Foster Brooks

A comedian, Brooks was hardly noticed until singer Perry Como discovered him playing the character he created in 1969 that made him famous: a funny drunk. Brooks drew on his own excesses with alcohol to create the character. "I never drew a sober breath from Friday night to Monday," he once said. "[In 1964], I quit. Fellow made me a $10 bet I couldn't quit, and I haven't had a drink since. At the time I needed the $10." Brooks was a frequent guest on the Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts, giving slurred testimonial to the honoree. Teri Elmendorf, Brooks' daughter, says recovering alcoholics often told him that the act "gave them the laughter they needed to get through their recovery." In addition, she said, he was a spokesperson for Mothers Against Drunk Driving "and did public service announcements in many states." Brooks died December 20 at home in Encino, Calif. He was 89. From This is True for 23 December 2001 Suggestions for further reading: Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler Amazon Price: $14.03 Customer Review: It's great that she's doing oretty well now, cause she does have a really unique sense of humor and onliners, she's very quick witted, I loved the book, and "Are you there vodka, its me chelsea?" is a hard book to follow up cause that was hilarious :...   Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris Amazon Price: $10.19 Customer Review: This book is really, honestly not as funny as the reviews make it sound. It an ok read, not boring by any means but definitely not great either... i was disappointed after the bookstore helper raved about it. just an fyi.   Last Words: A Memoir by George Carlin Amazon Price: $17.81 Customer Review: Guess I should have seen it coming, but it was a good book in that it didn't hide much. However, it wasn't full of funny things, but definitely life's lessons. I was glad that I'd read George Carlin's Last Words and I passed the book on to our son ...   The Divine Comedy: Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso by Dante Alighieri Amazon Price: $14.95 Customer Review: I am sorry I bought this: I wanted all three portions of the Comedy in one book. I got taken in by the slick cover design. When the book arrived it was cheaply made, and there is no introduction and no endnotes to the text. There isn't even anywhe...   Black Is the New White by Paul Mooney Amazon Price: $16.49 Customer Review: This was a good book to read. I truly enjoyed reading about Paul Mooney. At times, he seemed a bit in love with himself but as always, he was very funny. If you're a big fan of Paul Mooney, you should also read Richar Pryor: Pryor Convictions. I r...   Newsfeed display by CaRP

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