The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip.
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 hugely popular Hollywood nightclub owned by William Wilkerson, and later a rock and roll venue,[1] where The Byrds were discovered in 1964.
When the venue reopened as The Comedy Store in 1972, it included a ninety-nine-seat theatre, where Johnny Carson was one of the first comics to perform.[2] 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.[2]
Beginning in 1979, The Comedy Store served for many years as the host location for the annual HBO Young Comedians specials. Also that year, stand-up comedians formed a short-lived labor union and demanded to be paid for their appearances at the Comedy Store. For five weeks, several famous comedians staged a protest in front of the club, while others crossed the picket line. After the strike some comedians were no longer allowed to perform at the club, including Steve Lubetkin, who committed suicide in front of the building by jumping off the roof of the Continental Hyatt House next door. His suicide note read: “My name is Steve Lubetkin. I used to work at the Comedy Store.”.[3]
In 2005, Sammy Shore’s son Pauly Shore starred in the TBS reality show Minding the Store. The series followed Shore as he took control of The Comedy Store and attempted to revitalize it.
The Comedy Store has a sister comedy club in La Jolla, San Diego, California.[4]
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Source: Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Comedy_Store
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