Funny People - Nick Giannopolous

Nick Giannopolous

The Australian stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer and director took the word "wog" (referring to Southern Europeans in Australia) from an ethnic slur to a new brand of comedy. In the late 1980's, he co-wrote and produced the stage show Wogs Out of Work and toured the country with some of Australia's biggest name comedians including Simon Palomares, George Kapiniaris and Mary Coustas. Wogs Out of Work went on to become one of the highest grossing Australian live shows of all time. The success of the show led to one of the most successful Australian sitcoms of all time, Acropolis Now, which he co-starred with the cast of Wogs Out of Work. Giannopolous toured Australia in the 1990's and 2000's with stage shows including Wog Boys, Wog-A-Rama and Wog Story. In 2000, he co-wrote, co-produced and starred in the Australian hit comedy film The Wog Boy. The Wog Boy went on to become the 18th highest grossing Australian film of all time and spawned a sequel in 2010. 

Memorable quotes / jokes

The Wog Boy -

(Steve the bingo host awarding the winner with the prize)

Steve (Giannopolous) : Congratulations Mr. Lee, you have won an authentic plaster lion courtesy of Mannolis Plaster Emporium alright.
Mr. Lee : But Vietnamese have elephant not lion.
Steve : Elephant. Lion. The same.
Mr. Lee : They is?
Steve : Yeah, you see Mr.Lee, in Australia...eh...same, same everything's same. My father came to Australia on a boat. And you came on a boat too, the only difference is your boat...was a little bit smaller.

Acropolis Now -

(Jim makes a statement to his co-workers)

Jim (Giannopolous) : Wherever there's trouble, that's where you'll find me. Wherever there's injustice, that's where I am. Mate, for my friend Memo here I would climb every mountain, forward every stream. Look up in the sky...it's a bird, it's a plane...
Memo (Kapiniaris) : It's your eyebrow.
Jim : No, it's Superwog! Yes Superwog, who disguised as souvlaki shop owner Clark Kentopolous, fights a never ending battle for truth, justice and the Hellenic way. Up, up and Tzatziki!

(Meeting Lars for the first time)

Lars : Allow me to introduce myself. Lars Larsen, Swedish from Stockholm.
Jim : Jim Stephanidis, Aussie from Athens.

Funny People - Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen

After spending four decades as a serious actor starting in 1948, Leslie Nielsen became in the words of famed film critic Roger Ebert, "the Laurence Olivier of spoofs." Nielsen spent years on stage, television and film playing serious roles until 1980 when he played the iconic role of Dr. Rumack in the classic comedy, Airplane! (Flying High!). While he continued to work in all areas of serious acting, he continued to play characters with a deadpan comedy style who were seemingly unaware of what was happening around them. His most famous roles include Lt. Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun trilogy, Dick Steele in Spy Hard, Ryan Harrison in Wrongfully Accused and President Harris in Scary Movie 3 & 4. Nielsen passed away on the 28 November 2010 at the age of 84. He chose "Let 'er rip" as his epitaph.

Memorable quotes / jokes

Airplane! - 

Ted Striker : Surely you can't be serious?
Dr. Rumack (Nielsen) : I am serious. And don't call me Shirley

Dr. Rumack says to Ted Striker and Elaine Dickinson before, during and after they are landing the plane, "I just want to tell you both, good luck. We're all counting on you."

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad -

Jane Spencer : I've heard police work is dangerous.

Lt. Frank Drebin (Nielsen) : It is. That's why I carry a big gun.

JS : Aren't you afraid it might go off accidentally?

FD : I used to have that problem.

JS : What did you do about it?

FD : I just think about baseball.

Funny People - Rodney Dangerfield

Rodney Dangerfield

He loved crowds and got no respect, but became the king of comedy. Rodney Dangerfield started off in the business under the name "Jack Roy" and failed to breakthrough for many years, failing to perform an act that audiences responded to. He adopted the name "Rodney Dangerfield" in the 1960's and revived his career with a new stage persona. His career sky-rocketed in the 1980's after his comedy album, No Respect, won a Grammy Award and he played memorable roles in films including Caddyshack, Easy Money and Back to School. Perhaps his greatest achievement was his comedy club Dangerfield's. He would perform shows there and hosted HBO comedy specials for up-and-coming and headline comedians including Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Andrew Dice Clay, Dom Irrera, Sam Kinison, Bill Hicks and Roseanne Barr.

Memorable quotes / jokes

"In Vegas you gotta go broke, they got slot machines all over, even in supermarkets. I bought a dozen eggs it cost me $442."

"My wife, she never went for me. The first time I called her up she told me to come on over there's nobody home. I went over there was nobody home."

"I was poor. Once on my birthday my old man showed me a picture of a cake."

Funny People - Sam Kinison

Sam Kinison

Compared to other comedians, Sam Kinison was not involved in comedy for many years but while he was, he was the man. He influenced comedians younger and older than himself with his unique presence and communication skills. From his late teenage years to young adulthood, he had followed in his father's footsteps as a Pentecostal preacher. Preaching turned out to be the wrong path and he changed to comedy starting in Texas. After performing stand-up in the comedy club scene, his breakthrough came when he appeared on a Rodney Dangerfield HBO special in 1984. Appearances on late night television and film roles followed and he became one of the biggest names in comedy. He had a passion for rock music and would perform with a band on stage at his stand-up shows. He died in 1992 when he was 38, in a car accident as he was on his way to perform a show in Nevada. 

Memorable jokes / quotes

It's Not Easy Bein' Me (HBO Special) :

Women are always on the outs going, "Well how come you don't talk about men? How come you never say what's wrong with men? How come you only talk about what women do? How come you..." Oh there's a reason!...There's a fucking reason! Because a man never broke my fucking heart! A man never lied to me in love. A man never made me wanna drive my car...in to a fucking wall!

Young Comedians Special (HBO) :

It occurred to us that there wouldn't be world hunger if you people would live where the food is! Get out of the desert, it seems like you live in a fucking desert! Nothing grows out here, nothing's gonna grow out here! You see this huh? This is sand, yeah it's sand. You know what it's going to be in a hundred years from now huh? It's gonna be fucking sand! You live in a fucking desert! Get your kids, get your shit, we'll make one trip. We'll take you to where the food is. We have deserts in America, we just don't live in them asshole!