comfortably before audiences. Another is wit. Steve Harvey's parents were a churchgoing mother and a construction worker dad who supplemented the family's finances during the slow winter months by booking numbers in the organization headed by the aptly named Don King. Harvey aspired to work as a t.v. comic from his teens- he graduated Glenville High School in the Richard Pryor erBob Hope, Tim Conway, Arsenio Hall, Drew Carey, Steve Harvey. These entertainers and others have started their careers in Cleveland before hitting the national comedy scene. With every city that produces such a stream of talent, one wonders if there is something tangible to which to attribute the legacy. Is there something instrinsically funny about Cleveland or its residents, and where can one go to experience stage humor in the city today?

British-born Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope moved to the U.S. with his family at age five, his father a stonemason, his mother a light opera singer-turned-cleaning woman. His family's Doan's Corner neighborhood was home to several vaudeville theatres such as The Alhambra. As a youngster, Hope earned money singing on the trolley en route to Luna Park. In 1915, he won a Charlie Chaplin imitation contest at the amusement park. By 16, he had dropped out of school. He and his Cleveland girlfriend, Mildred Rosenquist, apsired to the dancing success of Vernon and Irene Castle, the country's most popular hoofing couple. It was as part of a two-man dance team that Hope, who also tried his hand at boxing under the pseudonym "Packy East", was discovered as a dancer during the vaudeville era by the legendary comic actor Fatty Arbuckle. Dance teams employed comedy lines and repartee as a staple of their acts, and Hope's quick wit led him to the New York's famed Palace Theatre. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

One requisite of effective comedy is the ability to speak comfortably before audiences. Another is wit. Steve Harvey's parents were a churchgoing mother and a construction worker dad who supplemented the family's finances during the slow winter months by booking numbers in the organization headed by the aptly named Don King. Harvey aspired to work as a t.v. comic from his teens- he graduated Glenville High School in the Richard Pryor era

d where can one go to experience stage humor in the city today?

British-born Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope moved to the U.S. with his family at age five, his father a stonemason, his mother a light opera singer-turned-cleaning woman. His family's Doan's Corner neighborhood was home to several vaudeville theatres such as The Alhambra. As a youngster, Hope earned money singing on the trolley en route to Luna Park. In 1915, he won a Charlie Chaplin imitation contest at the amusement park. By 16, he had dropped out of school. He and his Cleveland girlfriend, Mildred Rosenquist, apsired to the dancing success of Vernon and Irene Castle, the country's most popular hoofing couple. It was as part of a two-man dance team that Hope, who also tried his hand at boxing under the pseudonym "Packy East", was discovered as a dancer during the vaudeville era by the legendary comic actor Fatty Arbuckle. Dance teams employed comedy lines and repartee as a staple of their acts, and Hope's quick wit led him to the New York's famed Palace Theatre. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

One requisite of effective comedy is the ability to speak comfortably before audiences. Another is wit. Steve Harvey's parents were a churchgoing mother and a construction worker dad who supplemented the family's finances during the slow winter months by booking numbers in the organization headed by the aptly named Don King. Harvey aspired to work as a t.v. comic from his teens- he graduated Glenville High School in the Richard Pryor er

he trolley en route to Luna Park. In 1915, he won a Charlie Chaplin imitation contest at the amusement park. By 16, he had dropped out of school. He and his Cleveland girlfriend, Mildred Rosenquist, apsired to the dancing success of Vernon and Irene Castle, the country's most popular hoofing couple. It was as part of a two-man dance team that Hope, who also tried his hand at boxing under the pseudonym "Packy East", was discovered as a dancer during the vaudeville era by the legendary comic actor Fatty Arbuckle. Dance teams employed comedy lines and repartee as a staple of their acts, and Hope's quick wit led him to the New York's famed Palace Theatre. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

One requisite of effective comedy is the ability to speak comfortably before audiences. Another is wit. Steve Harvey's parents were a churchgoing mother and a construction worker dad who supplemented the family's finances during the slow winter months by booking numbers in the organization headed by the aptly named Don King. Harvey aspired to work as a t.v. comic from his teens- he graduated Glenville High School in the Richard Pryor er

g under the pseudonym "Packy East", was discovered as a dancer during the vaudeville era by the legendary comic actor Fatty Arbuckle. Dance teams employed comedy lines and repartee as a staple of their acts, and Hope's quick wit led him to the New York's famed Palace Theatre. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

One requisite of effective comedy is the ability to speak comfortably before audiences. Another is wit. Steve Harvey's parents were a churchgoing mother and a construction worker dad who supplemented the family's finances during the slow winter months by booking numbers in the organization headed by the aptly named Don King. Harvey aspired to work as a t.v. comic from his teens- he graduated Glenville High School in the Richard Pryor er

comfortably before audiences. Another is wit. Steve Harvey's parents were a churchgoing mother and a construction worker dad who supplemented the family's finances during the slow winter months by booking numbers in the organization headed by the aptly named Don King. Harvey aspired to work as a t.v. comic from his teens- he graduated Glenville High School in the Richard Pryor era of 1975. Arsenio Hall, like Harvey, was exposed to the oral tradition of the Black church- his father was a minister. Harvey, Hall and Carey all attended Kent State, though frat boy Carey was expelled. In 1986, Carey rode the success of winning a local comedy contest to an emcee position at the Cleveland Comedy Club. By then, Hall was opening for acts such as R & B singer Patti LaBelle. It is worth noting that the signature "Whoop, whoop, whoop" chant favored by Hall and his late night t.v. studio audience was very similar to that used by Browns fans in the section of the Municipal Stadium end zone known as The Dawg Pound. As for his church roots, many recall Hall's archetypical Black preacher in the 1988 film "Coming to America".

What about suburbia? Funnyman Tim Conway was born in Willoughby, and grew up in Chagrin Falls. After majoring in speech and radio at Bowling Green, and a stint in the Army, he took a job answering mail for a Cleveland radio station. Conway became a writer in the promotions department. He later worked with Cleveland broadcasting legend Ernie Anderson on WKYC and WJW t.v. ("Ernie's Place") and recorded a comedy album with Anderson before landing a starring role on the 1960's sitcom "McHale's Navy". No matter the training ground or the era, there have always been mentors and outlets for Cleveland comics.

Observational comics, as opposed to practitioners of the one-liner, are known to have open minds. Think George Carlin, Steven Wright, Jerry Seinfeld. The Midwest has fe