Stumbled upon a nice gem today when surfing through my cable channels. And… when I spotted the name of the movie “When Stand Up Stood Out” I figured this would probably be one of those documentary types about the birth of some comedy scene somewhere in the US. 
But… after watching the intro, I was surprised (pleasantly) to find out this was about the boom of the comedy scene here in the Boston area in the early 80’s.
Captivating stuff… and featuring names that today are all household fare, including Lenny Clarke, Dennis Leary, Steven Wright, Jimmy Tingle, etc…
Like any good documentary, this movie touches upon the good AND the bad… including the envy, the fights, the cocaine…. and for those familiar with the Boston scene, the backdrop of this movie is fueld by the story of two notorious comedy clubs – The Comedy Connection and the Ding Ho in Cambridge.
Of worthy note is one neat anecdote about the legendary “breakthrough” of the Boston comedy scene when Steven Wright makes his first television appearance on The Tonight Show. The movie effectively pinpoints how this served as the rite of passage for any and all comedians hailing from the Commonwealth.
Furthermore, this movie is doused with dozens of interview cutaways and some fascinating home video from the scene in the early 80’s. Plus, as a bonus, you get to see a thin Lenny Clarke (not to mention an oldie-but-goodie TV promo for his show on the old TV38).
“When Stand Up Stood Out” is a good watch.
