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Sam Arif, comedian
Sam Arif died yesterday from liver cancer.
So we learned in a brief a email from Steve Young, the proprietor of the defunct Comedy Works (the club that was over The Middle East Restaurant in Old City Philadelphia from approximately 1982 to 1992 or so). Young called Arif, “The best Wednesday night open stage coordinator EVER.”
When The Male Half decided to try comedy for the very first time, he did the open mike at the Works on a Wednesday night in mid-October 1981. The man who wrangled the talent and handed out the spots was Sam Arif. He was kind, wise and gentle. Eventually, he fled to Florida and turned over the Wednesday night duties to Jim Levi, a member of the local comedy group Mixed Nuts.
The Male Half saw Arif one more time. It was during one of his first road gigs, at the Comic Strip in Lauderdale. Arif showed up and watched a show. And, of course, offered some constructive criticism afterward!
Arif was also was among eight acts on the first live standup show that The Male Half ever attended.
7 Responses
Reply to: Sam Arif, comedianReply to Tom Wilson
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Thanks for posting that, Shecky. The Comedy Works was open in 1979 when I started doing spots there, and I moved into a house near the Museum of Art with Sam, Judy Toll, and Mike Eagan. Sam was always trying this esoteric joke, where the punch line was “Herman Hesse! You know! Sidhartha?!”Maybe somebody gets it now.P.S. I hope that you, Wid, and Mixed Nuts are taking multi-vitamins, I can’t take a lot more of this.
Thanks for giving Sam a just due. I’m sure he would have appreciated (though mnosre so if he were here to read it). The last time he got a write up was on the Friday Noght lineup sheet at the Jailhouse.BTW-Comedy Works ran from 80-93…before I was born.
Yes, before it was “The Works” it was the Comedy Factory Outlet, before Steve was born, or got into a fight with Clay Heery and those other guys. I hope that Grover Silcox and Ken Lynch are also taking multi-vitamins. And Tommy Moore. And Stuart Roberts. And Grandma Minnie.
Centrum Silver, Tom. Plus fish oil and a daily 80 mg aspirin. Washed down with a fifth of gin and handful of Oxycontin. I’m fit as a fiddle!Sam Ariff had a special spot in Mixed Nuts lore. He judged our first audition at the London Grille. The top three acts got a spot at open mic night at the Jailhouse. We performed second to last and Sam gave us the Number 3 spot. Yes! Then a mumbly drunk guy went last and mumbled his way through his “set.” The Nuts were the only folks left in the audience and we gave the guy a lot of mercy laughs. Afterward, Sam told us that we were now No. 4 “because that last guy got a lot of laughs.”Doh!Well, we quickly forgave Sam after Mixed Nuts took off like a bottle rocket.He was a good guy. I always like to imagine him and Ben Kurland chasing the old ladies around Boca Raton.
Sam Ariff was a great great guy. I knew him in Florida when I first started as a comedian. He gave great advice and he was fun to hang out with. I’m a better man for knowing him.Jeff Garlin
sam was the first guy to treat me seriously when he and I first started doing comedy in the late seventies, decades before I was born. he was always able to give constructive criticism, even if it was “That sucked; you should just get rid of that piece”. In recent years i tried to contact him via the Interenet, but could not. His obit in The Phila. Inquirer came as a shock. Ironic it happened on the eve of a Comedy Factory Outlet reunion later this month. Nice to see so many old names here – not that any of you were born before 1987 or so. fell free to check in to yolip23 AT gmail DOT com Best,Steve Lippe
I remember Sam when i worked for the comedy works. very serious look on his face. He liked what he did and helped the new young comics with the 34th spot of the night. god bless