By Peter Lindblad
A moment of silence, please, for Joe Flaherty.
Known best as the droll dad, the lovable Harold Weir, from “Freaks and Geeks,” Flaherty was a fixture on the sketch comedy dojo “SCTV” in the mid-1970s and early ‘80s, hilariously inhabiting characters such as the oily, completely immoral station owner/manager Guy Caballero and Count Floyd, the constantly perplexed, vampiric host – who howled like a werewolf, for some reason – of a late-night horror movie TV show that showed nothing but the worst, least frightening films imaginable. Scary stuff, indeed.
Flaherty died on April 1 – April Fool’s Day, of course. He leaves behind a rich treasure trove of beloved classic TV and film scenes, including his turn as the heckler working undercover for Shooter McGavin in “Happy Gilmore.” Martin Short described Flaherty as “the anchor” of SCTV following his death. That’s a good way of describing Flaherty, maybe at his best as the always inebriated N of the show’s Five Neat Guys’ old-timey vocal group. He will be missed.
And now, onto happier things, such as this week’s picks for the top upcoming comedy shows in Wisconsin:
Comedy on State – Madison
Pete Lee (April 11-13) – Give it up for Janesville’s favorite son, whose claim to fame is being the first stand-up comic to get a standing ovation on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and finishing as a semifinalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” Making pithy comments as a cast member of TruTV’s “Greatest Ever,” plus VH1’s “Best Week Ever,” the lighthearted, bright and cheery Lee was also a writer/producer on the TV hit “Duck Dynasty,” and he’s been a regular on TruTV’s “Comedy Knockout” and Comedy Central’s “Roast Battle.” Lee even acted on the CBS soap opera “As the World Turns.” Stay tuned for the next episode in Lee’s career. Check him out here: https://petelee.net/
Milwaukee Improv – Brookfield
Luenell (April 12-13) – Playing a kindly hooker in the smash hit movie “Borat” introduced Luenell to the world, but she’s an unfiltered ball of comedic fire onstage, destroying everything in her path with recklessly funny bravado and savagery. Once upon a time, Luenell spent time in jail and faced some hard times, but her legal troubles are long behind her. Since then, she’s been in “Taken 2” with Liam Neeson and appeared on popular TV shows like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “The Middle,” so Luenell has risen. Join the cult of Luenell, and see what she’s all about on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luenell/?hl=en
The Pabst Theater – Milwaukee
Ronny Chieng (April 12) – Dry as a good martini, often irritated and feisty, Chieng is a regular correspondent on “The Daily Show,” as well as an actor and stand-up comic. His brand of comedy is nuanced and smart, and he’s riding in on his “The Love to Hate It” tour. You might have seen him in “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Joy Ride” and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” so he gets around. Get all your Ronny Chieng information here: https://www.ronnychieng.com/