Welcome to our wikizine called "Comedienne, Phyllis Diller"

I booked Timi at the Roxy Nightclub in Lima. I took pictures of Phyllis Diller at the USO in Hollywood. She's from Lima.



Phyllis said, "Lima, Ohio. It's a good place to be from! Ha-ha-ha!"

Phyllis Diller lived a short while in Lima, Ohio. In her forties, she began telling jokes and stories in local laundromats, to the men and women who were there. She had no idea that this would develop to become her career, so late in life. Well, not "that" late. In a few years she would be in San Francisco appearing at two famous comedy clubs of that era, the Purple Onion and the Hungry Eye.

She had divorced and started using a new name for her ex, calling him "Fang." He became the butt end of some of her jokes and eventually she stopped doing that. Her career got a boost from the San Francisco night clubs and she found herself being booked on the Ed Sullivan "Toast of the Town," Sunday evening show. That led to appearances on all of the top talk shows of that era.

Her friendship with comedian Bob Hope, led her into a film career, which made her very wealthy. Her small stand-up gigs, ended up on the Las Vegas strip. Her shaggy, Beatle type of hair and her outlandish costumes with fish net stockings, were different from the other stand-up acts.

And when I saw her at the Hollywood USO, where I went to do a story on her, I could hardly hold my camera straight from laughing so hard at her. The place was packed and her static, rat-a-tat-tat joke telling was something to see. I couldn't believe that one person could memorize and deliver so much material as she was doing.

After the show ended I asked one of the women there, if she would take a photo of me and Phyllis together. She said she would and did. I asked her to mail me a copy, and she said she would, but she didn't. Story of my life. Standing with Phyllis I happened to mention that I too, was from Lima. She replied, "It's a good place to be "from." I think a Lima bank stands on the property that was once her home. She made her last appearance in Lima a few years ago. The small river going on the edge of town was called Hog Creek. That got so much fun poked at it, that they now call it the Ottawa River. But, Hog or Hawg Creek was often used in her act. The "E" channel did quite a lengthy bio on Phyllis. I was amazed to learn that, while in the hospital she had actually died! Luckily they revived her. She was supposed to have retired, but had recently made a few appearances in Las Vegas. She was one of the first comediennes to make it big. She wasn't dirty talk like Belle Barth, Rusty Warren and some of the black performers like Moms Mabley. She was just funny, funny. Hope she lives to be 150.