RIP Mitzi Shore…
Hollywood’s comedy community is mourning the news that Mitzi Shore has died. She was the legendary owner of The Comedy Store, where some of the world’s biggest comes got their start.
Jim Carrey posted this painting on Twitter that he did of him with Mitzi, with this tweet:
“The great Mitzi Shore, owner of the famous Comedy Store, has passed away. No words can express the gratitude I have for her. We met in 1979. She opened the door to my dreams! If she loved you, you did well. If she didn’t, you did something else. I will love her forever. ;^)”
As Deadline.com reported yesterday:
“Comedians young and old are pouring their hearts out today as their godmother, Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore, has passed away at the age of 87. In the near 46 years of the Comedy Store, not only did Shore provide a mic and a stage for those looking to break through on the comedy scene, but a crash pad at the nearby 8420 Cresthill Road house, not to mention her advice and insight on the craft and showbiz were priceless (Marc Maron tweets today that she advised him “You’re a poet. You should wear a scarf on stage.”) and sometimes the truth hurt (In Judd Apatow’s recent HBO documentary The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling Part 1, the late comedian and his peers recall how Shore had a belief that there was a difference between writers and stand-ups, and only the latter would take the stage, something that Shandling grappled with). Jim Carrey tells Apatow in that doc that the vibe of The Comedy Store in its heyday was, “a magical gateway to all your dreams and you’re seeing people get their dreams all the time. You’re seeing them rise out of this dark, dingy place.”
The legendary comedy club on Sunset Boulevard is mourning her passing today, with these signs posted, and flowers left outside the entrance:
I passed by there early in the day, and I can only assume that the flowers and tributes will continue to flow in. You can click here to see more comments from the Hollywood community, thanks to great reporting at Deadline.com:
Jim Carrey is one of the Executive Producers of “I’m Dyin’ Up Here”, a series on Showtime that tells the story of Hollywood’s comedy scene in the 70’s. Melissa Leo plays a brassy comedy club owner, clearly based on Shore.
The show’s second season premieres soon…
RIP Mitzi Shore…
Categories: Art, Books / Media, Comedy Movies, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Memoirs, Talent/Celebrities, TV Show
johnrieber 
A sad loss to comedy, undoubtedly. I went to the London Comedy Store once, a place where many of our best-known entertainers got their start too.
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Pete, she was the “Godmother” to so many of the big stars here in Hollywood, mother to Pauly Shore as well
LikeLiked by 1 person