For a dedicated cigar smoker, his cigars are a deadly serious issue. Except, naturally, when the cigar smoker in question is also a movie character. For comedians, cigars aren’t just used in matters of luxury, they are also used as props, sometimes serving as a signature feature of a stand-up routine. To some, cigars are as essential as the microphone, helping entertainers to leave the audience in stitches…and ashes. This article is dedicated to the cigar smoking comedians of past and present, those who have allowed us to find out exactly what happens when “two cigars walk into a bar.”
Groucho Marx: He is perhaps not only the most famous cigar smoking comedian, but one of the most famous cigar smokers of all time. Rarely ever seen in public without his trusty cigar, Marx was one of the pioneers in the cigar smoking world. Today, comedians everywhere can mimic his routine simply by puffing on a cigar and not plucking their eyebrows for 2.5 years.
George Burns: Preferring cigars over most things in life, George Burns was also rarely seen on stage without a cigar. Starting his vaudeville career using cigars as props, Burns eventually became synonymous with cigars; the two were inseparable. Upon his death at 100, he was buried in a suit, with three cigars in his jacket pocket.
Bill Cosby: While Bill Cosby didn’t smoke cigars in public or use cigars as props as frequently as other comedians, he was once an avid cigar smoker, a habit he has since given up. This was a hobby he began in order to copy Groucho Marx, one of his comedic idols. In an episode of “The New Bill Cosby Show,” Groucho Marx appeared on stage, looked at Cosby and said, “You smoke cigars I see. They’re a handy thing to have for a comedian – assuming, of course, you are a comedian.” And here we thought Bill Cosby only smoked pudding pops.
Milton Berle: Whether he was performing in front of a packed house at a Vegas hotel, or becoming television’s first major star, Milton Berle always maintained a magnetic charisma. During the golden age of TV, he became known as “Uncle Miltie” a nickname attributed to the endearment America felt towards him. Though he wasn’t a drinker, Berle was an avid cigar smoker and an avid gambler, spending days smoking cigars at the horse races.
Ernest Kovacs: Kovacs was a forerunner of today’s TV comedians, holding little back as he adlibbed and mugged for the camera. For instance, “Laugh-In” could be seen as stemming from his comedic innovations because it, too, seemed to dissolve the space between audience and actor. He smoked only Havana cigars in his personal life, although he was the spokesperson for the Dutch Masters brand. His on-air ads are considered to this day to be among the funniest ever made.
David Letterman: David Letterman is now as much the symbol of late night television as was Johny Carson. He doesn’t smoke on screen, but he does smoke cigars off camera during commercial breaks. He then appears back on stage with a face of guilt, looking like a cat that just ate a canary.
Comedians and cigars have always gone hand-in-hand. From the early days of silent movies to the present day stage routine, if there is one bit of luxury made for comedic performers, it is cigars. That’s, of course, not to say only comedians should smoke cigars. That’s a laughable idea in itself.
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