Mitzi Shore (born Lillian Saidel; July 25, 1930 – April 11, 2018) was an American comedy club owner. Her husband, Sammy Shore, co-founded The Comedy Store in 1972 and she became its owner two years later. Through the club, she had a huge influence on the careers of up-and-coming comedians for many decades.[1]
Shore's husband Sammy co-founded The Comedy Store in 1972 alongside screenwriter and actor Rudy De Luca.[4] When Sammy and Mitzi divorced in 1974, Mitzi acquired complete ownership as part of their divorce settlement.[5] Sammy was later quoted in 2003 by the Los Angeles Times as explaining that he "relinquished control of the club to lower his alimony payments".[6] Shortly after she took full control, Shore obtained a significant cash loan from comedian Shecky Greene to help ensure continued operations. She was not only involved in day-to-day management but also in the recruitment and development of talent.[6]
Shore refused to pay comics who performed in her club, insisting that the venue was a sort of "college of comedy" where comedians learned their craft rather than a money-making enterprise.[7] However, in 1979, after the club had been expanded extensively, comedians began to insist that they be paid for their work.[4] Shore refused and the performers picketed the establishment in what became a bitter six-week strike action.[8] Among those involved in leading the strike were Jay Leno, Tom Dreesen, and the club's MC David Letterman.[5]
After several months of picketing, and an incident in which Leno was injured by a car attempting to rush the picket line, Shore relented after Budd Friedman from The Improv decided to start paying comics. She then agreed to pay talent $15 (an amount equal to $60 today)[9] per set.[5] The events in L.A. set a precedent that resulted in New York City comedy clubs beginning to pay their talent as well, and other comedy clubs across the U.S. followed suit by paying comics to perform.[10]
Belly Room
As early as 1978, Shore had converted the upstairs section of The Comedy Store into the Belly Room: a 50-seat audience for which she exclusively booked female comedians. At the time, professional comedy was very much a "boys' club", and bookings for female comedians were rare; opportunities for women to perform their own stand-up material with the most popular comics in the U.S. were unheard of.[7]
Shore's liberal risk-taking with booking talent continued for decades.[4] In the 1990s, once female comics had become more established, Shore continued to cross boundaries with her audience by creating specialty nights for Latino, gay and lesbian performers. She was also instrumental in providing a space for Black American comics in Los Angeles. Phat Tuesday's became a staple in the Black comedy scene and was the start of many of today's favorite comics.[11]
Comedy Channel Inc.
Shore owned and operated Comedy Channel Inc. from 1982 until her death—a company established to create and sell video tapes of performances at The Comedy Store.[2]
In 1989, HBO launched its premium cable service The Comedy Channel.[4] Shore's suit claimed HBO's service was an "indirect unauthorized use" of the name and trademark Comedy Channel.[12] Mitzi Shore retained counsel James Blancarte and sued HBO for copyright infringement.[4] The channel merged with Viacom's competing Ha! channel two years later, first under the name CTV: The Comedy Network, and then under its current name Comedy Central.[8]
Joe Rogan dedicated his 2018 comedy special Strange Times to Shore following her death earlier in the year.[14]
Personal life
Shore and her husband Sammy were married in 1950 and divorced in 1974.[15] They had four children: sons Peter, Scott, and Pauly, and daughter Sandi.[16][17][18][19]
