honing her craft with everyone from the Marx Brothers to The Three Stooges.

Check out local times and listings for upcoming Pioneers of Television episodes at:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/

 

'til next time... Adios.