Woody Allen’s career as a stand-up comic has been getting new attention, due to recent comments he made about possibly returning to the form. Our video this week is the best video we’ve seen of Allen’s early stand-up, in a mid 1960s appearance on the Dean Martin Variety Show.

Many of the jokes appear on the Third Woody Allen Album, which suggests a 67/68 appearance. It’s classic Allen, and if you are familiar with the jokes, it’s nice to see his cheeky smiles and nervous manner – his normal stage persona.

Part 1

Part 2

Will Allen return to stand-up? He’s always got several projects on the boil, so there’s no question he would find time in the workload. There would certainly be an audience for it. But he’s also notorious for following whatever his fickle muse tells him. In the meantime, we have this fantastic stuff from the 60s.