All right, Rita Rudner, what`s the deal with that tattoo?
Rudner, in her recent HBO comedy special ”Born to be Mild,” sported publicity shots of herself decked out in a black strapless outfit, complete with boots and a leather jacket, riding a tricycle. But on her shoulder was the tattoo of a guitar.
Rudner is known for her soft, ladylike approach to comedy, featuring a quiet voice and gentle observations on family life, dating and marriage. So to see her dressed like a biker chick was just a little bit unsettling.
So, Rita, care to explain yourself?
”I never take funny pictures,” she explains. ”Because people always say put something on your head or make a funny face. And I don`t do it because I`m not that type of comedian.
”So my husband and I thought, because some people say I look a little like Cher … we decided to do me as Cher, only instead of a motorcycle, (have me riding) a tricycle … and I said this is as far as I`ll go for publicity.”
OK. We feel much better now.
But Rudner says she paid for going that extra distance for publicity.
”Be careful of those temporary tattos because they`re hard to get off. I was so upset that it took a week to wash off,” she says. ”Those things really stick.”
The HBO special capped off a busy year for Rudner. She taped six segments of a comedy show for British television; she and husband Martin Bergman sold a movie to an Australian concern; and Rudner was one of the performers for
”Comic Relief `90,” the comedy telethon to benefit the homeless.
Rudner started the year doing a one-nighter at the Chicago Improv. She`s back completing a full week at that club this weekend (504 N. Wells St.; phone STAND-UP).
The first part of 1991 also promises to be hectic. Jack Rollins and Charles Joffe, the managers and producers of Woody Allen, want Rudner to write and star in a situation comedy; Britain wants her to do six more comedy shows; and she`s scheduled to tour with Louie Anderson in March.
”We have a lot of projects, I guess, because we don`t have jobs,” says Rudner.
Teach this!
”I actually started my career as a schoolteacher 12 years ago in a part of New York called the South Bronx,” says Dennis Wolfberg, ”a community that social-economically ranks under Calcutta, to give you an international base for comparison.”
Look, you`re not going to start with that eye-bulging and tongue-wagging nonsense, are you? C`mon, now, that`s really unnerving.
”People from India would say, `South Bronx, what a hellhole!` ”
Dennis, really, are you all right? That single, distended eye. . . .
”And I taught in a school that even by South Bronx standards was a difficult one.”
Yeah, right, look, about your squeezing out those last few words like you`re giving birth. . . .
”Any elementary school that has its own coroner, I don`t care where you`re from, to me that`s an unusual feature to an educational program! The school newspaper had an obituary column! I would assign compositions, `What I Want to Be IF I Grow Up!` ”
Wolfberg, who taped his HBO ”One Night Stand” here, features a funny routine that emphasizes punch lines with a grunt of voice, a bucking of eyes and the shuddering of body. Wolfberg has a one-night show at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Park West. Tickets are at all Ticketmaster outlets or by phone, 559-1212.
The standup lineup
Here`s who`s working at the comedy clubs. Current sets are scheduled to run through Sunday; all new acts begin on Tuesday unless otherwise noted. Lineups are subject to change.
Funny Bone (1725 Algonquin Rd., Schaumburg; 708-303-5700): Rahn Ramey is doing some powerhouse comedy this weekend. At the Funny Bone-Naperville (1504 Naper Blvd.-Tower Crossing Shopping Center; 708-955-0500), Bill Engvall, who was last seen on Fox-TV`s ”Comic Strip: Late Night,” is performing through Sunday.
Funny Firm (318 W. Grand Ave.; 321-9500): It`s ”The Len Show,” a mix of comedy from Len Austrevich, a co-owner of the Firm, and music from the Touhy & the Expressway band. Chicago`s Rocky LaPorte, who`s added an appearance on NBC`s ”Cheers” to his resume, performs starting on Tuesday.
Zanies (1548 N. Wells St.; 312-337-4027): Thea Vidale, who was in the movie ”Comedy`s Dirtiest Dozen,” is rounding out her debut week this weekend. Larry Reeb finishes out the weekend at Zanies-Pheasant Run in St. Charles (708-513-1761).
