“As you all know as fans of Bruce [Campbell]’s, he is known for his incredibly wide range. He can play not only people who look like him, but people who look and act like him,” quipped Dana Gould, creator of Stan Against Evil and former The Simpsons writer/producer/voice actor. “Bruce is a Renaissance man, by which I mean he is incredibly old. But he is aging like a fine wine: largely out of the public view.”
Gould — who acted alongside the horror icon in Disney’s 1997 TV movie The Love Bug — served as the roastmaster for SF Sketchfest’s Roast of Bruce Campbell. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the San Francisco comedy festival offered a virtual stream of the roast for those who couldn’t attend the sold-out event in person at the Sydney Goldstein Theater on January 28.
In his opening monologue, Gould was quick to note that several previously announced guests — Jeffrey Combs, Sharon Gless, Kane Hodder, and Jennifer Tilly — were unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts, but they were not exempt from jokes at their expense. Gould then introduced the star-studded roasters who were in attendance, each of whom were given about 10 minutes at the podium before Bruce had his chance for repartee.
Campbell’s longtime friend and frequent collaborator Ted Raimi was set to go first, but he was forced to cancel at the last minute due to a foot injury. Comedian Nick Sahoyah — who wrote much of the evening’s material — took the mantle to perform with a “Ted Raimi” sign around his neck, adding an extra layer of humor. Most of the jokes lobbed at Raimi were about him being the less successful sibling. As Campbell put it, “Ted, you’re like a brother to me. If only Sam felt the same way about you.”
While none of the guests showed any mercy, drag performer Peaches Christ earned the distinction of being the most ruthless. Case in point: “I’m not going to say that I want [Campbell] to injure himself with a chainsaw ever, but when asked to recommend a safety coordinator on the new Evil Dead movie, I did recommend Alec Baldwin.” From Woody Allen and Kevin Spacey to Amy Winehouse and the city of Pompeii, no one was safe from her vicious jabs.
Despite being the youngest of the roasters, no one on stage (in Raimi’s absence) had spent more time with Campbell than his Ash vs. Evil Dead co-star, Dana DeLorenzo. Like her foul-mouthed character, she was relentless. A stand-out line: “This guy never stops working… on inventing new ways to get the same fans to give him more money.”
Actor Kevin Pollak took the stage next. Although he has never worked with Campbell, he can no doubt relate to a career as a character actor in such notable works as The Usual Suspects, Casino, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He had no shortage of material, even eliciting a snort from Campbell. “It’s amazing how well he knows me and my career, and we’ve never met,” Campbell retorted.
Fellow horror icon Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson‘s recent coming out was the subject of several jokes — the best of which came from Campbell: “Cassandra was a long-time spokesman for Coors beer. Who knew that she prefers Busch?” — but the Mistress of the Dark can give it as well as she takes it. “I may seem like an out-of-touch Hollywood celebrity type,” she said. “But honestly, I’m just like all of you. I, too, have never seen an episode of Burn Notice.”
The great David Alan Grier made a meal out of being what he referred to as the “Sketchfest diversity hire” and final roaster. “I’m closing the show, fucker! This Roast is in the horror genre, so like most of you in the audience, I just assumed I’d go first.” Grier also addressed appearing alongside Campbell in McHale’s Navy: “If you’d like to know how Bruce and I got along on set, I’ll just say this: this is the first time I’ve talked to this motherfucker in 30 years — and I’m being paid to do it.”
Beloved by fans for his sardonic sense of humor, Campbell was a perfect candidate for a celebrity roast. Following two hours of trading barbs and being insulted about everything from his acting and his career to his ego and his chin, the B-movie icon got the last word: “Lincoln had a better time at the theater.” After the laughs, Campbell concluded the event with a poignant message: “We love each other, we love you, so you should love each other.”
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