Misadventures in Blissville

We’re going back in the history of stand-up comedy, and I wondered where it started. If you look at all the reference material, England is where it begins – officially anyway.

18th, 19th Century Arthur Askey, Ken Dodd and then there was a heavy censorship campaign so the censors would use a blue pen to cross out the material they deemed unsuitable for audiences and that is where the term “blue” was first coined, from the color of the ink.

Vaudeville Comedy started, which was, I think more performance-driven, like “Who’s On First” Abbott & Costello, than a series of monologues. Monologues started when writers would read from their works. Dickens, Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe would read their material, provide commentary or insight on a stage in front of audiences. This was like going to the movies for these people. It was a night out.