Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: Mark Schiff's First Appearance on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show

Some of the best standup comedy was on TV shows and comedy specials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Today we continue our Sunday Standup series, sharing some of the classic routines by iconic comedians on Sunday editions of Jewish Humor Central.

When Mark Schiff was twelve, his parents took him to a nightclub. There, live on stage was Rodney Dangerfield doing his act. At that moment, he knew the path he had to follow. 

Mark has headlined in all the major casinos and clubs across the country and has appeared many times on both The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with David Letterman. He has had both HBO and Showtime specials and has been the featured act at the Montreal Comedy Festival.

Since we're now in the 100th year of Jewish Book Month, we'll be sharing  information on recently published books on Jewish humor and comedy. 

Mark Schiff has written a book about his comedy career called Why Not? Lessons on Comedy, Courage, and Chutzpah. Schiff, a long-time touring partner of Jerry Seinfeld, presents a hilarious account of decades of foolery with comedy and acting legends and how he honed his mensch skills in all of life’s arenas.

In the book he tells of how he was invited to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1989. Here is a video clip of that appearance.

Enjoy!