The Comedy Store - wikipedia The Comedy Store Jump to : navigation , search This article is about the comedy club located in the United States . For the comedy club with the same name located in London , England , see The Comedy Store , London . For the Ugandan Live and TV comedy show , see Comedy Store Uganda . The Comedy Store The Comedy Store in 2006 Former names Ciro 's Address 8433 West Sunset Boulevard Location West Hollywood , California Coordinates 34 ° 05 ′ 42 '' N 118 ° 22 ′ 26 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 34.09510 ° N 118.37384 ° W ﻿ / 34.09510 ; - 118.37384 Coordinates : 34 ° 05 ′ 42 '' N 118 ° 22 ′ 26 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 34.09510 ° N 118.37384 ° W ﻿ / 34.09510 ; - 118.37384 Owner Mitzi Shore Type Comedy club Capacity Main room : 450 Construction Opened April 1972 ( 1972 - 04 ) Renovated 1976 Website www.thecomedystore.com The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in West Hollywood , California , at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip . It has a sister comedy club in La Jolla , San Diego , California . Contents ( hide ) 1 History 2 Job action 3 Notable alumni 4 References 5 External links History ( edit ) The Comedy Store was opened in April 1972 by comedians Sammy Shore and Rudy DeLuca . The building was formerly the home of Ciro 's , a popular Hollywood nightclub owned by William Wilkerson , and later a rock and roll venue , where The Byrds were discovered in 1964 . When the venue reopened as The Comedy Store in 1972 , it included a 99 - seat theatre , where Johnny Carson was one of the first comics to perform . As a result of a divorce settlement , Sammy Shore 's ex-wife Mitzi Shore began operating the club in 1973 , and she was able to buy the building in 1976 . She immediately renovated and expanded the club to include a 450 - seat main room . In 1974 , The Comedy Store hosted the wedding reception of newlyweds Liza Minnelli ( daughter of Judy Garland ) and Jack Haley , Jr. , ( son of Jack Haley who played `` the Tin Man '' in the 1939 movie , `` The Wizard of Oz '' which starred Liza 's mother ) . The Comedy Club signage was covered , for the evening , by signs reading `` Ciro 's '' , denoting the venue 's prior identity . The event was attended by many dozens of Hollywood glitterati , including Elizabeth Taylor , Sammy Davis Jr. , Cher , Bob Fosse , Johnny Carson , Goldie Hawn , Cesar Romero , Priscilla Presley and other stars , past and present . The soiree was so grand that Sunset Boulevard was temporarily blocked by police to allow Hollywood royalty to arrive in their limos unmolested by photographers and reporters . Jennie and Terrie Frankel perform at The Comedy Store in the late 1970s Job action ( edit ) Beginning in 1979 , The Comedy Store served for many years as the host location for the annual HBO Young Comedians specials . Also in 1979 , stand - up comedians formed a short - lived labor union and demanded to be paid for their appearances at The Comedy Store . For six weeks ( beginning in March ) , several famous comedians staged a protest in front of the club , while others crossed the picket line . The comedians involved formed a union called Comedians for Compensation and fought for pay where they had received none before . They eventually picketed in front of the club when their demands were not met . Jay Leno and David Letterman were among those on the picket line while Garry Shandling and Yakov Smirnoff crossed the line . The job action was not legally a strike as the comedians were classified as `` independent contractors '' and were not under contract with the club . Mitzi Shore argued that the club was and had always been a showcase and training ground for young comedians and was not about profits . She alleged that comedians came to the club and could work on their material in front of casting agents and other talent scouts who would possibly hire them as professionals if they were good enough . The comedians at the club became unhappy when the club was expanded several times and it was perceived that Shore 's profits were quite substantial . Shore also paid the rest of her staff , including waitresses and bartenders . After the strike some comedians were no longer allowed to perform at the club , including Steve Lubetkin , who committed suicide by jumping off the roof of the Continental Hyatt House next door . His suicide note included the line : `` My name is Steve Lubetkin . I used to work at The Comedy Store . '' Lubetkin hoped that his suicide would resolve the labor dispute . He also cited Shore as the reason he no longer had a job . The union ceased to exist in 1980 , although from the time of the job action onward , comedians in Los Angeles were paid for their shows . This included The Comedy Store and The Improv . Notable alumni ( edit ) Tim Allen Louie Anderson Don Barris Roseanne Barr Joy Behar John Belushi Richard