When I got into high school, I wanted a 100-gallon saltwater fish tank. Once he got inside the club, I’d fetch him a Courvoisier, he’d light a cigarette, and my mom would sit next to him on a staircase. Rest In Peace. I love you. ‘Best venue for comedy’ ‘Loads of fun’ ‘Awesome atmosphere’ Thank you for giving me a family and a home. Mitzi Shore, watched as Mom and Dad grew up, and I played and slept under booths, roamed hallways filled with comedy ghost. The [striking comics] ended up making a deal and got paid a token amount. I will forever be indebted to her and love her and always knew that she loved me. No cause was given, but Pauly Shore tweeted that she had been in hospice and died in the early morning. Comedians are very sensitive. It was embarrassing to have all these comics out in front with picket signs. Celebrities. Eventually, comedians went on strike in 1979, demanding to be paid for their work. Part of HuffPost Comedy. He’d get out, say “Heeeeey little man!” and shake my hand. Mitzi Shore, Comedy Store Owner And Mother Of Comedian Pauly Shore, Dead At 87. “You’re great. Richard & Robin will greet you. Pryor rebooted his career at the Comedy Store in the 1970s. Be in the know. Shore influenced the careers of up-and-coming comedians such as Robin Williams, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Chevy Chase, Jim Carrey, Chris Rock and Richard Pryor. Mom took it really personally. She believed in him — if she didn’t, she wouldn’t have let him hang around — but she pushed him really hard. She studied at the University of Wisconsin before leaving to marry Sammy. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Mitzi Shore was, and will remain, an absolute legend. I should’ve taken the doorman job when you offered it to me. Virtually every major comic from Richard Pryor to Robin Williams to Jerry Seinfeld used the club as a stepping-stone and returned to hone their acts after gaining fame. He would bring food onstage and say, “The Lenny Schultz diet, what I like to do is put food on the parts of my body where I want to lose weight.”. She was 87. Roseanne Barr was another frequent presence at Mitzi Shore’s club. Mitzi Shore was, and will remain, an absolute legend. The Comedy Store was two years old when Mitzi Shore took over ownership after divorcing the club's co-founder, comedian Sammy Shore, in 1974. She was 87. He would get a laugh as soon as he spoke, no matter what he said. My mom was very close with Richard Pryor — she took him under her wing. We'd be nothing without you and your guidance. ❤️@TheComedyStore. He needed a job, and he was a carpenter. He gained notoriety as “the Weasel,” a lewd surfer character, and became a popular V.J. #MitziShore was my friend ... and the owner of @TheComedyStore on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore died Wednesday, according to a statement from the Comedy Store. Mom!”, Then she’d notice me. Pryor rebooted his career at the Comedy Store in the 1970s. How do I vote in my state in the 2020 election? No words can express the gratitude I have for her. What happens if the president doesn't accept the election results? While you're up in heaven, we will be down here on earth making sure the Main Room, Belly Room, and Original room stay sacred. pic.twitter.com/BkKFv4Uq4n, (2 of 2) She helped change the face of comedy and leaves behind an indelible mark and legacy in the entertainment industry and stand-up community. I’m not hanging out with him for drugs — I’m hanging out with him because he’s a genius.”. Yakov Smirnoff worked as the handyman at the Store — and at our house. Garry Shandling did over 20 showcases for my mom before she gave him a prime-time slot. They apologized, but the second I left the room, they would start laughing. Same thing with Roseanne — my mom told her to wear overalls. #MitziShore #RestInComedyShe got me off the streets gave me a place to stay I worked 2 jobs; doorman & paid comic. My mom saw her role as giving comics a space to develop, but it was obvious she was making a lot of money. She leaves behind an indelible mark and legacy and has helped change the face of comedy. Riding in it, I felt like we were the Addams Family. My condolences to @PaulyShore on the loss of his Mom and to the @TheComedyStore for the loss of a friend. You should wear a scarf on stage.’ RIP, This amazing lady helped shape the American comedy landscape for decades. ‘You’re a poet. Then he would strip down to a Speedo and stick handfuls of cottage cheese inside the Speedo. None of the club’s regulars hit it bigger than Williams, who parlayed his sets there into television and film stardom. You will be greatly missed Mitzi. She was also a loving mother, not only to her own four children, but to the myriad of comedians who adored her. coach with a beautiful body, but he was nuts. Here are excerpts: My mom was very loving — but her first love was always the Store and the comics. The comics wanted to get paid, too. on MTV before appearing in 1990s movies like “Encino Man” and “Bio-Dome.” Today, at 51, he’s still a working stand-up and has begun performing a one-man show about his childhood called “Stick With the Dancing.” Backstage after a recent performance in Myrtle Beach, S.C., he shifted out of his Weasel persona and remembered his childhood as an eyewitness to the greatest minds in comedy. Jim Carrey did these amazing impressions of Elvis Presley and Henry Fonda. I’d open the door to a smoke-filled room and say: “Mom. Hollywood had the casting couch and the Comedy Store had the Mitzi couch: if you wanted a spot onstage, you needed to kiss the owner’s ass. ❤️@TheComedyStore, Mitzi Shore made an indelible mark on comedy and my brain. We met in 1979. Everyone would just stare. When Richard showed up at the Store, it was like a wave went through the club: “Richard’s here, oh my God, Richard’s here.” I’d go out to the parking lot and open the door of his car. Pauly Shore would go to rival clubs and report back to his mother. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you. Her son, Pauly Shore, paid tribute to his mother on Twitter, and said his "heart lays heavy. Eddie Griffin said that Richard Pryor and Robin Williams will greet Mitzi Shore in the afterlife. Sometimes after the Store closed for the evening, a handful of comics would go to Mitzi Shore’s home. ;^) pic.twitter.com/lBNXnW0mEr, #NEW employees at the Comedy Store on Sunset just changed the marquee to honor the passing of owner/founder #MitziShore @ABC7 pic.twitter.com/SgQNWpPCUf. Published: 13:56 EDT, 21 April 2018 | Updated: 17:17 EDT, 21 April 2018 “Mitzi was an extraordinary businesswoman and decades ahead of her time who cultivated and celebrated the artistry of stand-up comedy. Pauly Shore: Eyewitness to Comedy History. Mitzi - Love you, you're impossible to follow. Robin Williams was a really sweet guy, but he would run around the club like the Tasmanian Devil. My mom used the Westwood branch for comedians she thought weren’t ready for the Sunset location: Howie Mandel, Paul Rodriguez, Arsenio Hall. You will always be in my heart.". The Associated Press contributed to this report. My first job at the Comedy Store was hosing down Lenny Schultz. His mother, Mitzi Shore, was “like the den mother” to major comics when she ran the Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip. One comedian, Steve Lubetkin, killed himself, jumping off the roof of the Hyatt House, landing on the ramp between the Hyatt and the Store. Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter, Register to vote and apply for an absentee ballot today. She owned a limo — a weird-looking limo. And Pauley can still be found there on most Friday nights. Mom. I said, “Mom, you don’t understand. Thank you Mitzi for giving social misfits a place to call home & grow into social engineers. @TheComedyStore #comedy #standupcomedy #standup. That was “potluck” night, with performance times determined by drawing names from a hat. would announce Richard, people reacted like Jesus Christ was coming onstage. My heart goes out to her children and all those she touched. My mom also had this tense situation with Rodney Dangerfield. pic.twitter.com/n3jaO1P4s6, Mitzi Shore was a pioneer who gave more comics their start than I can count...I did my first legit comedy gig at the Store.