Tough crowd
Comedian Shecky Greene performs in 1976.
When prohibition ended, the Mafia was well-poised to maintain a grip on the country’s burgeoning nightclubs, which featured comedians between the big band music and jazz.
Shecky Greene, Kaye Ballard and Larry Storch — some of the comics who worked those clubs in the ‘50s — recall what it was like to work for their underworld bosses.
Kaye Ballard died in January at age 93.
(Originally aired October 5, 2002)
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.