Maureen Murphy (comedian)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maureen Murphy, also known as Mauro Murphy,[1] was an Australian comedian, actress, and celebrity who enjoyed some popularity in the United States during the 1980s, where she made several appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson . She also appeared on HBO, An Evening at the Improv and on Dom DeLuise's television show.[2][3][4] An article at the time of her rise in popularity states Murphy was “born in England and raised in Rhodesia and Australia,”.[5] Murphy was born to her parents Gladys Florence and John Murphy on March 23, 1939, and had a sister, Eileen Norma Murphy, who she formed an act with known as the “Digeridoo sisters” upon arriving in Hollywood.[6] In later years she worked on a film project directed and written by her mother Gladys Florence[7] eventually released in 2018 as Caravaggio and My Mother the Pope.[8][1]

Career[]

Murphy's early career started off in Australia where she would perform an act of bringing an audience member up on stage and doing a charcoal sketch of them.[6] Though her act evolved upon her arrival to the states, she incorporated multiple forms of entertainments into her acts, such as the charcoal sketches, to the point where other performers would complain about the dust she left behind.[4]

Throughout her career, Maureen Murphy performed under an extensive list of stage names. Murphy would often use different names for different acts. Most notably she did impressions under the name Daphne, and sometimes Diane, Davies. Murphy gained popularity and relative acclaim for her impressions as Daphne Davies, but decided to switch to standup because “there was no one left to do impressions of”.[6] Other stage names included Diane West, Cynthia Norman, and Slate Wilson.[9]

A key factor in her success was her relation with Johnny Carson. After her first appearance, she was met with “shock waves of recognition” by the audience, and signed by the Carson Production Company.[4] Her Carson canonization would solidify her role in the comedic sphere for the time, performing fourteen times and making the famed trip to the couch after her first. There were talks of her receiving her own show, but nothing of course came of it.[4]

In the latter half of the 80's, Murphy would pursue minor roles in film and television and even dipped into writing and directing. She appeared in the movies Tall, Dark, and Handsome, as well as Return to Green Acres, with her most notable film acting credit in Roxanne.[10] Her writing credits include the first episode of The Shape of Things, (1982) and she even went on to pursue directing in the film Caravaggio and My Mother the Pope, where she cast her own mother.[1]

Comedy[]

Murphy's style was “demure”.[4] She used her slightly outsider perspective as an Australian woman that became very anglicized to critique American culture through a feminist lens. Though her overall appearance was very buttoned up and proper, she would talk about such rambunctious topics such as the female libido.[9] She grounded her humor in feminism,[11] but did so in a non-offensive way.[9] With over fifteen appearances on the Merv Griffin Show, and residence on Carson, she seemed an inevitable success story.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Maureen Murphy IMDB biography page
  2. ^ Television; Of Special Interest 25 November 1980 Page C19 New York Times (subscription required)
  3. ^ Maureen Murphy The Comics Comic
  4. ^ a b c d e Lawrence Christon MURPHY IS DEMURE AND DIVERSE The Comedy Column 20 September 1981 Page: K57 Los Angeles Times
  5. ^ Lawrence Christon, “The Comedy Column: Murphy is Demure and Diverse,” Los Angeles Times, September 20, 1981.
  6. ^ a b c Eichler, Alan. “Virginia O’Brian, Maureen Murphy – Rare 1984 tv interview.” Skip E Lowe Interview, filmed 1984, 23:50. Posted December 17, 2016. Virginia O'Brien, Maureen Murphy--Rare 1984 TV Interview
  7. ^ "Life as performance art for a family not bound by typical assumptions". Los Angeles Times. 20 December 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  8. ^ Caravaggio and My Mother the Pope at IMDb
  9. ^ a b c Hari, “New Acts: Maureen Murphy.” Variety, December 16, 1981.
  10. ^ "Maureen Murphy". IMDb. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  11. ^ Suastegui, Rocio. “Comedy – Special – Smother Brothers Young Comedians – Maureen Murphy imasportsphile” 10:16. September 24, 2016. Comedy - Special - Smother Brothers Young Comedians - Maureen Murphy imasportsphile.com

External links[]

Retrieved from ""