Friday, Nov. 5, 2004 | 9:11 a.m.
As a kid growing up in Atlantic City, Butch Bradley spent a fair amount of time in casino showrooms. Turns out, it was a sign of things to come.
"Every headliner in the country was there -- Sinatra, Sammy Davis," he recalls, explaining how as a lad he was exposed to entertainment giants because his "cool" mother, who worked as a card dealer, would "take me to all the shows."
During those years, Bradley also witnessed some of stand-up comedy's greats in action. "I would go to the shows and watch, like, Rodney Dangerfield, and I'd watch Don Rickles and Shecky Greene," he says. "It helped me hear that little voice in my head that said, 'Hey, I don't know what these guys are doing, but I want to do it.' "
These days when he visits a casino, it's usually to perform his stand-up act. Bradley headlines Monday through Nov. 14 at The Comedy Stop at The Trop.
Settling on his career path so early in life proved to be a double-edged sword: "It's one of those things where you're really happy that you know what you want to do, but you're kind of screwed because you can't just pick up a book and learn how to do it," he says.
Nearly 11 years ago Bradley moved to Boston and enveloped himself in the city's comedy scene, eventually helping to establish an improv troupe there.
"We would do a weekly, sold-out show in Harvard Square, and it really gave me some running legs." Meanwhile, "I would drive round-trip to New York every night ... and hang out at the (comedy) clubs."
He picked up stakes and relocated four years ago to Los Angeles, where his career has been on the fast track. Bradley -- who appeared three times on CBS' "The Late, Late Show With Craig Kilborn," and last year competed on "Star Search" -- recently guested on "The Steve Harvey Show"; guest-starred on the WB sitcom "Grounded for Life," set to air Nov. 19; and filmed a segment for Comedy Central's "Premium Blend" stand-up series, scheduled to run Feb. 4.
The project he's most excited about, however, is "Midnightly News," a current-events-fueled comedy series he co-wrote. The pilot episode is being produced by Coquette Productions, a company headed by "Friends" star Courteney Cox Arquette and her "Scream" co-star husband, David Arquette.
During a recent call from Coquette's L.A. offices, Bradley explained that he pitched 10 potential television projects to the Hollywood power couple. "Midnightly News" -- on which he'll co-star, and which may air next year on the Fox network -- as well as a sitcom that's under development got the nod.
"Things are really picking up speed," Bradley says of his TV career, though he insists he has no intention of abandoning comedy for the small screen. "It's an incredible art and I love it, and it's one of those things where stand-up is unforgiving ... You've gotta do it every night."
So he does: The 32-year-old says he's constantly shticking at L.A.-area clubs, and performs several times each year in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. "Going to a comedy club, for me, is like going to church. Imagine, all the things you collect all day long that drove you nuts, and then you go to a place and share it in front of a group of people and have them laugh and say, 'Wow, I totally agree.' "
When it's time to unload onto audiences, Bradley chooses material that he describes as "an improvisational collective of how I feel as a person going through what's going on in the world ... It's really just everything I go through, from watching a scary movie to reading the newspaper, to hearing (the country is on) orange alert."
He also touches on his experiences performing for troops during the several U.S.O. tours in which he's participated. This summer, he and other comics took makeshift stages in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he played and stayed at one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces.
"It was unbelievable," Bradley recalls, noting how there was "like a hundred-foot, gold-bronze door behind me, and I think that was my opening joke: I looked back at the door and I was like, 'Are you guys sure he's not coming home?' and (the troops) just went nuts. I go, 'Please tell me he's not that big? I'm looking at the door and I'm thinking maybe we should just leave.' "
The tours weren't all fun and games. In Afghanistan, "I got to be with the local people and the kids, and see the troops building schools, and clothing people and educating women," he recalls. "I did convoys at 75 miles an hour, bumper to bumper" across the country. "We'd cross through a village that cheered us, and then you'd cross through a village that didn't like us; but most of the villages would cheer and give thumbs up and salute the troops."
Bradley will return to the region late next spring with a pair of comedy tours he's personally organizing. "I'm trying to bring some bigger (comedy) names out there and kind of follow that Bob Hope tradition."
It's clear Bradley holds comedy's heaviest hitters in high regard. "I've been lucky enough that I worked with Rodney (Dangerfield) a bunch of times. One time at the Tropicana, Shecky Greene -- I called him and he called me back and said, 'Welcome to Vegas.' It's just kind of cool."
In fact, it was from Dangerfield that Bradley -- who served as an usher during the recent funeral for the late comedian -- says he learned a strong work ethic. "He was writing new jokes every week. ... Up until six months before he passed away, he was (performing at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood) all the time.
"Sometimes people don't realize how lucky they are. I know what I do is amazing, and I go out there every night because I love it," Bradley contends. "When I see my name up in lights, I say 'Thank you' every time I walk by."
Out for laughs
Three stars of the defunct NBC series "Last Comic Standing" -- Tammy Pescatelli, John Heffron and Corey Holcomb -- are set to share the bill Dec. 10 and Dec. 11 at Monte Carlo. Pescatelli graced this space on July 2; and Heffron took home the show's top prize this summer at the conclusion of its second season.
A handful of Las Vegas comedy-scene regulars will be featured tonight as part of Comedy Central's "Italian Style Friday Night Stand-up" programming, from 8:30 p.m. to midnight (Cox cable channel 56). Among them: Ray Romano, who is scheduled to play the Mirage's Danny Gans Theatre Nov. 12 and Nov. 13 with his "Everybody Loves Raymond" co-star Brad Garrett; Dom Irrera, profiled in the Dec. 12 installment of Laugh Lines; and Improv at Harrah's frequenters Richard Jeni and Adam Ferrara.
Think you've got what it takes to be crowned the "World's Greatest Unknown Comedian"? The folks at movie Web site www.FilmStew.com want to hear from you. Visit the site to learn where to send a videotape or DVD of yourself performing original stand-up material that will be shown on the Web site. The public will cast votes (at www.filmstew.com/wguc) each month through April 1; the contestant receiving the most votes becomes that months' semifinalist. In June, all of the semifinalists will travel to Los Angeles to compete in a "final showdown" for the chance to win a cash prize, a management contract and a showcase at a "leading" comedy club in L.A. or New York.
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