There’s nothing more American than a comeback.
It’s been a long time since Branson, Missouri, has been the town to talk about, but that’s where one comedian has been making people laugh for more than 30 years.
‘Beautiful, cold Russian eyes.’
Comedy comrades
Beloved formet-Soviet comic Yakov Smirnoff has had a quiet residency at Yakov’s Theatre since the early 1990s, and now at 75 years young, he has been launched back into the spotlight for longtime fans and a new generation.
Smirnoff appeared on Monday night’s episode of “Kill Tony,” cracking jokes alongside host Tony Hinchcliffe and Estonian comedian Ari Matti.
The comedian told hilarious stories about his career status when the Soviet Union collapsed, sharing with the audience how he found himself on the outs in the entertainment industry. He referenced David Letterman making a Top 10 list of things that would change after the fall of the USSR; Smirnoff being out of work was No. 1.
Smirnoff said he moved to Missouri because he was looking for a place that didn’t know about the end of the Soviet Union and settled on Branson, where “they still don’t know.”
The punchline master also recited a joke about a communist party leader asking a factory worker whether he could work after one glass of vodka, then two, then three.
The worker replied, “I’m here aren’t I?”
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No ‘country’ for young comics
While Smirnoff declined to deploy his signature line, “What a country,” during the stand-up comedy podcast, that didn’t stop resident wildcard Matti from deploying it on several occasions on his behalf.
Matti yelled the phrase when an audience member came onto the stage to give a comedian his first kiss and did so again when he was purposely embarrassing another rookie comedian by getting uncomfortably close and wrapping his legs around him.
“What a country!” Matti yelled, to awkward applause.
The show reached nearly one million views in 12 hours on YouTube, with Smirnoff and Matti connecting over the proximity of their home countries and a mutual hate between neighboring allies.
One comedian who appeared on the show said he was adopted from Russia, with Smirnoff saying he could recognize his “beautiful, cold Russian eyes.”
The comedian was forced to take off his glasses and look at a camera, like a villain from “Die Hard.”
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Paul Slaughter /American Broadcasting Companies/Getty Images
Bump and grind
Smirnoff isn’t the first comedian to get the “Kill Tony” boost after years on the sidelines.
Former huge names like Roseanne, Pauly Shore, and Andrew Dice Clay have walked through the halls of Joe Rogan’s Mothership comedy venue and received what is known as the “Kill Tony” bump, which equates to an immediate boost in popularity.
Smirnoff is branching out from his Missouri residency and going on a countrywide tour, and things are likely to pick up even more after the appearance.
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