Transcript of The Truth About Comedy and Making People Laugh with Chevy Chase & Sean Callagy

I think I was funny in high school. There were funnier people in high school and then college. No, as I said, my father was very funny. My brother was funny. No mentors, no teachers, just growing up with the right people, the way I would see it. I wanted to be in medicine. I was thinking about being a surgeon, but I realized in short order that it would take another four to eight years before I could do that, and I wanted to be funny first. Without surprise, you can't really get laughter. It's got to come from out of nowhere, almost, or out of left field. I left after one year. I had a reason to go, and it was personal. And I really didn't want to leave, but it was the way it was in my life at the time. I want to be remembered by my family, by the people I'm closest to. The rest can take it or leave it.

Hey, we're here with the Sean Calgan behind the podcast. We help people see what they don't see about their financial abundance, their time, and magic. As we hit this Christmas and holiday season, I couldn't be more honored to have our guest coming up here today. Let's kick it to Tink for his introduction.

There are rare souls in every era who don't just succeed. They redraw the map for everyone who follows. Before a comedy learned to explain itself, before it softened the edges, Chevy Chase stepped forward and proved that intelligence could be hilarious, or reverence could be art, and the sharpest laugh is the one that reveals truth before even know it's arrived. As a founding force of Saturday Night Live, an Emmy Award winner for both his performances and writing, and the architect of moments that echo through decades, Chevy didn't just collect accolades, he changed the very standards of comedy. He made it safe for wit to be sharp, for satire to be fearless, and for performers to trust that restraint and timing could be more powerful than noise. Being first isn't glamor, it's carrying a torch through the fog. Misunderstood until the world catches up. To master at this level is to time truth so clearly that laughter becomes revelation. Between the applause and the pressure, the brilliance and the burden, stands a human who chose originality over approval and contribution over comfort. Tonight, we don't just honor nostalgia, we honor a man whose work raised the bar for what comedy, courage, and intelligence could be.

It's my privilege to welcome, arguably the greatest comedic innovator of his generation, a true one-of-one, Chevy Chase.

Mr. Chevy Chase, an honor and privilege to have you here.

Oh, thank you.

Yeah, Sean Calleigh on podcast.

Nice to see you, Sean.

Yeah, very nice to see you.

I got to go after that intro.

Thank you for that, for sure. So how did you get into comedy? Were you funny growing up? Was it something you just understood? Did you learn how to do it? Where did all this come from?

Well, all of the above. My dad was a very funny man. His dad was a funny man. They weren't comics or comedians as I'm supposed to be. But They were very funny and particular about what they said and did. Good with sarcasm when it was valued. Things happen. You just rolled along. And pardon me for burping. I just realized I've lost the lung. Okay, I'm back. Go.

So were you funny in high school? Were you in plays? What was that time like for you?

I think I was funny in high school. There were funnier people in high school and in college. Wally Sean was one. He's well known for some of his movies. You're still going to go over this, aren't you? How how how do I become funny? Yes. I don't know.

Thank you. So did you have anybody that was a mentor, a teacher, or this was really just innately in you?

No, as I said, my father was very funny. My brother was funny. And no mentors, no teachers, just growing up with the right people, the way I see it.

Awesome. What happens first to take you from high school, college, into your career in entertainment?

Well, in a sense, that started in college. We used to make a radio, do radio show that could be heard in the college. It was very funny in itself and a takeoff on radio and television. That's where it all began. And going from there, I was actually a What was I, Pat? I majored in. I was a medical guy. I wanted to be in medicine. Really? Yeah. And I was thinking about being a surgeon, but I realized in short order that it would take another four to eight years before I could do that. And I wanted to be funny first.

And music, Carnegie Hall, pianist, Steely Dan, that was a part of you as well?

Yeah, Steely Dan was in college with me, and I was with them, and I played the drums. And later on, I just moved into the piano, and that's what I've been playing for the last 50 years or so. Piano. Beautiful. Jazz piano. Awesome.

And how about moving it to Saturday Night Live? What do you think perhaps people might not understand about Saturday Night Live your time there that might be an interesting revelation for people?

What?

So cool, crazy, interesting, fun times on Saturday at Live. Was it fun? Did you enjoy it?

