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 Fame & Fortune: Phyllis Diller
Here's a twist: She did stand-up for financial stability
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When you think of Phyllis Diller so many signature
traits come to mind -- the self-deprecation, the wild wigs, her
husband "Fang," her cackling laugh and the rapid-fire
joke delivery that put her in the "Guinness Book of World Records"
for delivering laughs at the astounding rate of 12 per minute.
But Diller, who retired from the stand-up comedy stage in 2002
at the age of 84, goes so much deeper than her jokes. A mother of
five who entered comedy at the age of 37 to help feed her family,
Diller is also an accomplished classical pianist and painter, a
woman who deepens with further examination. Early December saw the
release on DVD of "Goodnight, We Love You: The Life and Legend
of Phyllis Diller," a documentary that chronicles both her
distinguished career and her farewell performance.
Bankrate spoke to Diller about her humble origins, her
rapid ascent and her somewhat oblivious history with her personal
finances.
Bankrate: Your big break
was on "Jack Paar's Tonight Show." At the time, was it
the case that you did one appearance and your career changed overnight?
Phyllis Diller: It took
about seven appearances for them to get my name. For the first seven
I was either the funny looking blonde with five children, or I was
"Blossom Dearie," or I was confused with several other
people. Or they called me "Florence Dillon." It took about
seven times. But once it caught on, it made me commercially successful
all over the United States, which means I could get jobs, jobs,
jobs, because I could fill any room.
Bankrate: You started late for a comic, in your late 30s. When you were a housewife and mother, how did comedy become a factor in your life?
Phyllis Diller: I had been doing exactly what I did as a comedian from birth without realizing it because it was so natural. Plus, people kept pushing me in that direction. From the first grade on, the teacher picked me up and stood me on the desk and said, "Play your saxophone." I was pushed -- always. In high school, I was given the funny role in the Operetta. Then I go off to music school, and again, I was always pushed into the funny part. But when I got to music school in Chicago, I realized that I did not have enough talent to be a musician. I got married to Sherwood Diller, and then my next idea was to be a Mrs. and have a huge family, which I started to work on. We had five children.
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