"So me and FDR walk into a speakeasy..."
EASTWOOD (WSYR-TV) - Bill Leahy loves being the center of attention. He cracked-up co-workers for years at sales meetings, always wondering what it would be like under the bright lights of a theater.
"I graduated in 1938. I was the smallest kid in the class, counting the girls," said Leahy. "So, I decided maybe I should tell jokes or something. I'm too small to do anything else."
At the ripe old age of 90, Bill finally got his big break in show business on Sunday, with a gig as the opening act at the Palace Theater in Eastwood.
"She was a beautiful girl. She had a full set of teeth and everything," quipped Leahy in a series of stories.
The comic from Skaneateles was faced with tremendous sadness when his wife died earlier this year.
Leahy decided a new hobby would be the only way to find distraction and stand-up comedy seemed like a natural goal.
Leahy's son, Steve, says his father has always loved telling funny stories.
"He actually did about half an hour at his 90th birthday party, and someone saw him there who wanted to book him," said Steve Leahy. "There's been other interest for him to do shows and he has endless material."
A proud son stood beside his dad on stage, with giant cue cards to keep Bill on track. For his standup debut, Leahy billed himself as the "sit-down comic".
"Because I'm too old to stand up," said Leahy.
The Palace theater hosted a crowd of about 500 people during Leahy's debut, with half of the turnout credited to the opening act. The featured show was performed by another Central New Yorker with big dreams. Kelly Kinsella, who grew up in Liverpool, tested out her one-woman show, "When Thoughts Attack", with hopes of bringing it to Broadway. She wasn't worried about having a rookie warm-up the audience. Kinsella credits Leahy with attracting a new crowd for her show...more senior citizens.
With a few salty words thrown in, Leahy shared his favorite funny stories and welcomed the applause of a supportive audience. He left the stage with advice for other 90 year old guys who aren't done having fun.
"Get a nice 80 year old woman who knows how to tap dance," said Leahy.
Even after 90 years, Leahy knows life is too short to stop dreaming.
"I graduated in 1938. I was the smallest kid in the class, counting the girls," said Leahy. "So, I decided maybe I should tell jokes or something. I'm too small to do anything else."
At the ripe old age of 90, Bill finally got his big break in show business on Sunday, with a gig as the opening act at the Palace Theater in Eastwood.
"She was a beautiful girl. She had a full set of teeth and everything," quipped Leahy in a series of stories.
The comic from Skaneateles was faced with tremendous sadness when his wife died earlier this year.
Leahy decided a new hobby would be the only way to find distraction and stand-up comedy seemed like a natural goal.
Leahy's son, Steve, says his father has always loved telling funny stories.
"He actually did about half an hour at his 90th birthday party, and someone saw him there who wanted to book him," said Steve Leahy. "There's been other interest for him to do shows and he has endless material."
A proud son stood beside his dad on stage, with giant cue cards to keep Bill on track. For his standup debut, Leahy billed himself as the "sit-down comic".
"Because I'm too old to stand up," said Leahy.
The Palace theater hosted a crowd of about 500 people during Leahy's debut, with half of the turnout credited to the opening act. The featured show was performed by another Central New Yorker with big dreams. Kelly Kinsella, who grew up in Liverpool, tested out her one-woman show, "When Thoughts Attack", with hopes of bringing it to Broadway. She wasn't worried about having a rookie warm-up the audience. Kinsella credits Leahy with attracting a new crowd for her show...more senior citizens.
With a few salty words thrown in, Leahy shared his favorite funny stories and welcomed the applause of a supportive audience. He left the stage with advice for other 90 year old guys who aren't done having fun.
"Get a nice 80 year old woman who knows how to tap dance," said Leahy.
Even after 90 years, Leahy knows life is too short to stop dreaming.
posted by Bagack at
3:28 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home