Random Celebrity Photos! Vol. Six: Bill Daily

Thinking about my previous post about comedy heroes (Go ahead and read that one in case you missed it) I decided to post a photo of me with one of my own comedy heroes, Bill Daily.

You SHOULD remember Daily as one of the stars of "I Dream of Jeannie" and "The Bob Newhart Show". If you have no idea who I am talking about you are either too young (stupid) or you have no sense of humor whatsoever (just as stupid).

While many people do not immediately think of Bill Daily as any kind of comedy legend, he truly is a master and his performances should be watched very closely. My father was always keen to point out to me how undeniably funny Daily was on TV. With great reverence, both dad & I would watch him hold his own on stage with a genius like Bob Newhart and steal scenes.

Long before his noteworthy television roles made him famous, he was a hard-working stand-up comedian working the road in night clubs, theatres, and other venues. Comedy clubs were not really around much in his day so a lot of the places where he performed were some really rough room.

Bill Daily has comedic timing unlike anyone around. In his touring days he was regularly on the bill with his good friend and comedy icon, Bob Newhart. Both men were from the Midwest and cut their teeth in and around the Chicago night club scene.

I had a chance to meet Mr. Daily at a collector's show and he was very generous with his time, rattling off some great stories about days on the road with Newhart, comedy theory, and a life in show business. He shared some fantastic tales about nights where both he and Newhart bombed on stage and we talked about how awful a feeling it is to stand on stage with no audience laughter.


I, of course, love these stories because I'm often asked about what it is like to simply die in front of an audience. I love hearing these tales because it is the one single common denominator in comedy. Bombing is the great equalizer & the best way to humble an ego. It is also the best way to learn more about becoming a better performer.

I learned a lot in my very brief time talking with this friendly, talented man. I was suffering from some awful sunburn the day my photo with Bill was taken so I turned this into a black & white picture to prevent me from looking even sillier sitting next to one of TV's all-time greats.