Harry Teinowitz’s kid is now 4 years old. And like any other doting dad, he wonders if he has ever done enough.
“I feel like, `Have I dressed him, sent him to the right school, do I need to pick him up, do I need to watch him, is it nap time for the kid?”‘ says Teinowitz, a constant in Chicago’s comedy scene.
Teinowitz must be doing something right. His kid has done plenty for abused children in the area, having raised some $50,000 during its life.
Teinowitz’s “kid” is his annual “Funny Money” fundraiser for child abuse prevention, which he formed with fellow comic Spike Manton.
“Funny Money: Time Out for Comedy” features a national headliner and local comics, as well as a silent auction, raffle and a buffet dinner.
“It’s a super event,” Teinowitz says, “and if people can support it, it’s very worthwhile . . . as we constantly approach people on child abuse prevention, people want to help.”
Helping out with the 4th annual event on Wednesday are former Chicago comic John Caponera, who stars in NBC’s “The Good Life” sitcom; San Diego comic Steve Kelly, whose fundraising activities helped to inspire Teinowitz and Manton; and local acts Paul Kelly, Tim Clue and Sue Cargill. Teinowitz again will try to climb into a tuxedo to host.
Money that is raised will go to CAPS (Child Abuse Prevention Services of Chicago), which conducts programs for abused youngsters. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Park West Theatre. Tickets are $50; call 312-559-1212 for more information.
Comedy: It’s fannntastic!
Comedy has come a long way from the boom years of the mid-to-late 1980s. A long way down, that is. New York staples Catch a Rising Star and the Improv have closed. Franchises of those two rooms have also shut their doors, just like other clubs around the country. Chicago has seen its share of comedy clubs go out of business, while others here are feeling the pinch.
Sandy Hackett might have an answer. And it involves the source he thinks caused the bleeding of the business in the first place.
“We put too much product on television, without sensationalizing what it is that we do,” says Hackett, son of Buddy and owner of his own club in Nevada. Sandy thinks comedy clubs should be promoted on television the same way the NBA promotes basketball.
“You’re watching a game that may or may not be exciting,” explains Hackett, a comic for about 14 years, and a club owner for five. “But in the middle of the game, they’re showing you clips of these guys dunking and blocking and diving for loose balls.”
The NBA is basically saying to the television public, “if you think it’s great on television, come to the game, it’s really great here,” concludes Hackett, appearing this weekend at Double Exposure (1909 Spring Rd.-Hyatt Oak Brook Hotel; 708-573-7888).
“No one ever came out and said, `Hey, if you think this show is funny while you’re sitting at home drinking a beer, then you should come down here and experience comedy yourself,”‘ says Hackett.
“You can’t get at home what you can get in a club. To sit in an audience in a contagious atmosphere with 500 or 1,000 people is not replaceable.”
There’s versatility . . .
. . . and there’s Thea Vidale, who’s known for her blue comedy material. But this is the same Vidale who stars in “Thea,” a family comedy on ABC. Now, a lot of standups have television shows tailored for them. But how did Vidale get herself a family show about a woman raising her kids alone?
On “Thea,” she says, “my children don’t disrespect me. They don’t talk a whole lot of (mess), and I think that’s a change.”
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Okay, we understand that, but how exactly did a blue comic get a clean TV comedy show?
One of the executive directors of her show saw a tape of Vidale’s act and decided she “had something to say,” says Vidale, thinking she “would be great as a character.”
“I’m capable of many things,” adds Vidale. “I’m a talented person, so I can be that diverse. I can do a family show, and then come back and do a blue standup act.”
Vidale will be in Chicago Saturday at the Regal Theatre with another sitcom comic, John Henton of Fox-TV’s “Living Single.” Show time is at 8 p.m.; call the Regal at 312-721-9301 for other details.