Tom Dreesen (September
11, 1939 - ) was
Frank Sinatra's (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) opening
act
for 14 of his 50 years in show business,
and is still working today.
He appeared on "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" 61 of his 500 times on national TV.
To play the above audio clip, just click on the image of Tom which gets you
to
Scott Curtis's PodBean Behind the Bits Podcast, Episode 1: Tom Dreesen (1:05:41)
Then once there, scrub the audio playhead
to cue up this (24:24-25:35
= 1:11) section
where he talks about how to test your new material .
"But the other thing, too, is ... when you're working
on new material, ... ."
Hint: this is the exact opposite to the way
lame open-micers predictably fail
to intelligently test their new jokes.
This is also Woody Allen's excellent workflow.
To return to this web page after listening to the above audio clip,
just click your
browser's Back Button.
Then, see Tom in action: using body positions to sell his "Family Jewels" bit
(1:47).
Go here ("Page 2 of 2"), then scroll down to
"Neutral
body positions"
where
I compare his stage technique to Sinatra's:
http://stand-upcomedyworkshop.com/workshopPreviews/stageMovement_courseOutlineContinued.html
Then, click here to see a bigger version this menu
where you then can click the "Family Jewels" link
to
play the Family Jewels clip: