Robert Klein: Child in His 50's

Robert Klein continues to be a force in the world of stand-up comedy and proved it with this HBO special. Klein has admirably been able to keep a secure place in the business without performing completely blue and without getting really mean or nasty. This special was a prime example of this. Despite a lame opening bit with a cast member of THE SOPRANOS threatening him with bodily harm if he doesn't perform his signature song, "I Can't Stop My Leg", Klein takes the stage and does a very funny song called "Colonostrophy". Only Klein can make a song about a surgical procedure sound like a love song. He then jumps into various topics from President Clinton to Judism to Southern Cooking to Actor's Equity. And I love the fact that he always manages to work his "Twilight Zone" vocal trick into the show and it always gets a laugh. Klein is a consummate comic professional who up and coming comics could take a page from.

Robert Klein has always been one of the funniest people out there in showbiz. Unlike George Carlin, who's just gotten meaner over the years and not necessarily funnier, Klein is consistently standout funny without being vindictive. He skewers getting old, President Clinton, evolution, Broadway, Shakespeare, Ringo Starr, SAG, and anything else that comes up. He even wrote all the music in the show. He occasionally seems to go off-script into improvisation, and this is when the show really soars.

I've been a fan of his for years, and wish we could get more of his comedy. He's a never-fail antidote for depression, and this show is definitely worth tracking down on HBO. Most of the comedy shows he's done over the years are not readily available now, which is a terrible shame. All of his work needs to be on video or DVD, just to counteract the desolation of our everyday lives. Five minutes of his comedy and I'm feeling good again.