Robert Klein (born February 8, 1942) is an American stand-up comedian, singer and actor….who had several popular and influential comedy albums in the 1970’s….and was nominated for a Best Actor in a Musical Tony Award for 1979’s They’re Playing Our Song….plus he has made a variety of TV and movie appearances….including hosting Saturday Night Live twice. Klein starred in HBO’s first stand-up comedy special in 1975….as seen in this video herewith….during the cable channel’s early broadcast days and has continued to appear in several more one-man shows which have typically concluded with his “I can’t stop my leg” routine. In 1985, he starred in the “Wordplay” episode of The New Twilight Zone. In 1986, Klein had his own late-night talk show, Robert Klein Time, which ran on the USA Network until 1988. Klein hosted Monty Python Live at Aspen….which was a reunion and tribute show for the five surviving members of the British comedy troupe, in a special that appeared on HBO in 1998.
Klein has made several albums….with the most successful being his first two. In A Child of the Fifties (1973, Brut/Buddah Records), shown as Child of the 50’s (on the cover)….Klein talks about his life as a child in the 1950’s…..which were about air raid drills, Johnny Mathis music, showing off condoms while at the high school dance, the high school lunch ladies, Senator Joseph McCarthy, Governor W. Averell Harriman of New York, meeting Yankee stars, the Yankees losing the World Series, and much more. He also goes into other things that he has observed in his life….such as substitute teaching, 1970’s FM radio disc jockeys, late-night delis and annoying commercials like Geritol. He also performed two songs that he wrote himself….“Fabulous ’50s” and “Middle Class, Educated Blues.” During the finale of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in February 2014….Billy Crystal reminded Jay Leno that when Leno was an aspiring comedian….the only decoration in Leno’s apartment was a poster of Klein….as both implied that they were influenced by the Child of the 50’s recording.
