I too thought Carlin was the most amusing, then , 4 me , maybe Eddie Murphy's early stuff...speaking of Hackett, I read somewhere that he acquired the Anastasia house in Fort Lee N.J. after Albert's demise.
Jonathan Winters was the all-time whacko--like Robin Williams on steroids--though he was at his best in talk show situations. Youtube has some incredibly funny Dangerfield and Hackett schticks.
As for pure stand-up: I liked Jackie Vernon, an obscure but howlingly funny dead-panner who appeared on early Carson. Joan Rivers could be very funny before she became obsessed with talking about face lifts.
Dice is the all time favorite. Aside from the "big" names like Pryor, Murphy, Carlin etc... the first comics that I enjoyed were Bobby Slayton and Bobcat Goldthwait (when his act was mostly screaming non-sequiturs). These days I'm listening to Jim Norton a lot - especially the Chip Chipperson stuff, Legion of Skanks (Big Jay Oakerson, Luis J Gomez & Dave Smith), Dean Delray, Ari Shaffir, Artie Lange, Dave Attell, Dan Soder, Mark Normand, Rich Vos, Bonnie McFarlane and Kim Congdon.
Jonathan Winters was the all-time whacko--like Robin Williams on steroids--though he was at his best in talk show situations. Youtube has some incredibly funny Dangerfield and Hackett schticks.
As for pure stand-up: I liked Jackie Vernon, an obscure but howlingly funny dead-panner who appeared on early Carson. Joan Rivers could be very funny before she became obsessed with talking about face lifts.
Speaking of dead panners , I always can find enjoyment in Steven Wright.
Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Robbin Williams, Don Rickles there are many. In my visit to Great Britain I did enjoy Billy Connolly, Rowan Atkinson, Eddie Izzard, and a night in Dublin and had a chance to see Ardal O'Hanlon.