Mort Sahl & Dick Gregory at Catalina Bar & Grill - Hollywood, CA
Fifty years from now, how many of today’s comedians will be still be of the moment and edgy? Mort Sahl and Dick Gregory have managed to maintain fifty-year careers, and lose none of their bite. Seventy-six year old Dick Gregory took the opening slot in the show and riffed on the state of the economy. In commenting on the desperate measures people have had to resort to, he noted that Alpo took the dog off the artwork on its canned dog food. Gregory talked about his relationship with Michael Jackson and addressed comments to Michael’s father, Joe Jackson, who was in the audience.
Other topics touched on included albinos (“Where do they go? Have you seen an adult albino or an obituary for an albino?”) and the current political situation. Mentioning how ironic it is that the nation’s first Black president does not have the blood of slaves in him, he went on to say that he ran for President in 1968. Had he won, he said that his cabinet would have only included people who couldn’t read or write, since it’s the professors and brainy individuals who got us into the current mess. Discussing capital punishment, he commented that Christians shouldn’t support capital punishment, since Jesus was executed by the state. Religion, health and marriage were some of the other areas Gregory got into in his timely and funny set.
 Eighty-two year old Mort Sahl related stories of his personal relationships with some of the Presidents he has interacted with. He also discussed health care (“Put your hand on your wallet and cough”) and the American Dream, which he said has now been reduced to “cash for clunkers.” He took particular aim at George W. Bush, noting that Eugene McCarthy said of Bush, that "he was born on third base and thought he hit a triple." Hollywood is usually a topic of Sahl’s, and this show was no exception. A lengthy description of working with Sydney Pollack on the remake of Sabrina was hilarious, as was his description of a recent encounter with Woody Allen.
Gregory and Sahl managed to cover a variety of subjects with style and wit, and nary a four-letter word punctuated their routines. Two hours with these masters of comedy and social commentary, showed us that they are still at the top of their game. |
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