Was it terrible? You're a nut case. Yeah. Snl came about when I met Lorne Michiels, the producer, in a line late at night, like a midnight showing of the Monty Python's Holy Grail. The Monty Python is another, in my opinion, the greatest of the comedy groups out of England. Lorna Michiels and I got together and sat around in his hotel room in LA, Los Angeles, and We talked for about an hour, well, more than that, maybe the whole afternoon, about what he wanted to do with his new show called Saturday Night Live, SNL, and how he'd like me to be the head writer, because I had been the head writer up to that point in a couple of other shows, culminating in the Smothers Brothers hour, which was a television show, too, at the time. So I said I'd love to come to New York, but I wanted to act, too. I was just starting to act in the Smothers Brothers show, and was enjoying it. And he said, No, no acting. So that was the end of that. But I still went and was with him in New York City as we put together this show on He hired various, Gilder Radner, John Balushi, and Dan Aykroyd, and Jane Kerton, various members of the cast.

We just put it together there, and it took off. It was live. Because it was live, I think it was most entertaining because you weren't really sure what the heck could happen. Yeah. Yeah.

For yourself, so from Saturday Night Live and being the writer, how do you end up in front of the camera?

Well, let's see. Well, Laura and Michael had us all sitting around an oval table, and he'd point to John and Gildo and various. He said, Do something. Do something funny. And by the way, he hadn't hired me to act. As I said, He just wanted me to be the writer. But he pointed to me and said, Do something funny. I did some thing about... You know how those news people like David Muir and others, they end their shows with a little light funny thing, they think. Anyway, I did some take off on that, and it was pretty funny. At that point, he's decided to keep me as an actor, too. So that's how that began.

That's awesome. Who are some of the folks from that era, John Balushi and Steve Morton and Gildas Radner. Who are some of the people that you enjoyed their work the most? Not just critically thought about, but made you laugh from that.

All those people you mentioned made me laugh. They're very funny people. Awesome.

And then so What happens after Saturday Night Live, and how do we move from SNL into the world of film?

Oh, that was quick. Let me think. What happened after Saturday Night Live? Well, I left after one year. I had a reason to go, and it was personal. I really didn't want to leave, but it was the way it was in my life at the Let me see. What did I do? What did I do? I can't even remember. You went into foul play? Oh, yeah. Well, I made a movie called Foul Play with Goldie Horne, and that was cute. We actually made a couple of movies together with that, and it seems like old times. I started making movies and having fun doing that. And It was all a comedy.

Yeah. I mean, all these movies are iconic and amazing.

Excuse me. I just got finished with a pneumonia. You won't get You won't get it.

It's gone. It would be worth it sitting here. I would accept a pneumonia for having a privilege. You would. I would. I would gladly have the pneumonia to sit with you and have this conversation.

Get out of here.

Yes. So I know this is a question that has been... We're not all the way there yet, but let's pretend people are watching this to learn.

Let's hope they are.

Yeah, let's hope. To become more funny. Has anybody ever asked you, Hey, Mr. Chase, Chubby Chase, how can I become more funny? People you're on set with, folks, is there anything you would give us guidance of what humor is to you or how you think about funny things or writing in humor, anything like that that people might be able to take away?

Repeat that.

Yes. No, I'm kidding. I could verbatim.

I bet you could. No, I'm not sure how to answer that. How could I teach people?

Somebody said, Give me one tip on how you can be more funny. You made this room laugh five times. Sure. Most of them are me, so it's amazing. Thank you for that. And by the way, my significant other is sitting there. She's very, very happy. The more times you're making them laugh at me will make her keep laughing like that. Okay, good. Perfectly. Good goodness. If you had one tip, because she's not funny, so she's going to try to become funny. What would you teach her to become funny?

I would tell her to keep it up. How could she get worse? If that was the case. I mean, look, a sense of humor is a sense of perspective, a sense of what's good and what's bad, what's right, what's wrong, what's better, what's worse, all of those thoughts. And that's what a sense of humor is about. So to the extent that you keep that in mind, and to the extent that you understand that, I guess that's how you learn better. I guess that's what you try to teach others. Just keep that perspective. Don't be afraid. You know. Yeah.

So thank you for that, for sure. You're welcome. I mean that sincerely because folks watch this-Excuse me while I blow your nose.

Please, please do. Wait. No, it's mine. Oh, that's right. I don't have a handkerchief. You have a handkerchief? I've got one.

I got it. That's my mom. She would love it.

I've got to look at this. Is that your mom?

She would love if you blew her nose in her handkerchief. She'll keep it. So it seems like old times, foul play. She had posters of you. Oh my God. All sorts of things.

I'm here. Go ahead.

The folks out there, they just learned something, and I did too, of how to talk about humor. Because I believe everything can be modeled. I never thought about it in the context of way of saying it, perspective shifting. And that is funny. So if you think about, if I think about for a second, the characters you played, you were always in, whether it's foul play or whether it's Fletch, whether it's See Michael Times, whether it's in the Vacation Movies, that's something you were just shifting that perspective to say something from another angle. It's funny. That's right. It's what you've done 10 times here today. I never understood that. So, yeah, thank you. I mean that.

Now you've learned something. I have. Okay, it's time to be funny now.

Yes, I could. Because she doesn't think I'm funny. Go. Go forth and be funny. Yeah, go forth.

I've been directed by- Go forth and be funny.

By Chevy Chase to go forward and be funny. Yes.

It's a biblical thing, go forth and be funny.

And my children think I'm cringy and not funny. So thank you. I will do my best. Sure thing. I think they're right.

Whatever I can do.

Thank you. So we moved from you, moved from this time of Val Play, Goldie Hawn. What are some of your favorite movies that you've done? That I made?

Yeah.

What did you enjoy the most or liked the most?

Oh, hell, I liked all of them. I had a lot of fun I'm making most of them. I must have made 50 over the years, but probably the last...

Can I just in front? We don't say things to kiss your A-S-S. You are amazing, and really, it's an honor. And people, and I just want to really bring this forward. So I don't just say nice things to people to say nice. You are a master.

Yes, you do. Come on now.

I don't. Bella, do I say things to be nice all the time? I don't really, no.

Okay.

Mom, do I say things to be nice? Yeah.

Oh, my God, they're both here.

Yes, they're both here, right? But I mean it, really. I've been a student of your work and just a move by it. There's not a Christmas season that goes by. I don't watch Christmas Vacation multiple times, but I understand you're way more than that. The entire body of work, foul play.

It's all about laugh.

Yes.

That's all. I mean, it's that simple. But can you make people laugh? And we've covered some of that right now. Yeah. And ever since I've been little, I've liked making people laugh. It seems to be one of the happiest moments in their lives to laugh. Sure. So to the extent that I can make you laugh, or your mom, or your wife. Is it your wife?

Close enough. Yes. Close enough. Yes. It's Sugar Mom.

That's my sugar baby. Or the Sugar Mom. Anyway, to the extent that I can do that, That's really all it's about. And that means surprise, basically. Without surprise, you can't really get laughter. It's got to come from out of nowhere, almost, or out of left field, as it were.

Beautiful. So And how about any movies that are your favorites that you made? That I made? Yeah, of yours.

I suppose my favorite was Fletch, which was my more recent I think, Fletch. But you know, I loved Seam's Like Old Times. You got to put the bill on the Underhills. It seems like old times. I loved the Spies Like Us. I certainly loved the Three Amigos. That's one of my favorites. So I have I have five or six of them that I like.

Wow. So at Fletch, we have the Underhill Bills. Where does Caddy Shack stack up for you in terms of-Caddy Shack is right up there, too.

Yeah. I like Caddy Shack a lot. I like being with Harold Ramus and Bill Murray was in Caddy Shack. We were very funny together.

I don't think the heavy rain is going to come down for a while yet or something, right? The what? The rain. I was talking about the rain. It's pouring rain in that moment. Iconic scene with, I think, Bill Murray. Yeah, we're talking about not thinking the rain is going to come down as it's pouring.

I don't remember that. Bill Murray, Remember Rain. Yeah.

How about in the world of Vacation? I didn't hear you mention that. Clarke-vacation? Yeah. Oh, sure. How did you enjoy that movie? If people see you through that prism, see you that way, do you like that? You don't like that?

Yeah, I enjoyed it. I liked it. Cool. Thanks for asking. Look, I don't want to go over and over, but like I say, if you can surprise people, you can make them laugh. If you can surprise them in the right way. Yes. Got it?

I got it.

Okay, that's a boy.

That's it for sure. Yeah. Thank you for that. So who are some of your favorite people to perform with? If you want to tell me the people you didn't like performing with the movies you don't like, feel free. I'm not asking to put you in a weird spot.

There's nobody I didn't like. Okay. No, I like them all.

Yeah.

And who were- I love Dan. I love Dan Aykroyd, for instance. A very good friend and wonderful guy from SNL. Steve Martin, Martin Short. They both have their own show now called Only Murders in My Building, or in Somebody's Building. I don't remember who's. They're two very good Friends of mine, we made the three amigos together, which I thought was a good movie, and stuff like that. Cool.

