Weekend Comedy Series – Ellen DeGeneres – 1992

Almost everyone certainly knows of Ellen from her current talk show superstardom. It’s not a bad gig, but she also had a period when she was paying her dues and working her way up. That’s where we head this week.

She was breaking ground in comedy with a unique style. She’d deliver a line, then digress, and digress again. Her humor comes in waves, and she has kid-like, almost-innocent revelations about topics. Audiences get layers of jokes piled on thickly.

This show, One Night Stand, is an HBO special and comes prior to her sitcoms and talk shows, but after a decade or so of polishing material on the road and on the Tonight Show. And, of course, there was the time working at T.G.I. Fridays and at malls prior to professional comedy.

As with all Weekend Comedy Series offerings – a warning. Humor involves free speech and poking fun, and what is funny to one person might not be funny to another. Be warned that comedy isn’t pretty. Ellen typically has a pretty clean show compared to most, but she may say something that annoys or insults your sensibilities. So, if you are squeamish or humorless, please do not watch.

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