- The Comedy Store
-
The Comedy Store 
General information Location Los Angeles, California, USA Address 8433 West Sunset Boulevard Town or city Los Angeles, California Country United States Coordinates 34°05′42″N 118°22′26″W / 34.09510°N 118.37384°WCoordinates: 34°05′42″N 118°22′26″W / 34.09510°N 118.37384°W Website http://www.thecomedystore.com 
The Comedy Store
This article is about the comedy club located in the United States. For the comedy club with the same name located in London, England, see The Comedy Store, London.The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. It has a sister comedy club in La Jolla, San Diego, California.[1]
Contents
History
The Comedy Store was opened in April 1972 by comedians Sammy Shore and Rudy DeLuca. The building was formerly the home of Ciro's, a hugely popular Hollywood nightclub owned by William Wilkerson, and later a rock and roll venue,[2] where The Byrds were discovered in 1964.
When the venue reopened as The Comedy Store in 1972, it included a 99-seat theatre, where Johnny Carson was one of the first comics to perform.[3] As a result of a divorce settlement, Sammy Shore's ex-wife Mitzi Shore began operating the club in 1973, and she was able to buy the building in 1976. She immediately renovated and expanded the club to include a 450-seat main room.[3]
In 2005, Sammy Shore's son Pauly Shore starred in the TBS reality show Minding the Store. The series followed Shore as he pretended to take control of The Comedy Store and attempted to "revitalize" it. In truth, the failed series resulted in the ousting of Shore from the board of directors and the installation of his brother, Peter, as CEO of The Comedy Store. Since then, the Comedy Store has seen a gradual increase in attendance and is currently experiencing a period of stability and success.
Job Action
Beginning in 1979, The Comedy Store served for many years as the host location for the annual HBO Young Comedians specials. Also that year, stand-up comedians formed a short-lived labor union and demanded to be paid for their appearances at the Comedy Store.
For five weeks, several famous comedians staged a protest in front of the club, while others crossed the picket line. The comedians involved formed a union called Comedians for Compensation and fought for pay where they had received none before. They eventually picketed in front of the club when their demands were not met. Jay Leno and David Letterman were amongst those on the picket line.
The job action was not legally a strike as the comedians were classified as "independent contractors" and were not under contract with the club.
Mitzi Shore argued that the club was and had always been a showcase and training ground for young comedians and wasn't about profits. She alleged that comedians came to the club and could work on their material in front of casting agents and other talent scouts who would possibly hire them as professionals if they were good enough.
The comedians at the club became unhappy when the club was expanded several times and it was perceived that Shore's profits were quite substantial. Shore also paid the rest of her staff, including waitresses and bartenders. Several of the young comedians who had moved to Los Angeles to make it big were so poor they could not afford 3 meals a day or even housing.[4] Jay Leno briefly lived in his car upon first arriving in LA and performing at the club.
After the strike some comedians were no longer allowed to perform at the club, including Steve Lubetkin, who committed suicide in front of the building by jumping off the roof of the Continental Hyatt House next door. His suicide note included the line: "My name is Steve Lubetkin. I used to work at the Comedy Store."[5] Lubetkin hoped that his suicide would resolve the labor dispute. He also cited Shore as the reason he no longer had a job.
The union ceased to exist as of 1980, although from the time of the job action onward, comedians in Los Angeles were paid for their shows. This included the Comedy Store and the Improv.
Alumni
The history of the young comedians coming to Los Angeles in the 1970s and performing at the club is told in the book, "I'm Dying Up Here," by William Knoedelseder.
Unsolved Mysteries
The Comedy Store was featured in an episode of the supernatural documentary, Unsolved Mysteries, which told reports of the Comedy Store being haunted. Comedians Blake Clark and Joey Gaynor told their stories of their encounters with the paranormal.
References
- ^ "The Comedy Store, La Jolla". The Comedy Store. http://comedystorelajolla.com/. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
- ^ Ogden, Tom (1999). "The Comedy Store". The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings. Alpha Books. p. 284. ISBN 9780028636597. OCLC 42714505. http://books.google.com/books?id=OxuiLy0FhuoC&pg=PA284.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lord, Rosemary (2003). Hollywood Then and Now. San Diego, CA: Thunder Bay Press. pp. 140–141. ISBN 1-59223-104-7.
- ^ Knoedelseder, William (2009). I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-up Comedy's Golden Era. New York, NY: PublicAffairs. ISBN 158648317.
- ^ Knoedelseder, William (2009). I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-up Comedy's Golden Era. New York, NY: PublicAffairs. ISBN 158648317.
External links
Categories:- Nightclubs in California
- Comedy clubs in the United States
- Landmarks in Los Angeles, California
- West Hollywood, California
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
