Robert Orben

Who is Robert Orben?

Robert Orben is best known as an American professional comedy writer, though he also worked as a speechwriter for Gerald R. Ford and as a magician. He has written multiple books on comedy, mostly collections of gags and "one-liners" originally written for his newsletter, Orben's Current Comedy, and he has also written books for magicians.

Robert Orben published his first gag book at the age of 18 in 1946, when he was working in Stuart Robson Jr.'s conjuror's shop in New York. Professional magicians would use his gags to add humor to their acts; comedians also came into magic stores, for props and books, as there were no comedy stores or resources as such at that time.

When Robert Orben wrote his first gag book, Encyclopedia of Patter, it proved very popular, and he started publishing more books of gags, complete with sketches, ad libs, bits of business and routines. Titles included Patter Parade, Laugh Package, Sight Bits, and Screamline Comedy.

By the 1950s, Orben gag books were ubiquitous in the comedy profession and were probably overused by stand-up comedians. Orben has said he nearly sued Lenny Bruce once, as Bruce advertised his show with the tag line, "No Joe Miller, no corn, no Orben". However, Orben never sued, and only saw Bruce perform once, shortly before Bruce's death.

Famous Quotes:

• To err is human--and to blame it on a computer is even more so.