The fathers of modern American stand-up comedy, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Fred Allen, Milton Berle, and Frank Fay all came from vaudeville. They spoke directly to the audience as themselves, in front of the curtain, known as performing “in one.” Stand-up in the 1970s saw several entertainers becoming major stars based on stand-up comedy performances such as Steve Martin and Bill Cosby. By the 1980s, Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, Sam Kinison, and Billy Crystal tested their comic skills with live stand-up comedy appearances. Television programs such as Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show launched the careers of other stand