Belzer Sandra Bernhard Mike Binder Elaine Boosler David Brenner Bill Burr Joe Rogan Bryan Callen George Carlin Jim Carrey Johnny Carson John Caparulo Dave Chappelle Chevy Chase Margaret Cho Louis CK Tom Davis Andrew Dice Clay Jenn Colella Dane Cook Doug Benson Blake Clark Whitney Cummings Billy Crystal Rodney Dangerfield Ellen DeGeneres John Del Rico Chris D'Elia Joey Diaz Andy Dick Gaylord Dingler Tom Dreesen Will Durst Redd Foxx Al Franken Gallagher Janeane Garofalo Whoopi Goldberg Kathy Griffin Arsenio Hall Argus Hamilton Chelsea Handler Kevin Hart Tony Hinchcliffe Bill Hicks Joel Hodgson Dom Irrera Martin Lawrence Freddy Lockhart Andy Kaufman Michael Keaton Sam Kinison Steve Landesberg Bobby Lee Jay Leno David Letterman Richard Lewis Jay London Bill Maher Howie Mandel Marc Maron Steve Martin Ralphie May Edie McClurg Jason Mewes Dennis Miller George Miller Paul Mooney Eddie Murphy Rosie O'Donnell Patrice O'Neal John Pappas Russell Peters Dat Phan Ollie Joe Prater Richard Pryor Chris Rock Paul Rodriguez Ray Romano Chris Rush Bob Saget Amy Schumer Jerry Seinfeld Garry Shandling Iliza Shlesinger Pauly Shore Sarah Silverman Sinbad Brad Slaight Yakov Smirnoff Kevin Smith Phil Snyder Freddy Soto Doug Stanhope Sarah Tiana The Unknown Comic Jimmie Walker Damon Wayans Jeff Wayne Robin Williams Thomas F. Wilson The history of the young comedians coming to Los Angeles in the 1970s and performing at the club is told in the book I 'm Dying Up Here by William Knoedelseder . References ( edit ) Jump up ^ `` The Comedy Store , La Jolla '' . The Comedy Store . Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 28 . Jump up ^ Ogden , Tom ( 1999 ) . `` The Comedy Store '' . The Complete Idiot 's Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings . Alpha Books . p. 284 . ISBN 978 - 0 - 02 - 863659 - 7 . OCLC 42714505 . ^ Jump up to : Lord , Rosemary ( 2003 ) . Hollywood Then and Now . San Diego , CA : Thunder Bay Press . pp. 140 -- 141 . ISBN 1 - 59223 - 104 - 7 . ^ Jump up to : Zoglin , Richard ( 2008 - 02 - 04 ) . `` The First Comedy Strike '' . Time . ISSN 0040 - 781X . Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 06 . Jump up ^ `` Jokers Wild '' . New York Post . April 30 , 2009 . Retrieved May 17 , 2015 . Jump up ^ Knoedelseder , William ( 2009 ) . I 'm Dying Up Here : Heartbreak and High Times in Stand - up Comedy 's Golden Era . New York , NY : PublicAffairs . ISBN 1586488961 . Jump up ^ http://hollywood.thecomedystore.com/comedian.cfm?id=180 External links ( edit ) An Interview with Sammy Shore , Comedy Store Founder , June 2011 The Comedy Store Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Comedy_Store&oldid=837505516 '' Categories : Nightclubs in Los Angeles County , California Comedy clubs in California Landmarks in Los Angeles West Hollywood , California Reportedly haunted locations in Los Angeles Hidden categories : Pages using deprecated image syntax Coordinates on Wikidata Pages using div col with deprecated parameters Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Edit links This page was last edited on 21 April 2018 , at 07 : 44 . Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply . By using this site , you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . 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who got their start at the comedy store
The Comedy Store The Comedy Store in 2006 Former names Ciro 's Address 8433 West Sunset Boulevard Location West Hollywood , California Coordinates 34 ° 05 ′ 42 '' N 118 ° 22 ′ 26 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 34.09510 ° N 118.37384 ° W ﻿ / 34.09510 ; - 118.37384 Coordinates : 34 ° 05 ′ 42 '' N 118 ° 22 ′ 26 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 34.09510 ° N 118.37384 ° W ﻿ / 34.09510 ; - 118.37384 Owner Mitzi Shore Type Comedy club Capacity Main room : 450 Construction Opened April 1972 ( 1972 - 04 ) Renovated 1976 Website www.thecomedystore.com The Comedy Store in 2006 Former names Ciro 's Address 8433 West Sunset Boulevard Location West Hollywood , California Coordinates 34 ° 05 ′ 42 '' N 118 ° 22 ′ 26 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 34.09510 ° N 118.37384 ° W ﻿ / 34.09510 ; - 118.37384 Coordinates : 34 ° 05 ′ 42 '' N 118 ° 22 ′ 26 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 34.09510 ° N 118.37384 ° W ﻿ / 34.09510 ; - 118.37384 Owner Mitzi Shore Type Comedy club Capacity Main room : 450 Construction Opened April 1972 ( 1972 - 04 ) Renovated 1976 Website www.thecomedystore.com The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in West Hollywood , California , at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip . It has a sister comedy club in La Jolla , San Diego , California . The Comedy Store was opened in April 1972 by comedians Sammy Shore and Rudy DeLuca . The building was formerly the home of Ciro 's , a popular Hollywood nightclub owned by William Wilkerson , and later a rock and roll venue , where The Byrds were discovered in 1964 . When the venue reopened as The Comedy Store in 1972 , it included a 99 - seat theatre , where Johnny Carson was one of the first comics to perform . As a result of a divorce settlement , Sammy Shore 's ex-wife Mitzi Shore began operating the club in 1973 , and she was able to buy the building in 1976 . She immediately renovated and expanded the club to include a 450 - seat main room . In 1974 , The Comedy Store hosted the wedding reception of newlyweds Liza Minnelli ( daughter of Judy Garland ) and Jack Haley , Jr. , ( son of Jack Haley who played `` the Tin Man '' in the 1939 movie , `` The Wizard of Oz '' which starred Liza 's mother ) . The Comedy Club signage was covered , for the evening , by signs reading `` Ciro 's '' , denoting the venue 's prior identity . The event was attended by many dozens of Hollywood glitterati , including Elizabeth Taylor , Sammy Davis Jr. , Cher , Bob Fosse , Johnny Carson , Goldie Hawn , Cesar Romero , Priscilla Presley and other stars , past and present . The soiree was so grand that Sunset Boulevard was temporarily blocked by police to allow Hollywood royalty to arrive in their limos unmolested by photographers and reporters . Beginning in 1979 , The Comedy Store served for many years as the host location for the annual HBO Young Comedians specials . Also in 1979 , stand - up comedians formed a short - lived labor union and demanded to be paid for their appearances at The Comedy Store . For six weeks ( beginning in March ) , several famous comedians staged a protest in front of the club , while others crossed the picket line . The comedians involved formed a union called Comedians for Compensation and fought for pay where they had received none before . They eventually picketed in front of the club when their demands were not met . Jay Leno and David Letterman were among those on the picket line while Garry Shandling and Yakov Smirnoff crossed the line . The job action was not legally a strike as the comedians were classified as `` independent contractors '' and were not under contract with the club . Mitzi Shore argued that the club was and had always been a showcase and training ground for young comedians and was not about profits . She alleged that comedians came to the club and could work on their material in front of casting agents and other talent scouts who would possibly hire them as professionals if they were good enough . The comedians at the club became unhappy when the club was expanded several times and it was perceived that Shore 's profits were quite substantial . Shore also paid the rest of her staff , including waitresses and bartenders . After the strike some comedians were no longer allowed to perform at the club , including Steve Lubetkin , who committed suicide by jumping off the roof of the Continental Hyatt House next door . His suicide note included the line : `` My name is Steve Lubetkin . I used to work at The Comedy Store . '' Lubetkin hoped that his suicide would resolve the labor dispute . He also cited Shore as the reason he no longer had a job . The union ceased to exist in 1980 , although from the time of the job action onward , comedians in Los Angeles were paid for their shows . This included The Comedy Store and The Improv . Tim Allen Louie Anderson Don Barris Roseanne Barr Joy Behar John Belushi Richard Belzer Sandra Bernhard Mike Binder Elaine Boosler David Brenner Bill Burr Joe Rogan Bryan Callen George Carlin Jim Carrey Johnny Carson John Caparulo Dave Chappelle Chevy Chase Margaret Cho Louis CK Tom Davis Andrew Dice Clay Jenn Colella Dane Cook Doug Benson Blake Clark Whitney Cummings Billy Crystal Rodney Dangerfield Ellen DeGeneres John Del Rico Chris D'Elia Joey Diaz Andy Dick Gaylord Dingler Tom Dreesen Will Durst Redd Foxx Al Franken Gallagher Janeane Garofalo Whoopi Goldberg Kathy Griffin Arsenio Hall Argus Hamilton Chelsea Handler Kevin Hart Tony Hinchcliffe Bill Hicks Joel Hodgson Dom Irrera Martin Lawrence Freddy Lockhart Andy Kaufman Michael Keaton Sam Kinison Steve Landesberg Bobby Lee Jay Leno David Letterman Richard Lewis Jay London Bill Maher Howie Mandel Marc Maron Steve Martin Ralphie May Edie McClurg Jason Mewes Dennis Miller George Miller Paul Mooney Eddie Murphy Rosie O'Donnell Patrice O'Neal John Pappas Russell Peters Dat Phan Ollie Joe Prater Richard Pryor Chris Rock Paul Rodriguez Ray Romano Chris Rush Bob Saget Amy Schumer Jerry Seinfeld Garry Shandling Iliza Shlesinger Pauly Shore Sarah Silverman Sinbad Brad Slaight Yakov Smirnoff Kevin Smith Phil Snyder Freddy Soto Doug Stanhope Sarah Tiana The Unknown Comic Jimmie Walker Damon Wayans Jeff Wayne Robin Williams Thomas F. Wilson Andrew Dice Clay John Del Rico Ollie Joe Prater The Unknown Comic Thomas F. Wilson The history of the young comedians coming to Los Angeles in the 1970s and performing at the club is told in the book I 'm Dying Up Here by William Knoedelseder .