September 8, 2013, - 11:59 pm
I’ve always loved the work of comedian Tom Mabe, who should be far more famous than he is. This is one of my faves of his many very funny prank call videos. It’s short and sweet, and a great end of weekend laugh.
That ain’t hittin’ no nuttin’.
Sorry, but I can’t share your enthusiasm about this guy, Debbie.
This is a rip-off of hundreds of bits on early Howard Stern from almost three decades ago, followed by Cap’n Janks, et al., not to mention a rip of the Comedy Central show from a few years back that was a rip of those guys before this guy.
DS_ROCKS! on September 9, 2013 at 1:41 am
DS_Rocks, I agree with you. I remember those days…The Touch-Tone Terrorists and Cap’n Janks were amazingly funny. Remember the classic where he called Florence Henderson and Dennis James @ the Telethon as Kathie-Lee Gifford? Just thinkin’ about that one has me DYING.
Or the classic…calling that restaurant show for a good place to eat and pretending his car crashed?
I think “Crank Yankers” was the show that hi-lighted the calls of Jim Florentine and TTTT. Good stuff. Hysterically funny!
I’m LOLing remembering that Dennis James call….THE BEST!!!! 😀
Skunky on September 9, 2013 at 11:22 am
“Or the classic…calling that restaurant show for a good place to eat and pretending his car crashed?”
That one was truly hysterical, but my all-time favorite was when Howard called somebody (don’t remember who) pretending to be a high school student with Tourette’s syndrome working on a report.
DS_ROCKS! on September 9, 2013 at 4:20 pm
Lighten up Francis. Stripes, Bill Murray. It’s clever, it’s ok to laugh at it. It’s okayyyyy.lol
samurai on September 9, 2013 at 2:44 pm
Correcting myself, the D.I. said it. youtube lighten up Francis. It’s still funny.
samurai on September 9, 2013 at 2:48 pm
It is not funny at all. This dork simply impersonated Howard Stern.
AR on September 9, 2013 at 10:52 am
I agree with those who view Mabe’s shtick as missing the humor mark.
But it reminds me of a master of the phone gag. In his early radio days, at the beginning of a long successful run on the air, Dick Purtan provided listeners with much enjoyment from his good natured phone pranks. For example: Posing as a softball player who had made several errors with his just purchased glove Purtan called the point of purchase sporting goods store, placing blame on the glove. He sounded perfectly serious asking the store to take back the glove and to give him a full refund. The funny-bone tickler went on for several minutes.
That call sticks with me after decades collecting dust in the vault. 🙂
lee of the lower case "l" on September 9, 2013 at 3:03 pm
Who your boss is?
AR go write Howard Stern another love letter.
Goodbye.
Frankz on September 9, 2013 at 5:06 pm
Two things,1/ he looks like a young Rolf (pedo) Harris and 2 ,pranks calls were responsible fopr the death of a Nurse in the UK who took her owbn life after being humiliated by radio hosts from Australia.
That type of comedy is so old it has hair on it.
Aron B on September 9, 2013 at 5:31 pm
“Two things,1/ he looks like a young Rolf (pedo) Harris ”
lol!
DS_ROCKS! on September 10, 2013 at 12:16 am
WRONG, Aron B. Boring & short on the FACTS as always. That nurse had a history of suicide attempts and suffered from mental illness. DS did a nice column on the fools (like you) who were quick to blame the wrong people.
Those DJs may have been silly but they were scapegoated when they shouldn’t have been. And I am not shocked you’re one of the BAD Australians who jumped on the bandwagon.
It’s not right to spread bad misinformation. But hopefully you’re so boring nobody read your stupid lies.
Skunky on September 10, 2013 at 11:23 am
Ok, I’m going to risk the wrath of a lot of regulars here, but wth. That was some funny, original stuff. Not to mention the fact that it’s way un pc which is another reason it’s so good. Obviously he has a black friend who also shared his sense of humor. Get over it people. Enjoy life a little more and relax. I used to cut up at work and impersonate the white officer on Sanford and Son. The guy who tries to use hip language but tries too hard. It was worth a laugh, they’d return with jokes of their own. Imagine that, getting along a little.
samurai on September 9, 2013 at 5:42 pm
“Imagine that, getting along a little.”