I know you've been on a recent tour. You've been going around. How's that going?

The tour is going fine. We've been going from city to city. As of now, in about twelve different cities, it's a workout. But we go and we show the movie Christmas Vacation right about this time of year. Then I come out at the end of it all, and the audience stands and applauds and gives me a standing ovation, which is the only reason I go, really. We do a show in front of the audience. They ask questions, and I answer the questions. Yes, they like that because they like to see a star, and it's live. Sure. That That thing. Sure.

In Christmas Vacation, how does that fit into… Obviously, I'm on tour for it, so well known for it. But what were some of your favorite things about that? How do you feel about that being the legacy it is?

Well, I love it because it was very much a family-oriented picture. It's very much the, Are you going to leave now? I'm not even talking.

Get out of here. I think you gave my- What the heck?

Don't cough in here.

I think you gave my mom pneumonia.

I gave her the pneumonia.

I'll be back. Okay. We'll see you. Grandme, yes.

What a place this is. It's crazy. Anyway, where was I? We were talking about, what?

Vacation. Christmas Vacation.

Oh, Christmas Vacation. Yeah, I love that. That's a family-oriented picture. It's pretty much like all of our families. They come and attack your family during Christmas, and you have to be aware of it and ready for it, and try to make it a fun ordeal for everybody.

Thank you for that. It came from a big family. My mom, who just left the room, choking because I think she caught pneumonia in in the room. That's like our family. I think it's like everyone's family. As you spoke about earlier, this perspective, that's what's really happening, right? Yeah. Behind the scenes, people are burning the turkey and there's no food. The senile aunt is giving presents that nobody wants and wrapping cats. Yeah. So just really thank you for that permanent imprint on everybody's life.

Yeah, well, you're welcome. Yeah.

Legacy? Is that something you care about, you think about, how to be remembered, what you want to be remembered for? It's 100 years from now, it's your last day on Earth. What would you, if anything, want to be remembered for?

I'd want to be remembered for living to be 100. Sorry. Sure. I don't know. I want to be remembered by my family, by the people I'm closest to. The rest can take it or leave it.

That's a beautiful perspective. You seem like you really have a great life, where you're not I do have a great life.

Yeah, I love it.

What do you do for fun?

For fun? I live my life. What do you mean for fun? I don't know. Like the rest of us is not fun?

Do you parachute? Do you play chess? Do you eat ice cream?

I like to play chess in the air, parachuting. It always works for me.

That is perfect. Clothed or unclothed?

I like to be clothed most of the time because it's very cold up there.

I Oh, this is definitely fun. Bella Verita, you keep laughing over there at this. I'm good. I think you're getting some funny lessons. Yes, I'm getting funny lessons. Yes. So any questions you have, Bella Verita? No, how How do we make him more funny?

Because he thinks he's funnier than me, and I don't think he is.

Obviously, you've experienced how funny I am.

I think, how do we make him funnier? I don't think either of you are very funny. Frankly, I think you're going to have to work that out together. I hope. No, you're fine.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

Don't worry about it.

So, tonight- No. No, tonight.

You can. Okay. Okay.

Thank you. So for tonight, we're going to be celebrating at our Christmas and holiday party with 800 of my closest friends. Yeah. So it'll be wonderful.

He got some surprises for you.

What?

He's got some surprises for you.

Yes. We're going to have a beautiful-Oh, am I going to be there? I hope so. Okay. Yes.

I'll try to get there.

Thank you. I appreciate that. So we're going to be lighting the Christmas tree, honoring you. And we're going to play a clip before you come out of your moment in Christmas Vacation, where you have just found out that you were the winner of the Jolly of the Month Club as Clark Griswold. Oh. Is that okay with you if we play that moment? Yeah, of course. And then we'll surprise. People don't know you're coming.

That's where I rant.

Yes, the magical Cork Criswold rant. Yeah. So is that okay with you?

It's okay with me.

Yes. And then we're going to ask you to repeat it verbatim from memory. Would that be okay?

No.

But I can read it. I'm totally joking. Sean, though, could definitely recite every line.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear it. Yeah.

So we'll have that beautiful night. Is there anything that we can do that you want these fine folks to know before we wrap up about you, life, anything.

No, no. I'm very happy to be here. It's very nice to meet you people. Yeah. Documentary. Oh, I have a documentary. There's a documentary about me coming on television.

