A Comic’s Life

Comedian Dick Martin, one half of the popular late-1960’s television comedy show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, has died. He was 86.

To baby boomers, Laugh-In was a marked departure from the staid variety shows favored by our parents. It was a run and shoot offensive assault of gags, one-liners and short skits with a young cast and a counter-culture bent that appealed to younger audiences, changed the television landscape and gave rise to later shows like Saturday Night Live.

Martin, the funny man, and his straight man sidekick Dan Rowan were ringmasters of the circus, that aired on NBC for four seasons. Following the show’s cancellation, Martin began a 30 year career as a director of television sitcoms, including two of friend Bob Newhart’s series.