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There's no shortage of funny Canadians south of the border. In fact, Canadians have been killing it for years.
And the one who cleared the way for all of them is David Steinberg. He proved you could come from Canada - Winnipeg, in David's case -and become a successful comedian:
The Second City in Chicago. The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, where he was second only to Bob Hope in total number of appearances. And on stage, where, along with Richard Pryor and George Carlin, David helped transform stand-up in the '60s, marking the shift from one-liners to personal stories and cutting social satire.
But what's funny to some is downright blasphemy to others, and David's sermons on The Smothers Brothers show helped get the show pulled off the air, while David himself landed on Richard Nixon's enemies list. Behind the camera he's directed 'Newhart', 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', and 'Seinfeld'.
It was Jerry, by the way, who coined the title of a new documentary about David's legacy that premiered at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto. A film called 'Quality Balls'.
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