The Comedy Store

The Comedy Store

Former names	Ciro's
Address	8433 West Sunset Boulevard
Location	Los Angeles, California
Coordinates	34°05′42″N 118°22′26″W / 34.09510°N 118.37384°WCoordinates: 34°05′42″N 118°22′26″W / 34.09510°N 118.37384°W
Owner	Mitzi Shore
Type	Comedy club
Capacity	Main room: 450
Construction
Opened	April 1972
Renovated	1976
Website
www.thecomedystore.com

The Comedy Store

The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. It has a sister comedy club in La Jolla, San Diego, California.^[1]

History

The Comedy Store was opened in April 1972 by comedians Sammy Shore and Rudy DeLuca. The building was formerly the home of Ciro's, a popular Hollywood nightclub owned by William Wilkerson, and later a rock and roll venue,^[2] where The Byrds were discovered in 1964.

When the venue reopened as The Comedy Store in 1972, it included a 99-seat theatre, where Johnny Carson was one of the first comics to perform.^[3] As a result of a divorce settlement, Sammy Shore's ex-wife Mitzi Shore began operating the club in 1973, and she was able to buy the building in 1976. She immediately renovated and expanded the club to include a 450-seat main room.^[3]

In 1974, The Comedy Store hosted the wedding reception of newlyweds Liza Minnelli (daughter of Judy Garland) and Jack Haley, Jr., (son of Jack Haley who played "the Tin Man" in the 1939 movie, "The Wizard of Oz" which starred Liza's mother). The Comedy Club signage was covered, for the evening, by signs reading "Ciro's", denoting the venue's prior identity. The event was attended by many dozens of Hollywood glitterati, including Elizabeth Taylor, Johnny Carson, Ceasar Romaro and other stars, past and present. The soiree was so grand that Sunset Boulevard was temporarily blocked by police to allow Hollywood royalty to arrive in their limos unmolested by photographers and reporters.

Jennie and Terrie Frankel perform at The Comedy Store in the late 1970s

Job action

Beginning in 1979, The Comedy Store served for many years as the host location for the annual HBO Young Comedians specials. Also that year, stand-up comedians formed a short-lived labor union and demanded to be paid for their appearances at The Comedy Store.

For five weeks, several famous comedians staged a protest in front of the club, while others crossed the picket line. The comedians involved formed a union called Comedians for Compensation and fought for pay where they had received none before. They eventually picketed in front of the club when their demands were not met. Jay Leno and David Letterman were amongst those on the picket line while Garry Shandling and Yakov Smirnoff crossed the line.^[4]

The job action was not legally a strike as the comedians were classified as "independent contractors" and were not under contract with the club.

Mitzi Shore argued that the club was and had always been a showcase and training ground for young comedians and was not about profits. She alleged that comedians came to the club and could work on their material in front of casting agents and other talent scouts who would possibly hire them as professionals if they were good enough.

The comedians at the club became unhappy when the club was expanded several times and it was perceived that Shore's profits were quite substantial. Shore also paid the rest of her staff, including waitresses and bartenders.

After the strike some comedians were no longer allowed to perform at the club, including Steve Lubetkin, who committed suicide in front of the building by jumping off the roof of the Continental Hyatt House next door. His suicide note included the line: "My name is Steve Lubetkin. I used to work at The Comedy Store."^[5] Lubetkin hoped that his suicide would resolve the labor dispute. He also cited Shore as the reason he no longer had a job.

The union ceased to exist in 1980, although from the time of the job action onward, comedians in Los Angeles were paid for their shows. This included The Comedy Store and The Improv.

Alumni

Tim Allen Louie Anderson Bill Bailey Roseanne Barr Joy Behar John Belushi Richard Belzer Sandra Bernhard Mike Binder Elaine Boosler[3] David Brenner Bill Burr George Carlin Jim Carrey Johnny Carson John Caparulo Dave Chappelle Chevy Chase Margaret Cho Louis CK[6] Andrew Dice Clay Jenn Colella Dane Cook Doug Benson Whitney Cummings Billy Crystal Rodney Dangerfield John Del Rico Joey Diaz Andy Dick Gaylord Dingler Tom Dreesen Will Durst

Redd Foxx Gallagher Janeane Garofalo Whoopi Goldberg[3] Kathy Griffin Arsenio Hall Argus Hamilton Chelsea Handler Kevin Hart Bill Hicks Joel Hodgson Dom Irrera Martin Lawrence Freddy Lockhart Andy Kaufman Michael Keaton[3] Sam Kinison Bobby Lee Fernando Muylaert Jay Leno[3] David Letterman[3] Richard Lewis Jay London Howie Mandel Marc Maron Steve Martin Ralphie May Edie McClurg Jason Mewes Dennis Miller George Miller

Paul Mooney Eddie Murphy[3] Patrice O'Neal Bob Oschack John Pappas Russell Peters Dat Phan Ollie Joe Prater Richard Pryor[3] Chris Rock Paul Rodriguez[3] Joe Rogan Ray Romano Chris Rush Modi Rosenfeld Hanala Sagal Bob Saget Amy Schumer Iliza Shlesinger Jerry Seinfeld Garry Shandling[3] Pauly Shore Sarah Silverman Sinbad Yakov Smirnoff Kevin Smith Phil Snyder Freddy Soto Doug Stanhope Ben Stiller Sarah Tiana The Unknown Comic Jimmie Walker Damon Wayans Jeff Wayne Robin Williams Thomas F. Wilson Aaron Webster

The history of the young comedians coming to Los Angeles in the 1970s and performing at the club is told in the book, "I'm Dying Up Here," by William Knoedelseder.

Unsolved Mysteries

The Comedy Store was featured in an episode of the supernatural documentary, Unsolved Mysteries, which told reports of The Comedy Store being haunted. Comedians Blake Clark and Joey Gaynor told their stories of their encounters with the paranormal.

References

1. "The Comedy Store, La Jolla". The Comedy Store. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
2. Ogden, Tom (1999). "The Comedy Store". The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings. Alpha Books. p. 284. ISBN 978-0-02-863659-7. OCLC 42714505.
3. Lord, Rosemary (2003). Hollywood Then and Now. San Diego, CA: Thunder Bay Press. pp. 140–141. ISBN 1-59223-104-7.
4. "Jokers Wild". New York Post. April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
5. Knoedelseder, William (2009). I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-up Comedy's Golden Era. New York, NY: PublicAffairs. ISBN 1586488961.
6. http://hollywood.thecomedystore.com/comedian.cfm?id=180

External links

• An Interview with Sammy Shore, Comedy Store Founder, June 2011
• The Comedy Store