George Carlin and His Shreveport Connections
George Carlin, arguably, is the greatest stand up comedian of all time. At the VERY least, he's on everyone's 'Mount Rushmore' of comedy. The man was an absolute genius when it came to observational humor and social commentary. But, these are all things we already know. Here's something you may not know about George: He has STRONG ties to our area.
The showbiz titan kind of got his entertainment start here in Shreveport. Early in George's life he was a member of the Air Force and was stationed at Bossier's Barskdale Air Force Base. While he was serving at Barksdale in the mid-50's, he worked as a part time disc jockey for KJOE. Don't believe me? Below is a little piece of the comedy genius' radio work from 1957.
And, according to all accounts, George's show was wildly successful. However, he didn't catch his major break in show business until he began working for KXOL in Fort Worth in 1959. That's where he met Jack Burns, began devolping comedy routines and started planting the seeds for future success. But, without his success in Shreveport, none of that may have ever happened.
Although, in my humble opinion, George Carlin was way too talented to ever be denied. But it is kind of awesome that his journey to the top of the mountain started in our community. It's also pretty cool that he kept in contact with people he met while here, including the legendary Stan Lewis.