Buck Henry

His name may not be as recognizable as other modern comedy titans, but whether for screenwriting (The Graduate, Catch 22?) or tv series creation (Get Smart) or sketch comedy genius (SNL's first five time host), Buck Henry has his fingerprints all over American comedy. Buck's comedy was literate, topical, and often just a little naughty -- a perfect fit for comedy fan's tired of comedy's old-school "joke machines". And for those who like a bit of trivia, Buck got his NY theater start as the faux spokesperson for a (fictional) group advocating for clothing naked animals. Who can't get behind that? Buck remained active well into his 80s, and Tina Fey brought him to a new generation when she cast him as Liz Lemon's dad on 30 Rock. As always, find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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Buck's first notable gig was as Clifford Prout, the "spokesperson" of the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals (a creation of prankster Alan Abel). Judging by this British newsreel, Buck succeeded in making the narrator have to guess just how much of a put on it all was. https://youtu.be/qMHPe576mCY?si=QYcdns9d4v38NsFm

Early on Saturday Night Live almost always came up with a word or phrase that you couldn't believe they got away with. Here's a case in point from 1980.https://youtu.be/C6XF4RxU7xQ?si=b65ejxQFQokE4Y0O

Buck got (and gave) a big boost for SNL when it debuted in 1975 and it was repaid when Tina Fey cast him as Liz Lemon's dad in 30 rock. Here's Buck and the fam meeting Liz's boss (Alec Baldwin). https://youtu.be/9_SBzb_mQOQ?si=urqBSBXJX1vP6Cai