In the ’90s, Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers showcased popular comedians and kept alive the hallowed cultural tradition of the phone prank. Here, stars Adam Carolla and Jim Florentine reminisce and reflect.
“Crank Yankers’ Adam Carolla and Jim Florentine on the ‘Lost Art’ of the Prank Call”
by Jake Lauer
Paste
June 1, 2017
There”s something nostalgic about prank phone calls. They”re the product of a bygone era, and if you were born before the invention of caller ID, they were likely a part of your childhood.
“Maybe there”s a nostalgic feel to them because you can”t do them anymore, says Jim Florentine, one of the stars of Comedy Central”s Crank Yankers and the voice of fan-favorite character Special Ed. “Now you get harassment charges. It”s really a lost art.”
It”s been 15 years since comedians Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel introduced the world to Crank Yankers, the hilariously offensive show where puppets, voiced by comedians, harass unsuspecting people with prank phone calls. The show was a huge hit, running for four seasons””three on Comedy Central and one on MTV 2.
Crank Yankers featured some of the biggest names in comedy, including Dave Chappelle, Sarah Silverman, Tracy Morgan and Dane Cook (before he became a household name). Carolla, who produced the show with Kimmel, voiced Mr. Birchum, a crotchety Vietnam War veteran who berated anyone who spoke with him.
Paste spoke with Carolla and Florentine about Crank Yankers”s 15th anniversary, the art of the perfect prank call and the unaired calls that went too far. Read more.
