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In 1977, at the tender age of fifteen, the native Southern Californian appeared on the infamous Gong Show. Halfway through his stand-up routine, which he read from a piece of paper, he was pulled off the stage by a man dressed like a nun wielding a net. Eleven years later, he made a triumphant return as a celebrity judge. This marked the first of over 100 appearances on national television. In 1981, while attending Mt. San Antonio College, he applied for a job as a newcaster at the campus radio station but was turned down. Later that year, he auditioned for the owner of The Ice House in Pasadena. The audition took place in the middle of the afternoon in a club that seats 300. From the only occupied chair came the voice of the owner, "You're not ready". Zany looked around the empty showroom and said "Neither is your club!" Undaunted, he talked the owner into letting him produce his own show so he could have the stage time, and for the owner, an audience. The result was The Bob Zany Show featuring such newcomers as Garry Shandling, Yakov Smirnoff, Robert Wuhl, Kevin Nealon, and Nia Peeples. After one show, Bob was approached by Frazier Smith, the host of a top-rated radio show on KLOS/LA. After a short time doing guest spots on Frazier's show, Zany was hired by KLOS as a personality with his own show on Saturday mornings.
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