Hugh Hefner's Playboy Philosophy and Richard Nixon's My Six Climaxes

April 10, 2013 9:30 PM

On this date in 1963, the most influential comedy theater to ever emerge out of the Bay Area - The Committee - opened its doors at 622 Broadway in North Beach. Thus began a full decade of widespread cultural influence, with multiple studio albums, appearances on The Tonight Show and The Dick Cavett Show, and a feature film. The Committee's provocative and confrontational style, influenced equally by Chicago's Second City and the radical politics of the era, set the stage for much of the comedy to follow. The Groundlings was a direct descendents (Gary Austin came from Committee workshops) and the improv structure known as Harold, basic arithmetic in the halls of IO and the Upright Citizens Brigage, was birthed at The Committee under the direction of Del Close. To celebrate this anniversary, I'd like to present a recently unearthed recording of their Satirathon from 1968, from the archives of the late Peter Bergman. Featuring, among others, Garry Goodrow, Carl Gottlieb, and Chris "The Egg" Ross, an improv genius who succumbed to an overdose, in 1970, at the age of 25.
posted by mcgordonliddy (4 comments total)

Great find!!
posted by dogwalker at 9:57 PM on April 10, 2013

Thanks so much for this. Though I'm a bit bummed to remember that Peter Bergman is "late".
posted by benito.strauss at 10:51 PM on April 10, 2013

Ahh the fat guy from Jaws.
posted by Birchpear at 1:02 AM on April 11, 2013

Supercool.
posted by putzface_dickman at 4:28 PM on April 11, 2013