My Mount Rushmore of comedians, not in any particular order. Robin Williams, Rodney Dangerfield, George Carlin and Norm MacDonald.
I have to say I completely disagree about putting Lenny Bruce in this group. His comedy both by content and by style did NOT age well. Try watching it today and sharing it with someone new. It was much more reactionary and protest-y and really not that funny in any context other than that time. Listening to it now is like listening to political comedians when their era of politicians is no longer in office. It's not timeless like Carlin and Dangerfield and, I'd say, Mitch Hedberg. Their comedy went beyond immediate culture either by scope or content. Carlin is special because he talks about politics and is still timeless. Thats just amazing. Rodney's is all self-deprecating and Mitch never bad mouthed a person to make a joke. Their content was truly unique. Steven Wright goes there also but he is a little more style-driven as well ... kinda like Andrew Dice Clay. In character.
IF it was going to be a Mt. Rushmore then I'd agree with Robin Williams and George Carlin. I'd include Richard Pryor and Rodney Dangerfield. For my personal favorites I'd add in Mitch Hedberg and Greg Giraldo.
@Ms_McSteven I revel in everything mitch did. to me he was a genius.
@Ms_McSteven much of comedy is based on stretching or violating walls of expectation in a peculiar manner. Mitch stretched different walls than most. For example ... Mitch would say something like capital B is just little b with an extra hump. Or maybe it's both humps just being kept down, by the man ... Webster. That would be a mitch hedberg joke. he would personify things unexpectedly, mix in some timely political agitation to stir it up, then violate the expectation of an answer. And it didnt require insulting a single person or hurting anyone. Thats what I dug about him.
Carlin ,Robert Klein, Jackie Mason, Dangerfield ,Sam Kinison ,Ricky Gervais
I appreciate Mason and Klein. Kinison is more of an acquired taste than general appeal. Sam was one of those 15-minutes of fame comedians that has a flash then you don't hear anything about later. Kinda like Bobcat and Howie and Tim Thomerson and Flip Wilson, Paul Lynde, Redd Foxx et al. Of course dying made a pretty big dent in Sam's career - I get that.
That's like a Mount Rushmore of basketball players: Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, and Brian Scalabrine.
I think Norm rates a little higher than Scalabrine, but your point is well taken and I am a HUGE Norm fan. He's more of an acquired taste than a timeless legend in the field like those others.