Make ‘Em Laugh

Veteran comedian Sammy Shore forged a career as the go-to opening act for a slew of show business legends, chief among them Elvis Presley.

And while it's those years with Elvis that are the ostensible focus of Shore's new memoir, "The Man Who Made Elvis Laugh: A Life in American Comedy" (TCB JOE Enterprises, $34.99), that admittedly memorable gig just scratches the surface.

In his funny and highly readable book, Shore offers interviews with Sid Caesar and other comedy pros and a slew of backstage stories. But he also offers observations about such varied subjects as technology, the fine points of sweat and the trials and joys of parenting, along with extended comic riffs on aging that any boomer or senior would relate to.

More than anything, "The Man Who Made Elvis Laugh" is a celebration of show business, fatherhood and family, told through Shore's down-to-earth, sometimes even curmudgeonly, perspective.

Shore, a Summerlin resident for the past year-and-a-half, wrote "The Warm-Up: The Autobiography of a Number Two Man" in 1984, and said he hadn't really thought of following that book up with another memoir.

But, after moving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Shore found himself, uncharacteristically, with some time on his hands.

"My wife said to me, 'Sammy, you have all this free time now. Why don't you write another book?' " he says. "I said, 'About what?' "

Suzanne suggested that her husband write about the years when Shore served as Presley's regular opening act, a time when Shore became known as the guy who, slam-dunk, could always make Elvis laugh.

"I said to myself, 'Whoa, what a title,' " Shore recalls. " And I said, 'Well, let me think about that.' "

Shore thought about it and wrote a bit each day. Within a year, he'd finished his latest book.

In it, Shore is characteristically candid, naming performers who weren't, or aren't, particularly good to be around and complimenting those who are. And, he writes about his departure from Presley's camp, which apparently had all of the subtle but ruthless grace of a mob hit.

Shore says, in suitably earthy language, that he doesn't worry about whether people might be offended

"You know what I'm feeling right now? I don't give a shit," he says.

But, before you imagine Shore as a one-dimensional tough guy, read his recollection of son Pauly's first foray into stand-up comedy. Shore's affectionate, wistful, recollection will strike a chord in any parent who has ever watched a child enter the family business, knowing of the disappointment and frustration the child inevitably will face.

Then, for sheer tear-inducing emotion, read Shore's recollection of the death of a beloved dog, and the touching way in which he keeps Peanut's memory alive even now.

Best of all, Shore brings to the memoir the vitality of a comedian who continues to work and is thrilled about it. Shore's most recent resume entries include a show, "Two Gals & a Geezer" at the Tropicana Laughlin. In February, he'll begin performing regularly at Sammy's Comedy by the Shore, a comedy room named in his honor at the River Palms Hotel in Laughlin.

In addition, Shore is working on a deal that would bring him to Las Vegas to perform, and he plays a dozen or so dates a year with son Pauly.

Shore sounds amazed, in a good way, that he receives standing ovations from Pauly's fans at those shows. Still, these days, a good chunk of Shore's comedic fodder comes from the unfunny subject of aging, which Shore explores in his typical, ruthlessly frank, fashion.

"Every day I wake up and say, 'What's this skin hanging here?' " he says. "Every day I look at myself in the mirror and say, 'Jesus Christ, what's this hanging in my ear?'

"And you don't get sad about it. You say, 'That's the process every single one of us will go through if you're lucky to live long enough.' " Shore notes that the final third- to half of his book is "me getting older and how I deal with it."

"I feel like I'm the Pied Piper for seniors," he jokes. "I'm the guy that speaks up for them."

But, Shore figures, "it ain't over until I'm over."

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.