Make Me Laugh
| Make Me Laugh | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Game show |
| Presented by |
Robert Q. Lewis (1958) Bobby Van (1979–80) Ken Ober (1997) Mark Cohen (1998) |
| Narrated by |
Glenn Riggs (1958) Ken Roberts (1958) Bill Berry (1979) Johnny Gilbert (1979) John Harlan (1979) Lou DiMaggio (1997–98) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Production company(s) | Lukehill Productions (1979–1980 version) Dove Four Point Productions (1997 version) |
| Distributor |
Paramount Domestic Television (1979–1980 version) CBS Television Distribution (current) Buena Vista Television, Comedy Central (1997 version) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
ABC (March 20, 1958 – June 12, 1958) Syndication (January 15, 1979 – February 29, 1980) Comedy Central (June 2, 1997 – February 10, 1998) |
| Original release | March 31 1958 – February 10, 1998 |
Make Me Laugh is an American game show in which contestants watched three stand-up comedians performing their acts, one at a time, earning one dollar for every second that they could make it through without laughing. Each comedian had sixty seconds to try to make the contestant laugh for a maximum of $180.
The original version, with Robert Q. Lewis as host, aired for three months in 1958 on ABC. Bobby Van hosted a syndicated revival during the 1979–80 season, and Ken Ober hosted a 1997 revival on Comedy Central, replaced for the second season by Mark Cohen.
Each episode featured three guests. Originally, the first two guests were civilians and the third was a celebrity who played for a home viewer that was chosen by pulling a postcard from a revolving drum. This was later changed to having celebrities playing for home viewers throughout the whole show.
On Van's version, contestants (who were selected from the audience) that lasted the full three minutes had their winnings doubled to $360; also, a celebrity guest would play the last round of each episode, playing for an audience member who would receive a prize just for being chosen, and up to three more prizes based on how many comedians the celebrity could survive.
Van's version is noted for the early appearances of several then-unknown comics before going on to greater fame; among them were Bob Saget, Howie Mandel, Vic Dunlop, Gallagher, Gary Mule Deer, Yakov Smirnoff, Bruce 'Babyman' Baum, Garry Shandling and Bill Kirchenbauer.
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