You’ll Never Guess Who Won the Very First American Comedy Award in 1987
37 years ago, comedian and columnist Army Archerd took to the red carpet outside Hollywood’s Palladium Theater on May 20, 1987, to introduce TV audiences to the first annual American Comedy Awards, a ceremony to honor the funniest people in movies, TV and stand-up. Gilbert Gottfried soon joined Archerd on the red carpet — though, the comedian joked, audiences would probably much rather tune in to a new episode of Star Search instead.
TV Guide Magazine
Joining Gottfried and Archerd that night was an embarrassment of talent: Steve Allen, Louie Anderson, Bea Arthur, Mark Linn-Baker, Lucille Ball, Roseanne Barr, Ed Begley Jr., Red Buttons, Sid Caesar, George Carlin, Carol Channing, Tim Conway, Julia Duffy, Bonnie Franklin, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Goldthwait, Ellen Greene, Pee-Wee Herman, Norman Lear, Shirley MacLaine, Jackie Mason, Ed McMahon, Walter Matthau, Bette Midler, Mary Tyler Moore, Carrol O’Connor, Bronson Pinchot, Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, Joan Rivers, Mark Russell, Isabel Sanford, Peter Scolari, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, Jonathan Winters, Steven Wright and Henny Youngman.
Though you might not remember it, the American Comedy Awards comedy’s best and brightest for over a decade, debuting on ABC in 1987, where it ran until 1997 before moving to FOX in 1998. It stayed on FOX through 2000 and aired one final time on Comedy Central in 2001. NBC tried to revive it in 2014, but that would be its last gasp.
In honor of its first-ever ceremony, here are five fascinating facts about the first-ever American Comedy Awards.
1 Bette Midler was the first-ever award recipient
Everett Collection
The Funniest Female in a Motion Picture Award was the night’s first honor, with nominees who included Whoopi Goldberg in Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Ellen Greene in Little Shop of Horrors, Goldie Hawn in Wild Cats, Bette Midler in Ruthless People and Dianne Wiest in Hannah and Her Sisters. Midler would take home the very first award of the show. She thanked her peers for the recognition and joked that she almost didn’t show up. Midler credited her lucky dress for the win, telling the crowd, “I was married in this dress.”
2 Three of the Golden Girls were nominated for the Funniest Female in a TV Series
Touchstone Television/Everett Collection
While Bea Arthur (Golden Girls), Julia Duffy (Newhart), Estelle Getty (Golden Girls), Shelley Long (Cheers) and Betty White (Golden Girls) were all nominated, it was Betty who would take home the first award for Funniest Female in a TV series “Now this is a joke,” White said, upon receiving the award from presenter Shirley MacLaine. “This is a comedy show and this is just kind of a put on. ‘We’ll put the old broad on and we’ll see what she does, and then we’ll take it away from her and laugh.’”
3 Shirley MacLaine channeled her inner Martha Stewart
Prior to presenting White with the Funniest Woman in a TV Series award, Shirley MacLaine gave a speech that included an odd glimpse into the future of what women might look like in 2017. “My first awards show took place in the Garden of Eden. There was, of course, no contest back then between best male or best female. And we’re still not really sure who came out on top but that’s about the past,” MacLaine tells the crowd. “I’m here because I’m very interested in the future … I believe that we have a great deal to do with our own future, how we look, how we are, how we feel, how we eat. We make a conscious decision today about what we’ll be like tomorrow.”
She pops out from a quick wardrobe change — aging 30 years — and she’s on a new set titled “Shirley’s Kitchen 2017,” cooking with gusto to the classic The Stripper soundtrack.
4 Johnny Carson was notably absent (but he had a good excuse)
Credit: Paul Wilson / ©NBC / courtesy Everett Collection
The nominees for Funniest Male Performer in a TV series were Johnny Carson (The Tonight Show), Ted Danson (Cheers), Michael J. Fox (Family Ties), Pee-Wee Herman (Pee-Wee’s Playhouse) and David Letterman (Late Night with David Letterman). Carson won — however, he was unable to accept, as he was in the hospital due to appendicitis at the time of the awards.
Comedian Red Buttons accepted in place of Carson, bringing a variation of his “Never got a dinner” routine: “Some of the biggest people in the history of the world … never … accepted a comedy award. Adam, who said to George Burns, ‘Dad, can I have my allowance?’ never accepted an award. Moses, when he came down from Mount Sinai, said, ‘Charlton Heston is wrong for the part.’ Never accepted an award.”
5 Robin Williams grabs three awards
Good Morning Vietnam. Credit: Everett Collection
The first awards ceremony was all about Robin Williams, as the actor took home an award for the Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic, Funniest TV Star in a Special and Funniest Male Performer of the Year.
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