6 Standouts of Stand-up Comedy Come to DVD

By RICHARD CORLISS

BOB NEWHART BUTTON-DOWN CONCERT

Before he became the Jimmy Stewart--like gentleman of sitcom, Newhart was a stand-up sensation. His 1960 LP, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, went to No. 1 and won a Grammy for Album of the Year. The old bits, in which he would play one side of an increasingly strained conversation, still had their gentle, exasperated wit when he did them, word for word, in a 1992 Showtime special. "I know some of you know these routines by heart," he told his audience, "but it throws me off to watch your lips move along with mine as I'm doing them."

RICHARD PRYOR LIVE IN CONCERT Newhart may have been able to assume the role of a put-upon driving instructor, but Pryor's eerie impersonations spanned many species. In this 1979 concert, he inhabits a deer, two squirrel monkeys, several dog breeds and a car tire, plus all varieties of black and white humans. Compulsively confessional, he talks of his cop encounters, his heart attack and his father's death in bed, if you know what we mean. It's a priceless evening with the all-time stand-up shaman.

RON WHITE YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID He's a genial Texas version of the devil. Dressed in black, holding a cigar and a glass of scotch, flashing a wicked smile that makes him look like Gary Busey's smarter brother, White is the bad boy of Blue Collar TV. In this short (41 min.) set, he makes the usual public issues of private parts, honeymoon tiffs and a persistent fan who cornered White and wouldn't shut up ("He raped my ear"). The material is just O.K., but the salesmanship is expert. He's a natural-born charmer with just a soupc,on of Satan.

WANDA SYKES SICK & TIRED Well, she's sick of men who can't satisfy her. Also, NASA and racist dolphins. But Sykes, a former writer for Chris Rock (whom she sounds a bit like) and the star of two short-lived TV shows, has more than enough energy and tart comic logic for this stand-up soiree. She doesn't just rail at the White House's fumbling of military and financial issues; she's got helpful hints, like putting working moms in charge of the defense budget ("There's a sale on bombs at Target"). Of the newer comics with DVDs, Sykes is the finest shaper of routines, and her stiletto is the sharpest.

SARAH SILVERMAN JESUS IS MAGIC Dark, svelte and sexy, she strides onstage and, with a Valley Girl's perky naivete, utters one social faux pas after another. "The best time to have a baby," she says, "is when you're a black teenager." Then she makes some apologetic qualifier that gets her pretty mouth into even bigger trouble. Of course, this Sarah Silverman is a stage persona, a one-shtick pony that could grate if not for her zazz and nervy aplomb. "I don't care if you think I'm racist," her alter egotist says defiantly. "I just want you to think I'm thin."

LEWIS BLACK RED, WHITE & SCREWED

With a CPA's gray suit and harried face, Black built a fan base as a commentator on The Daily Show. This HBO hour displays his grousing wit and splenetic temperament in full fulmination as he rails against the world and the heavens too. (He's no fan of the Old Testament God.) On his Washington stage, Black naturally has opinions about George W. Bush, who makes him very angry. He's also miffed at the Democrats for not finding a candidate who could defeat Bush in 2004: "It would be like finding a normal person who would lose in the Special Olympics." This is familiar but uncomfortable fun.