Marc Price might still go by the nickname Skippy from his days playing the nerdy but lovable Irwin “Skippy” Handelman on the 1980s iconic sitcom “Family Ties,” but sit down with him like we did recently, and you’ll get a history lesson involving the kings of comedy thanks to his relationship with his dad, comedian Fred Allen. Read on!
You’ve shared the stage with guys like Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. What are they like, and what did you learn from them?
Back when I first met those guys, they were the most popular comedians in the country. They were making lots of money and recognized for their talent. But, Jerry Seinfeld didn’t have a show yet. That was right before Tim Allen and Jim Carrey had their own shows. These guys were very popular comedians, and when I was gifted with the opportunity to work with them, they’d wanted to know what it was like on a sitcom.
Standup is your first love. Why?
It was in my blood. My dad started in the 1930s and 40s, he hosted his own TV show in 1948, the 54th St. Review, which became Studio 54. He wrote with Lenny Bruce. He went through so many eras of comedy. He kept performing into the 1990s.
What do you remember about the golden days of comedy?
The Catskill Mountains were within driving distance, so my dad would drop me off at the hotel and I would watch Jackie Mason or Alan King, Joey Bishop, and he would take me to his late show. Joey was a lot of fun, he was really nice to me. They were going over the jokes he should do. And he was kind of creating his set, and I understand that now more than I did then. George Carlin had the first standup comedy special on HBO, but before they went to George Carlin, they did the Catskill Comedians. Joey Bishop was the host, and it was all the guys like my dad who were on the bill … Sal Richards. Dick Capri, Eddie Schaeffer. These guys were magnificent. I’d drive the cart when they played golf.
You recently joined TikTok. How’s that going?
Everybody needs followers, they want to know how many followers you have, you have to have content. It used to be everybody is famous for 15 minutes, and it has turned into now everybody is famous for 15 people, like 15 followers of a podcast.
Of course, we can’t leave out “Family Ties.” What was it like being on that show, and seeing yourself on TV every week back in the 1980s?
I went with my dad to Hollywood and went out to the Comedy Store. I started hanging out with the comedians, and at 15 I moved out of the house into an apartment. “Family Ties” found me on “The Merv Griffin Show” as a comedian. I was the youngest one at the Comedy Store and now I’ll go to comedy clubs and I’m the oldest.
It was a treat for us to chat about the golden days of comedy with Marc, but it will be an even bigger treat watching him in person at 8 p.m. Saturday at Comedy Plex (doors open at 7 p.m.). Before then, hit up his website, where you can learn more about his stint on “Family Ties,” his standup career and a whole lot more.
Take 5: MARC “SKIPPY” PRICE