Speakeasy

A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the Prohibition era (1920–1933, longer in some states). During that time, the sale, manufacture, and transportation (bootlegging) of alcoholic beverages was illegal throughout the United States.

Speakeasies largely disappeared after Prohibition was ended in 1933, and the term is now used to describe some retro style bars.

Etymology

According to an 1889 newspaper, "Unlicensed saloons in Pennsylvania are known as 'speak-easies'." They were "so called because of the practice of speaking quietly about such a place in public, or when inside it, so as not to alert the police or neighbors." The term is reported to have originated with saloon owner Kate Hester, who ran an unlicensed bar in the 1880s in the Pittsburgh area town of McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Although the phrase may have first come to prominence in the United States because of raids on unlicensed saloons in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, the phrase "speak easy shop," denoting a place where unlicensed liquor sales were made, appeared in a British naval memoir written in 1844. The phrase, "speak softly shop," meaning a "smuggler's house," appeared in a British slang dictionary published in 1823. Many years later, in Prohibition-era America, the "speakeasy" became a common name to describe a place to get a drink.

John Mulaney

John Edmund Mulaney (born August 26, 1982) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for his work as a writer on Saturday Night Live (SNL) and as a standup comedian. He was the creator and star of the Fox sitcom Mulaney, a semi-autobiographical series which aired from October 2014 until its cancellation in February 2015.

Early life

Mulaney was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Ellen (née Stanton), a law professor, and Charles W. Mulaney, Jr., an attorney. Both of his parents are of Irish Catholic descent. Mulaney's maternal great-grandfather was George J. Bates, a Republican mayor of Salem, Massachusetts, who also served as a congressman from that state. His maternal great-uncle is William H. Bates, who also served as a U.S. congressman. His parents both attended Georgetown University and Yale Law School with the future president Bill Clinton, whom Mulaney met in 1992. Mulaney was the third of four children, and was an altar boy.

At the age of seven, Mulaney had an opportunity to audition for the role of Kevin in the film Home Alone, but his parents declined. For junior high, he attended St. Clement School where, in lieu of doing reports, he and his best friend, John O'Brien, would offer to perform what they had learned in the format of a skit. Mulaney would also frequent the Museum of Broadcast Communications, where he would watch archived episodes of shows such as I Love Lucy or The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He then attended St. Ignatius College Prep, and finally Georgetown University, where he studied English Literature.

David Cross

David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and voice artist, known primarily for his standup work, the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show, and his role as Tobias Fünke in the sitcom Arrested Development. Cross created, wrote, executive produced, and starred in The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, developed and had a prominent role in Freak Show, appeared on Modern Family, portrayed Ian Hawke in the Alvin and the Chipmunks film franchise, and voiced Crane in the Kung Fu Panda film franchise.

Early life

Cross was born in Atlanta, Georgia on April 4, 1964, the son of Barry and Susi, the former of whom emigrated from Leeds, England. Six months after his birth, Cross' family moved to Florida. After additional moves to New York and Connecticut, the family settled back in Roswell, Georgia, where Cross remained for nearly a decade. His family was poor and Barry left the family when Cross was 10 years old; the two have not spoken since he was 19, though they both primarily resided in New York City until Cross sold his home there in 2011. Cross and his family were evicted from their home while living in Georgia. He spent some time living in motels and at friends' homes while growing up. He has two sisters and once bailed his youngest sibling out of jail.

Sarah Silverman

Sarah Kate Silverman (born December 1, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and writer. Her comedy addresses social taboos and controversial topics, such as racism, sexism, and religion, having her comic character endorse them in an ironic fashion. For her work on television she won two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Silverman was a writer and occasional performer on Saturday Night Live and starred in and produced The Sarah Silverman Program, which ran from 2007 to 2010 on Comedy Central, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She released an autobiography The Bedwetter in 2010. She has also appeared in other television programs, such as Mr Show and V.I.P., and starred in films, including Who's the Caboose? (1997), School of Rock (2003), Wreck-It Ralph (2012), and A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014).

In 2015, she starred in the drama I Smile Back, for which she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.