| To the hard core cigar smoker, cigars are not meant | | | | many of us did believe that Bill Cosby only smoked |
| to be used as laughing matter, unless the cigar smoker | | | | good pudding pops. Milton Berle went on to become |
| happens to be a comedian. Comedians use tobacco | | | | television's first major star, and he took care to |
| cigars as props, which sometimes serve as a | | | | maintain a magnetic charisma at all times. |
| signature feature of a stand-up comedy routine. To | | | | During the golden period of television, he came to be |
| some comedians, cigars and cigarettes are as | | | | known as ‘Uncle Miltie', a nickname that can be |
| essential as the microphone. We shall take a look at | | | | attributed to the endearment American people felt |
| the cigar smoking comedians of the past as well as | | | | towards him. Though he was not a drinker, he used to |
| present. Groucho Marx is perhaps not only the most | | | | be an avid cigar smoker as well as an avid gambler. |
| well-known cigar smoking comedian, but one of the | | | | He would spend days smoking cigars at the horse |
| most famous cigar smokers of all the eras. Nobody | | | | race venues. Ernest Kovacs was a pioneer of |
| would have seen him in public without his trusty cigar. | | | | television ad-lib routines and off-the-wall antics. Actually, |
| Truly, Marx is considered one of the pioneers in the | | | | he was the person who helped turn comedy into the |
| cigar smoking world. Nowadays, comedians anywhere | | | | form we see today. The television series such as |
| in the world can mimic his routine just by puffing on a | | | | ‘Laugh-in' was modelled after his creative talent |
| tobacco cigar. | | | | and genius. So talented was he that he virtually |
| George Burns preferred cigars over most of the other | | | | knocked down the walls or barriers between audience |
| things in his life. George Burns was very rarely seen on | | | | and performer; in fact, Kovac was nothing short of |
| stages without a cigarette or a cigar. Starting his | | | | innovative. |
| career using cigars as props, he eventually became | | | | While he appeared to be a spokesman for Master |
| one and the same with cigars; the two had become | | | | cigars, he only lit up other cigars off camera. |
| almost inseparable. When he died, he was buried | | | | Nonetheless, the commercial or ad that features him |
| wearing a suit, with three cigars in the jacket pocket. | | | | smoking a particular cigar is still regarded as one of the |
| Another celebrity Bill Cosby never smoked cigars in | | | | funniest of all time. From the ancient days of silent |
| public or used cigars as props as frequently as other | | | | movies to the present day stage acts, if there is one |
| famous and celebrated comedians did. He used to be | | | | single piece of luxury custom made for comedic |
| an avid cigar smoker; it was a habit he had since given | | | | performers, it is the tobacco cigars. This, of course, is |
| up. In fact it was a hobby he started in order to copy | | | | not to say that only these people should smoke cigars. |
| the antics of Groucho Marx, one of his idols. And | | | | |