By Bruce Klauber
Though the late and great Charlie Prose and Sal Richards were not born and bred at the Jersey Shore – Richards came from Brooklyn and Prose was born in Mt. Carmel, Pa. – both spent so much time entertaining here that they can accurately be described as Atlantic City comics.
Both did much more than just tell jokes, as they came up in an era when comics had to do more than simply say funny things. They sang, they danced, they told stories, and in the case of Sal Richards, acted.
Both were fabulous performers, whatever they did, and both were always on the cusp of something bigger, though that “something bigger” never really happened. Still, they gave their all and in the process, entertained thousands.
And as a credit to their singular talents, both remain very well remembered. Charlie Prose, like Avalon’s Cozy Morley, can be loosely described as a “family comic.” He worked clean, he combined family comedy with his homespun piano playing and singing, and he described his show as “just one big happy party.”
In the days at the shore when thousands of senior citizens were bused in to the Atlantic City casinos seven days a week to enjoy lunch, gambling, and a show, Prose was the perfect choice to entertain them.
The record shows how perfect a booking choice Prose was back in the day. He was a regular on the afternoon circuit at the Playboy/Atlantis, and his annual Christmas shows became something of a tradition at Bally’s, the Tropicana, and Trump Plaza.
His mailing list was incredible. By the end of his performing career, nearly 300,000 people were on his list, and many of them bought the various audio cassettes and VHS video tapes of his shows over the years. “Lookin’ at Life,” the title of one of his self-produced tapes, is a good indication of what he was selling.
His real start as a comedy entertainer came by way of his sax playing. After graduating from Elizabethtown College, he started taking some jobs as a sax player, but some of the gigs required that he also present some kind of show. That’s how the comedy and the song parodies started.
By 1969 he was working the Wildwood circuit, doing five shows a night. Eventually he did some dinner theater, and acquired a major following in Canada and in Scotland, of all places.
Prose worked hard and often. He had a good, long and solid career, with a program that always delighted those of a certain age. Asked to describe just what he did, Prose said, “My humor is really culled from real life: marriage, kids, growing up; things everyone of every age can relate to.”
Whatever it was, it worked and it worked well. Charlie Prose died in 2019.
Comic and actor Sal Richards could not be more different stylistically than Charlie Prose. Richards began in the business at the age of 18 as lead singer in a doo-wop group, the Royal-Aires. They were impressive, and attracted the attention of an enthusiastic agent.
On a Long Island club date, the comic headliner scheduled to perform dropped out at the last moment. Richards stepped in and whatever he did on that Long Island stage worked.
Eventually he got a better agent and secured better bookings in spots ranging from the Catskill Mountains to New York City’s Copacabana, opening for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. He got rave reviews, and his career as a comic was off and running.
But Richards wanted more, and branched out into acting. Though his roles were mainly small, his list of credits on television and in movies was impressive. On film, Richards appeared in “Rounders,” “Fighting Back,” and “Out for Justice,” among others. On television, his appearances ranged from acting stints in “Law and Order” to an HBO comedy special hosted by Merv Griffin.
Richards appeared in Atlantic City frequently and was a regular – and quite the drawing card – at the 300-seat Celebrity Theatre within The Claridge for years.
In May of 2013, entertainment reporter David Spatz wrote, “Richards was one of the rare Atlantic City entertainers who was just as comfortable working in a lounge as he was performing in the main showrooms, and he did plenty of both. One of the reasons Richards found all the work he wanted in Atlantic City’s lounges wasn’t simply because of the size of the crowds he drew; it was who he attracted to the smaller rooms that made him a sought-after performer.”
Richards was simply hilarious. It could be edgy, but never offensive, and there was always a portion of the act that was ad-libbed. Fellow comics and performers loved him. Some, particularly Pat Cooper, were jealous of Richards and made no secret about it.
In 2008, a documentary film on Richards’ life, “Mr. Laughs— A Look Behind the Curtain,” was released and garnered some critical acclaim, as did his self-published book, “Behind the Laughter: Hidden Tears.”
There’s a lengthy story in that book about Richards’ incredible run-in with singer Helen Reddy, that’s worth the price of the book. Jay Leno, for one, loved the book.
“After reading this book, it turns out that the tough guy and funny comedian I always knew as Sal Richards, is actually a loving father, husband and grandfather,” Leno said. “Get to know him, read this book. You will love it!”
I knew Sal Richards pretty well during his heyday in Atlantic City. He was funny, he was personable and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for you.
Those who remember him from the business will also attest to the fact that he could misbehave at times, though he was forgiven often and easily. He always gave the impression that “something big,” usually in line with his acting career, was on the horizon, but I sensed that the “something big” would likely never happen. I think he sensed that as well.
Sal Richards died in July of 2020 at the age of 81.
Bruce Klauber is the author of four books, an award-winning music journalist, concert and record producer and publicist, producer of the Warner Brothers and Hudson Music “Jazz Legends” film series, and performs both as a drummer and vocalist.