Amazing. Which I didn't know.

When is it? January first, on CNN. Yeah, on January first on CNN. These guys want me to promote the documentary about me. And it It's pretty good. I saw it.

You like it?

Well, I'm in it.

Yes.

So I like it. Yeah, it's nice.

Amazing. And is it funny? Is it factual? Is it both?

It's all. All the Yeah, it's funny. It's factual. It tells you a lot about me. Cool.

And were there any influences on you? You've mentioned some of these comedic geniuses, including your family. But was there anybody else, your dad, your grandfather, that were funny? Is there anybody else in the history of comedy that influenced you? Of course.

Charlie Chaplin was. He was brilliant as a physical comic. I'm a physical comic, so I loved watching Chaplin and Keaton, even though they were years before me. I mean, they were in the '20s and the '30s, and I wasn't born until the middle of the '40s.

Abbott Costello, Loron Hardy. Enjoy any of those folks.

I liked Loron Hardy. Abbott and Costello.

How about... What's the thing? Anybody from the '50s, '60s in comedy that was-Lucey Lucieo Ball?

Well, I think it was Sid Caesar and Imogen Coco, the '60s. Oh, hell, I don't remember now. It's a long, long time ago.

Yeah, a long time ago. How about Lucy? I love Lucy. Lucile Ball. Was Yeah, she's okay. Got it. So if you were going to pick Chevy Chase's three favorite comedy folks of all time, who would be your top three?

Of Comedy? Yeah. In Comedy. In Comedy? Yeah. First of all time?

Yeah. Who would be like one, two, and three for you in Comedy?

Oh, jeez. That's not fair. I don't want to name three people when there's probably a dozen others that I love, too.

Understood. So how about outside the realm of Comedy? What are some of your favorite movies?

Favorite movies? Yeah. Well, Lawrence 'O'S of Arabia is my favorite movie. That, Citizen Can. These are not comedies, obviously. And then there are plenty of Chaplin movies. And later on, I don't know. It's tough to announce who I think are the best when there are so many that I love. Awesome.

Do you ever watch your own movies?

Not much. Besides, I've seen them, and I've been in them. So I don't watch them much. No, we don't sit around at home laughing at dad.

And you said dad. You have children?

Of course, I have children. I have three daughters.

Beautiful. And do they think you're funny?

They do. They think I'm funny.

Well, so I guess maybe my daughters are right.

It's unfortunate, but they do.

Got you. Yeah. That is super fun. Grandma. Anything that you would like to ask Mr. Chevy Chase as we begin to draw to a close?

I just love seeing Old Times with Goldie Horn, and it just seemed like such a fun movie.

Thank you.

Was it fun?

They're all fun. They're all fun, yeah. I can't imagine a film I made that wasn't fun. Of course, it was fun.

Yeah.

Well, I thoroughly loved it.

Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that.

How about Jerry? Anything on your heart and mind?

No, just I enjoy your work, Chetting. You made me look many, many times, and I appreciate your work, and thank you. Oh, you're very welcome.

My husband.

Yeah.

I just want to say thank you.

One more quick question from the audience, Sean.

Oh, Mike, sure. Okay? Yes.

Mr. Chase, we heard there's a great story about John Balushi and something that was in a vial that you found. What? We had a phone a friend on that.

On the piano, remember when you had your little vial on the piano on set and then it disappeared?

Oh, I don't want to get into that. That's not right. No. I mean, you don't want to hear about that. It's drugs.

Well, my girlfriend does. She wants to hear about drugs because you want to know what she brought into my house? What? My mom doesn't know this. So I want to see if we're getting funny. Cover, Jamie, dear. No. Yes, my mom doesn't know this, but she came into my house with a A suitcase full... You're not listening? No, I'm not listening. She went from high school drug dealer to God dealer. So she went from drug dealer to pastor now. Yes. But she had a moment where she may have brought a suitcase full of interesting things into my house. That's the only thing that happened. Yes. So I just want to say thank you. We have a magical night tonight. I appreciate your time and you're coming here today. Thanks for having me. Ladies and gentlemen, of course, the one and only Chevy Chase of all of the magic. And Merry Christmas. Happy holidays to folks.

I appreciate it. I enjoyed myself. Thank you very much, everybody, for being here. There are all of eight people in here.

Yes. The live studio- What a crowd. Yes.

That's great. Take care. Thank you.