The Big Laff Off

The Big Laff Off
Genre	Talent contest Stand-up comedy competition
Created by	Larry Sulkis
Directed by	Marc Payton
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Running time	52 minutes
Original release
Network	Showtime
Release	1978 (1978)

The Big Laff Off is an American stand-up comedy competition show that debuted on the cable network Showtime in 1978. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

The series features comedians Eddie Murphy, Rick Overton, Mark Schiff, Steve Mittleman, Carol Leifer, ^[4] Harry Anderson, Ronn Lucas, ^[5] Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, Sinbad, Dana Carvey, Sandra Bernhard, and Bobby Slayton.

On April 2, 1979, Tommy Smothers hosted The Big Laff Off finals of 1979 at The Bottom Line club. ^[6] First prize was two thousand dollars and appearances at the Reno Sweeny club and on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert television variety show. ^[6] Finalists were seen by major talent agents and on video by staff of The Tonight Show ^[6]

After winning The Big Laff Off, comedian Steve Mittleman went from not working to being a headliner performer. ^[7]

In 1981, comedian Dr. Gonzo came in fifth on the The Big Laff Off. ^[1]

References

1. Rem, Kathryn (January 5, 2011). "'Dr. Gonzo' John Means Still Knows How to Get a Laugh". Journal Star . Retrieved July 2, 2013.
2. "The Big Laff Off" (in Czech). Česko-Slovenská filmová databáze.
3. "Best of The Big Laff Off". TV Guide.
4. "Five Finalist Of Comedy Contest". Getty Images . New York. December 21, 1980.
5. "13 The Big Laff Off Finals New York November 1981". New York: Getty Images. November 1981.
6. "Ain't We Got Fun". New York . New York. March 28, 1979. p. 83.
7. Bertha, Ed (April 2017). "Comedian Steve Mittleman" (PDF). Real Exclusive. p. 44.

External links

• The Big Laff Off at IMDb