I never had a problem “getting along” with individuals from any race or creed in spite of having been the target of racial abuse (black on white crime – my bike stolen, got mugged and shook down, etc. when I was a kid and we lived in a predominantly black neighborhood.)
I also re4alize that blacks (especially) have historically and systematically been the targets of racism, themselves, e.g., being followed around stores by security, having people cross the street to avoid them, etc., there are statistical values to justify heightened awareness of your surroundings in black areas or around groups of blacks when you are the lone white, if nothing else. To dent this is disingenuous at best.
Not every Doberman pinscher or pitbull bites, but I teach my kids to approach them with more caution than they would take with a Basset.
But, I digress. What caught my attention was your reference to “Sanford & Son.” In the examples above, and even while exercising caution, I still evaluate and interact with every person that I meet on an individual level.
Norman Lear, OTOH, besides making himself filthy rich in the process, is IMO the most egregious and vile race merchant to have ever lived. His library of “conscious-raising” “comedies” were responsible for causing a divisiveness and racial antagonism that has permanently scarred America.
Not one of his putrid shows did one single thing to allay tension, animosity, hostility or show any redeeming quality or possible hope. All they did was act as a template for hatred against whites, magnified white guilt and “showed” that regardless of the amount of contrition or repentance, that whites will always remain culpable until the time of their extermination.
His shows were the exemplified and dumbed-down tripe for the masses’ conscience of the hippie movement and whose bitter fruits we continue to reap 40 years after his first foray into race-baiting and lives on in syndicated re-runs to continue spreading his poison.
DS_ROCKS! on September 9, 2013 at 6:36 pm
I agree with most of your comments, and experiences. Had my ten sped stolen by two blacks when I was 14. Had a friend murdered in a robbery by them as well when I was 15 and had my mom give me a ride to the funeral home. Career criminals, out now since 20 years was life in Michigan in 81′. Craig Hill had a child that will never know him. Yeah, his girlfriend was pregnant. Store I worked at was robbed by two armed blacks when I was 18. I’ve been attacked a couple of times by pit bulls, and my own dog almost killed by a 100 pounder with hill billy scum bags owning it scaring the neighborhood for years(unknown to me until I saw the police report). So when I deal with anything anytime, it’s with some caution. Life can kill you.lol If I can get a minute of laughs once in a while, I’m doing it. Stand up comedy is a pretty old art form, but people still pay to watch it.
Just to be clear, I’m far from a liberal lefty. They usually make me sick.
samurai on September 10, 2013 at 9:36 am
I may be the only person in America who never got phone pranking, and this is no exception. Like Polack jokes, knock-knock jokes and Dr. Demento/Spike Lee novelty songs, they just get old quickly.
#1 Vato on September 9, 2013 at 8:01 pm
I can’t stand this type of crap, right along with those “hidden camera” prank shows. The other people are just trying to go about their day and they end up having their time wasted or looking foolish. Look for the Chris Farley SNL skit where they do the whole “Excuse me sir but do you realize your normal coffee has been replaced with XYZ coffee?” Farley’s reaction is exactly what I would do if somebody pulled this sh*t on me.
Matt on September 9, 2013 at 8:48 pm
Tom Mabe didn’t call people and prank them…he worked at home, and was tired of telemarketers calling him, so he started pranking them and recording it…for example…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIVfrBFc5og
tommy helms on September 9, 2013 at 10:49 pm
“Tom Mabe didn’t call people and prank them”
Erm.. did you listen to the video that Debbie featured? That’s *exactly* what he did – he called CS at some cell provider and pretended he had a problem with his phone.
And messing with telemarketers, if that’s what his schtick was at some point, was ripped off from a Seinfeld bit that’s at least 25 years old.
DS_ROCKS! on September 10, 2013 at 12:14 am
gosh what a bunch of pissy pussies! If ya get a laugh, great. If you don’t, take it up with your congressperson, they’ve got nothing better to do.
mdfuller56 on September 10, 2013 at 2:54 pm
Cute. 🙂
Worry01 on September 9, 2013 at 12:52 am