50 Fun Facts About George Carlin

In which New York neighbourhood did George Carlin grow up, calling it 'White Harlem'?

Part of West 121st Street there was renamed George Carlin Way in 2014.

From which Irish county did Carlin's father emigrate?

Carlin called himself 'fully Irish'; his police-officer grandfather copied out Shakespeare by hand for fun.

Which entertainer did the young Carlin idolise and dream of emulating as a comedic actor?

His daughter Kelly said he took more film roles late in life because he 'never gave up on the Danny Kaye dream'.

In which branch of the US military did Carlin serve, training as a radar technician?

Stationed at Barksdale, he moonlighted as a DJ in Shreveport, was court-martialled three times and got a general discharge in 1957.

With which fellow DJ did Carlin form his first comedy team in Fort Worth in 1959?

They hosted a morning show on KDAY in Hollywood; Carlin later asked for his Walk of Fame star to be placed outside the KDAY studios.

What was the title of Carlin's 1967 debut solo album?

It was recorded live at The Roostertail in Detroit in 1966 and released by RCA Victor.

At whose obscenity arrest in a Chicago club in 1962 was Carlin also arrested, after refusing to show ID?

He said he did not believe in government-issued IDs and rode to jail in the same vehicle as Bruce.

For which late-night host was Carlin one of the most frequent substitutes over three decades?

His clean-cut early act, in suits with cropped hair, was conventional compared with what came later.

By roughly how much did Carlin's income fall after he reinvented himself in 1970 with long hair and jeans?

Manager Jeff Wald moved him into small clubs like The Troubadour and The Bitter End, and said his career arc was far better for it.

Which comedian co-owned Little David Records, the label that signed Carlin away from RCA?

Producer Monte Kay set it up as an Atlantic subsidiary; singer Kenny Rankin was Carlin's label-mate and frequent opening act.

Which 1972 album marked Carlin's shift to counterculture comedy and won his first Grammy?

The 'AM' side was his old clean style; the 'FM' side brought marijuana, birth control pills and a playful look at one four-letter word.

On which album does Carlin's famous 'seven dirty words' routine appear?

He called them 'the heavy seven', the ones that would 'infect your soul, curve your spine and keep the country from winning the war'.

At which festival was Carlin arrested for obscenity after performing the seven words in July 1972?

He briefly called them 'the Milwaukee Seven'; the judge dismissed the case, ruling the words indecent but legal absent a disturbance.

How many times in his career was Carlin arrested for performing the dirty-words routine?

He later expanded the theme into an 'Incomplete List of Impolite Words' spread across 49 web pages.

Which station's broadcast of Carlin's 'Filthy Words' led to FCC v. Pacifica Foundation?

A father listening with his son complained; the routine came from the album Occupation: Foole.

How did the Supreme Court rule in FCC v. Pacifica Foundation in 1978?

The FCC could ban such material during hours when children might be listening; broadcasters began issuing a 'Carlin Warning' to performers.

Which television show did Carlin host on its very first broadcast on October 11, 1975?

At his own request he appeared in no sketches; when he hosted again in 1984 he did.

How many stand-up specials did Carlin make for HBO?

The first, George Carlin at USC, aired in 1977; the last, It's Bad for Ya, in March 2008.

How many Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album did Carlin win?

For FM & AM, Jammin' in New York, Brain Droppings, Napalm and Silly Putty and It's Bad for Ya.

On which album can you hear Carlin learn mid-routine that FM & AM had won a Grammy?

He thanks someone for a piece of paper, swears, and proudly tells the crowd.

Which famous venue hosted the 1982-83 HBO special that marked Carlin's return to the stage?

He had stopped performing regularly in 1976, a layoff during which he suffered the first of three heart attacks.

Which 1987 Bette Midler and Shelley Long comedy gave Carlin his breakthrough film role as drifter Frank Madras?

The character poked fun at the lingering hangover of the 1960s counterculture.

What is the name of the time-travelling mentor Carlin plays in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure?

He reprised the role in Bogus Journey and the first season of the cartoon.

Whom did Carlin replace as narrator of Thomas & Friends and as Mr. Conductor on Shining Time Station?

Nervous about narrating without an audience, he was given a stuffed teddy bear in the booth on day one.

In The Prince of Tides (1991), Carlin plays what?

The film starred Nick Nolte and Barbra Streisand.

