COMEDY batch5/20260908_154605

Structured entries

Transcription (raw)

## HEADING: COMEDY
COMEDY
645. MARK RUSSELL: (Satire) 1.
Lampoons the Presidential race. 10/84
The 'Post-election Shuffle" 12/19/84
Vigilantism. Jake Garn. 2/20/85
IRS; Non-smoker's Lament. 12/18/85
Gramm-Rudman bill. 2/26/86
Imelda Marcos & L. LaRouche. 4/16/86
Sex in Washington. TV Religion 8/27/86
Season's Openers.
Elections. Reykjavik Rag. 10/22/86
Arms to Iran. Nicaraguan funds. 12/17/86
Past season clips. 12/30/86
Trillion Dollar Budget. 2/25/87
Cuckoo, Fawn & Ollie. 4/27/87
Good Ship Monkey Business. 6/17/87
Sen. Joe Biden. Bork Roast. 10/21/87
Review
By Don Merrill
MARK RUSSELL
COMEDY SPECIALS
Mark Russell, the funniest man on television, does his half-hour shows every other month on PBS stations. And they're well worth waiting for.
Russell writes and delivers his comic comments on politics and current events, sings topical parodies while accompanying himself on the piano, and for all we know sweeps the studio when the audience leaves. The studio, by the way, is a theater-in-the-round at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Russell performs standing next to a piano on a tiny stage. When he goes into a song he remains standing and simply turns and bangs away at the keyboard.
The Russell delivery, honed by many years of entertaining politicians who flocked to a Washington, D.C., hotel lounge to hear themselves ridiculed, is well suited to the intimacy of television.
He is definitely an equal opportunity needleer, Republicans and Democrats alike falling victim to his barbs. On the Iran arms deal he reported that the negotiators said they were "only attempting to negotiate with moderate Iranians. What is a moderate Iranian? Is that someone who takes hostages but doesn't eat them?"
Nobody knew anything about the arms to Iran, said Russell. "Intelligence director Casey found out about it from Bryant Gumbel ... Donald Regan heard about it from Peter Jennings... George Shultz still doesn't know about it ... Shultz doesn't think the Shah can hang on much longer."
Turning to Wall Street scandals, Russell offers a definition: "An arbitrageur is to capitalism what mud wrestling is to the performing arts."
Observing that many of us are in favor of repealing the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits a Presidential third term, Russell suggests that if that amendment is repealed, Jimmy Carter would be eligible to run again. "The Carter Presidency only seemed like it was three terms long."
Then again, he'll stand at the piano and bang out, to the tune of the Air Force Song, a song about corporate raiders: Off we go, raiding a corporation, We're buying low—and we're ready to pounce. One dollar a share, tomorrow will be five hundred. We're rich overnight, when the deal is announced. From petty cash, we get back a hundred million. It's a minimum wage, it's a couple of beers. We cheat, and steal, but then we squeal And be sentenced to jail for only five years.
Stand-up humor is rarely funny in print because so much depends upon the delivery. Still, Russell's material stands up better than most. When demonstrators protested against budget cuts at the Library of Congress, Russell said their song was, "We shall deign to overcome." Then: "The Library of Congress is the principal vessel of intellectual content in America—if you don't count George Will talking to himself."
The next Mark Russell Comedy Special will be presented on most PBS stations on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Don't miss him. He's marvelous.
TV GUIDE FEBRUARY 21, 1987
Tweaker of the House . .
. . . the Senate, and everyone else!
## RIGHT COLUMN
645b. MARK RUSSELL: 2.
"Bork Roast"; Sen. Joe Biden.10/21/87
Puff the Magic Justice. 12/18/87
on "Take Two. Polit.cartoons.12/20/87
La Cage a Des Moines. 3/1/88
Meese & Hakim. 4/27/88
Michael Row Your Tank Ashore.10/26/88
Quayle-joke withdrawal clinic.12/14/88
Ode to Pay. 2/22/88
Three endangered species. 4/19/88
Incredible shrinking Congress.6/21/88
Sleazegate. 8/31/88
645c. MARK RUSSELL: 3.
Jesse Helms; 1,000 lites. 12/90
Compilation 1990 clips. 12/26/90
In England about Britain. 3/6/91
Gulf Mania. 6/26/91
Bipartisan assault. 8/28/91
The Bill of Rights. 12/18/91
Compilation 1991 Clips. 1/1/92
Campaigns; Auto Industry. 2/26/92
The Mark Russell
Songbook 3/6/92
From the recent Russian turmoil to President Bush's distaste for broccoli to public television itself, political pundit Mark Russell parodies the news and newsmakers in hilarious song.
Bill "Slick Willy; Checks. 4/22/92
VP Quayle family values. 6/17/92
Bush/Quayle & Clinton Gore. 8/26/92
645D. MARK RUSSELL: 4.
Clintonera 12/2/92 thru 11/30/94
645E. MARK RUSSELL: 5.
TOUR de FRANCE. 3/14/95
We're on a bungee cord to 21st C.
Thru: 1997 reviewed. 12/31/97
645F. MARK RUSSELL 6.
1/28/98 thru 10/17/2001