Containing rare, early footage of Sam preaching and performing stand-up, Why Did We Laugh? tells the story of a comedic genius who touched a deeper chord in people than most entertainers. Interviews with Jay Leno, Rodney D... more »angerfield, Richard Pryor, Dennis Miller and many more.« less
"The life of the late great Sam Kinison is explored from birth to his untimely death in this wonderful video. It has lots of interviews with Sam's friends, colegues, and his brother Bill. The way it is put together is great, with some of his best comedy clips on the video. It tells about the life of Sam Kinison very well, from the loud mouth hysterical man on stage, to the warm, caring man off it. Buy it... you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll laugh again."
Sam Kinison - I knew why I laughed!
09/09/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The late Sam Kinison has always been a maligned person due to his outrageous stage presence and performance. In this DVD, you can learn the way Sam REALLY died, see unseen footage of his standup start in Texas and see unseen footage of Sam when he was a preacher. Also included in this DVD are scenes with Dennis Miller, Larry King, Rodney Dangerfield, Jay Leno, Judy Tenuta and other famous faces. Sam may have been outrageous, crazy, and many other adverbs and adjectives, but you'll know the real story when it's over. Get this and find out the REAL story. END"
More than just a loud mouth, a lot more
07/20/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I watched "Why Did We Laugh" with great interest. Director Larry Carroll has found something deeper and much more interesting about Sam Kinison lurking just behind the noise and laughter. I didn't think it was possible but Kinison actually seems to have been a very human, very compelling character. Bravo."
Choppy
J. Johnson | Anniston, AL United States | 05/16/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"If you really want to get into Sam's routine(s),don't buy this dvd. As soon as you start enjoying his material, it stops to interview someone else that knew him."
Laugh til you hurt
Elinor Mavor | Arizona | 07/23/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have a guilty pleasure .... the late comedian Sam Kinison .... the guy who turned from being a screaming preacher to being a screaming stand-up, and if he strikes you the right way, you can laugh til you hurt.
He was really very religious and a great communicator. He was disillusioned with people like Tammy Faye Baker and hubby and their ilk .... the so-called religious people who raised money for shopping malls etc, and so he quit the evangelical circuit to communicate in a very different way. He was also someone very disillusioned by very bad relationships and he expresses his extreme rage at his ex-wives and lovers in a way that others who have been through the same thing can identify with in a very cathartic way.
I remember hating his screaming back in the 80s when I first heard him and then changing my mind when I saw this very same documentary about him about a year ago on A&E. He was in extreme pain and he dumped it on his audience who roared with uncontrollable laughter. Funny how that works.