Which HBO special did Carlin call his favourite, showcasing his darker new direction in 1992?

Critics applauded it and he stuck with the more serious, nihilistic tone for the rest of his life.

What was Carlin's occupation in his Fox sitcom The George Carlin Show?

Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon wrote it; Carlin said he was 'incredibly happy' when it was cancelled after 27 episodes.

Who created and wrote The George Carlin Show?

Simon co-created The Simpsons; the sitcom ran through December 1995.

What was Carlin's first hardcover book, which sold nearly 900,000 copies in 1997?

It spent 40 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list; its audio version won him a Grammy in 2001.

Which agency did Carlin owe large arrears to from drug-era neglect, taking 18 to 20 years to pay off?

He said the debt made him a better comedian because it kept him on the road instead of chasing a movie career.

Which Las Vegas hotel fired Carlin in December 2004 after he insulted his audience?

He soon announced treatment for alcohol and painkiller addiction; his final performance in 2008 was at The Orleans.

Which character did Carlin voice in Pixar's Cars (2006)?

The van's licence plate reads 51237, Carlin's birthday in m/dd/yy format.

What was the title of Carlin's final HBO special, aired live in March 2008?

Filmed in Santa Rosa less than four months before he died, its refrain was 'It's all bullshit, and it's bad for ya'.

How did Carlin meet his first wife, Brenda Hosbrook, in 1960?

They married in 1961, had daughter Kelly in 1963, and she died of liver cancer the day before his 60th birthday.

Which comedy writer did Carlin marry in a private, unregistered ceremony in 1998?

She later published The George Carlin Letters, subtitled with a note he left by her computer: 'the permanent courtship of Sally Wade'.

How many heart attacks did Carlin suffer before his fatal heart failure in 2008?

In 1978, 1982 and 1991; his publicist said his scarred torso looked 'like a science project'.

How old was Carlin when he died in Santa Monica on June 22, 2008?

He wanted no funeral; his ashes were scattered outside New York nightclubs and over Spofford Lake, where he went to summer camp.

Which honour for humour did Carlin become the first person to receive posthumously, in November 2008?

The Kennedy Center had named him honoree four days before his death; Jon Stewart, Bill Maher and Joan Rivers paid tribute.

What is the title of Carlin's posthumous autobiography, edited by Tony Hendra and published in 2009?

It was meant to accompany a one-man Broadway show tentatively titled New York Boy; his brother Patrick narrated the audio version.

Who directed the 2022 HBO Max documentary George Carlin's American Dream?

Carlin's daughter Kelly produced it; the same year he was inducted into the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York.

Where did Rolling Stone rank Carlin on its 2017 list of the 50 greatest stand-ups of all time?

Both Rolling Stone and Comedy Central placed him behind Richard Pryor and ahead of Lenny Bruce.

Which congressman introduced a 2003 bill to outlaw broadcasting Carlin's seven dirty words?

H.R. 3687 dropped one of the seven but added a word Carlin never listed; it was tabled in 2004.

Which 'Weird Al' Yankovic song references the fake quotes attributed to Carlin online?

Carlin's own rule of thumb: nothing on the internet is his unless it comes from his albums, books, HBO specials or website.

How many days sober did Carlin say he was during the taping of Life Is Worth Losing in November 2005?

He had entered rehab in 2004 for alcohol, cocaine and Vicodin, but said cannabis, LSD and mescaline had helped him cope with life.

Which sitcom's summer replacement, Away We Go, did Carlin co-host with Buddy Greco in 1967?

On 1960s variety shows he played a Native American sergeant, a dim DJ and a hippie weatherman.

At which Louisiana radio station did the airman Carlin begin working as a DJ in July 1956?

He was stationed at nearby Barksdale Air Force Base, where superiors called him an 'unproductive airman'.

How many times was Carlin court-martialed during his Air Force service?

He collected many other reprimands before a general discharge on July 29, 1957.

Carlin's childhood friend Randy Jurgensen went on to become what?

The pair grew up around Corpus Christi parish school in Morningside Heights, Carlin's 'White Harlem'.

Which singer-songwriter and Little David label-mate often opened for Carlin in the early 1970s?

The two flew together in Carlin's private jet during his post-reinvention touring years.

Carlin's only child, Kelly Marie, born in 1963, later became what?

Her parents renewed their vows in Las Vegas in 1971, ten years after marrying at Brenda's family home in Dayton.