''Make Me Laugh'' is an American television

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

in which contestants watch three

stand-up comedians Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehea ...

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 hosts

The original version, with

Robert Q. Lewis Robert Q. Lewis (born Robert Goldberg; April 25, 1921 – December 11, 1991) was an American radio and television entertainer, comedian, game show host and actor. Although born with the Goldberg name, he grew up as Lewis, his father's profe ...

as host, aired for three months in 1958 on ABC. Bobby Van hosted a syndicated revival during 1979–80, and

Ken Ober Ken Ober (July 3, 1957 – November 15, 2009) was an American game show host, comedian, and actor. Early life and education Born Kenneth Oberding in Brookline, Massachusetts, he was raised in a suburb of Hartford, Connecticut, where his f ...

hosted a 1997 revival on

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

, replaced for the second season by Mark Cohen.

ABC version

Each episode featured four guests. Originally, the first three guests were civilians, while the fourth was a celebrity who played for a home viewer who 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.

Syndicated version

On the syndicated version of ''Make Me Laugh'' hosted by Bobby Van, contestants were selected from the studio audience; those who didn't laugh received $1 per second or $60 for one minute with each comedian. Contestants who made it through the full three minutes had their $180 winnings doubled to $360. During the final round of each episode, a celebrity guest contestant would play for an audience member who received a prize just for being chosen; another prize was given for each minute the celebrity could survive. Van's version of ''Make Me Laugh'' was popular and initially drew good ratings, but they slowly dropped over the course of the run and production went on hiatus at the end of 1979. Bobby Van was diagnosed with

brain cancer A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cance ...

in February, 1980; the final episode was broadcast on February 25, 1980, and Van died the following July. Van's version of the program is especially noteworthy for the early appearances of several then-unknown comedians before going on to greater fame; among them were

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

Peter Scolari Peter Thomas Scolari (September 12, 1955 – October 22, 2021) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Henry Desmond in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC sitcom ''Bosom Buddies'' (1980–1982) and Michael Harris on the C ...

, Garry Shandling, Bob Saget, Howie Mandel,

Richard Belzer Richard Jay Belzer (August 4, 1944 – February 19, 2023) was an American actor, comedian, and author. He was best known for his role as BPD Detective, NYPD Detective/sergeant and investigator John Munch, whom he portrayed for 23 years in the NBC ...

, Gallagher, Gary Mule Deer, Yakov Smirnoff, Tom Dreesen, Kip Addotta, Vic Dunlop, Bill Kirchenbauer, Bruce 'Babyman' Baum and

Mike Binder Mike Binder (born June 2, 1958) is an American filmmaker, stand-up comedian, and actor. Life and career Binder, descended from Russian-Jewish immigrants, grew up in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham. During the summers of 1966 through 1975, he a ...

. Celebrity contestants who appeared on the program included

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Jaye P. Morgan, Tiny Tim,

Phil Everly Phillip Everly (January 19, 1939 – January 3, 2014) was an American musician, who was one half of the duo The Everly Brothers alongside his older brother Don. Early life Phil was born in Chicago in 1939 to Isaac Milford "Ike" Everly, Jr. (190 ...

, Bert Convy, Ken Kercheval, Anne Lockhart, Robert Reed and

Demond Wilson Grady Demond Wilson (born October 13, 1946) is an American actor and author. He played Sanford and Son#Lamont Sanford, Lamont Sanford, the son of Fred G. Sanford, Fred Sanford (played by Redd Foxx) on the NBC sitcom ''Sanford and Son'' (1972–1 ...

. The show was written by comedian Marty Cohen, Biff Manard, Howard Itzkowitz, and Michael Smollins, the first three of whom also appeared as comedians. The theme music for the 1970s version was entitled ''Laugh'', and was performed by Artie Butler and the Big Boffers. Reruns of this version later aired on the

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

from October 2, 1984 to September 26, 1986.

Comedy Central version

Like its syndicated predecessor, the Comedy Central version of ''Make Me Laugh'' also featured several fledgling comics who went on to successful careers, including

Patton Oswalt Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His acting roles include Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–2023) as adult ...

, Frank Nicotero and Heath Hyche. The game remained the same, but with new additions. There were two formats to this version:

Ober's version

Round One

Three contestants competed, one at a time; rules were the same as the original version.

Round Two (The Toughest Room in America)

Two audience members were chosen for this round, one at a time, each with one of the comedians performing for 60 seconds and trying to elicit a laugh. Contestants made two separate predictions for the outcomes and wagered a portion of their scores; a correct prediction added the amount of the contestant's wager to his/her score, while an incorrect prediction deducted it. The contestant with the highest score at the end of this round won the game and kept his/her winnings, while the other two received joke consolation prizes.

Bonus Round (Tag Team Round)

This round is called "The Tag Team Round", because the winning contestant now faced all three comics in this final round of the game. The contestant had the usual 60 seconds to face each one, and the comics alternated turns. If the winning contestant survived the full minute, he/she won $500, otherwise he/she earned $5 per second.

Cohen's version

Round One

Three contestants, who were randomly selected from the studio audience, competed; each one came out one by one in round one, much like the 1970s version.

Round Two (Tag Team Round)

One audience member was chosen for a 90-second performance by all three comedians, with each taking 30 seconds. The contestants wagered a portion of their scores on their predictions as to whether any of the comedians could make the audience member laugh; a correct prediction added the amount of the wager, while an incorrect prediction deducted it. The highest scorer kept his/her winnings, while the others received real consolation prizes.

Bonus Round (Mystery Comic)

The winning contestant faced a "Mystery Comic", whose identity was not revealed until it came time for the round to be played. He/she earned $5 per second for not laughing, up to a maximum of $500 for 100 seconds (1 minute 40 seconds).

2016 proposal

A possible revival was considered for syndicationSyndicators Busy With Shows For Next Fall
/ref> as an entry during the fall 2016 season but was scrapped.

British version

A British version produced by

Associated-Rediffusion Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...

hosted by Chesney Allen aired on ITV for one series in 1958. In 1983, Tyne Tees produced a revival hosted by Bernie Winters for ITV; this version was notable for having an early appearance by

Brian Conley Brian Paul Conley (born 7 August 1961) is an English actor, comedian, singer and television presenter. Conley has been the host of '' The Brian Conley Show'', as well as presenting the Royal Variety Performance on eight occasions. In his 40+ ...

References

External links