The role of straight man in comedy is a dying art. It grew out of vaudeville and moved to movies, radio, and television as the vaudeville artists moved to new mediums. Bud Abbott, Dean Martin, and Margaret Dumont are 3 of the most famous and successful straight men in comedy history (with “men” in this instance being a catchall akin to “mankind”). One could argue any of those 3 were the best and could back up their assertion with multiple clips. I, however, have always held Carl Reiner as the greatest straight man in history because he was able to do the role to perfection for two very different performers: Mel Brooks and Dick Van Dyke.=

Carl Reiner passed away on June 29th at the age of 98. To say he was one of the most influential comedians ever understates the impact he had on humor both here…