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Humorists Robertson and Hurley to team up in 2003-04

Reprinted from May, 2002 issue, The Group Travel Leader, The National
Newspaper for the Group Travel Industry:

Humorist Robertson and Hurley to team up in 2003-04
By Herb Sparrow

   Lexington, KY – Motorcoach groups will be getting the humorous long and short of it next year when popular humorists Carl Hurley and Jeanne Robertson team up on tour.

   Although the two have performed together on special occasions, 2003 will mark their first joint comedy-concert tour for motorcoach travelers.

   "It's a dream team," said Mike McKinney, the show's promoter. "These two go together like sausage and grits, sunshine and flowers, George and Gracie."

   However, McKinney noted, their differences will also be noticeable. He is 5-foot-6 standing on tiptoe. She is 6-foot-2 with her hair ‘mashed down.' He grew up swapping homespun stories in the hills of Easter Kentucky; she's a former Miss North Carolina who finds comic inspiration in everyday events.

   He's rotund and jolly, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye; she's willowy and elegant.

   And both are extremely popular with motorcoach groups, with Hurley obtaining near cult state with senior adults. "He's their Elvis," said McKinney. Hurley's annual Cavalcade of Comedy attracts more that 3,000 travelers from 20 states and Canada.

Reprinted with permission from
The Group Travel Leader 401 W. Main Street, Suite 222 Lexington, Kentucky 40507

May 2001
by Herb Sparrow

     "I don't tell jokes." That might seem like a strange admission from one of America's top humorous speakers who bills herself as "a tall speaker with a tall sense of humor."   However, Jeanne Robertson says her success lies in finding humor in everyday like that people can relate to, instead of cracking one-liners at the possible expense of someone's feelings.
      "I am a humorist," said Robertson. "That is different than a comedian. The comedian's sole goal is to make the majority of a group laugh. They can go at anybody or anything and can even hurt some of the people.
       I want my group to laugh as much, buy I don't want anybody offended. I don't want a group leader hearing on the way back home that somebody was offended. If I tell true stories, even if I embellish them, people can say, "The same thing happened to me."

Successful Approach
       Robertson's approach has obviously been successful. She has been speaking professionally since 1963, has won numerous awards, is a past president of the National Speakers Association and is on the road two-thirds of the year meeting the strong demand for her talent.
       Robertson honed that talent for humor after winning the Miss North Carolina title as a teen-ager and being the tallest person ever to compete in the Miss America Pageant. Robertson crisscrossed her native state and gave more than 500 speeches during her reign. "More than 500 times at the age of 19, I had to get up and say words at luncheons and so forth," she said. "I quickly realized that when I said funny things, people loved it."
       "There were no tapes at the time; I didn't know any other speakers. I was my only source, so I told about the things that were happening to a 6-foot 2 woman traveling around the state of North Carolina with a crown on her head.
         "Without realizing there was a speaking career out there, it was instilled in me to look at things around you to find all the material you need. Out there on my own, speaking, I went with what 'brung me.'"
      Robertson was in demand as a speaker following her reign but limited her activity to weekends and summers for nine years while teaching and coaching high school basketball.
      "When I went into speaking full time, I looked at what could I do to really establish myself in that world, " she said.

Down-home roots
And she came back to her roots of down-home humor.   Robertson has written several books, including one on developing a sense of humor.
       "People would come up to me after programs and say they wish they could have a sense of humor," Robertson said. "There is confusion over entertaining people and having a sense of humor that works for you. One step is to look for humor around you every day."
        Robertson keeps a journal divided into categories. "When planes are grounded in Atlanta, I get out my pad. It is Mecca for me. I just have to stand at the gate and watch people." She said that while the average person doesn't have to keep a journal, they should add finding something humorous to their daily "to do" list.
        Don't mark it off until you do," she said. "It is amazing how that increases your awareness."
       Another tip is to have humor buddies, people who tell you about the funny things that happen to them. Also, "try to associate with people who have humorous outlooks."
        "Another step would be to create a little humor everyday, " said Robertson. "Whether on a bus, in an office, in a church group, when something happens, the group can be led in the direction to be down or upset, or someone can salvage it with humor. If you can create a little humor, it's amazing how it can change people's attitudes."

Popular with seniors
Robertson, who appears several times a year with Carl Hurley, is particularly popular with senior groups. And the feeling is mutual. "Group travel is so wonderful. People in group travel really want to talk to you when it is over," she said. "They tell you stories of what happened to them, and they usually have a glisten in the eye. They have a good time."
Robertson recalled talking to a woman at the Senior Olympics who was writing her dissertation on seniors. The woman was amazed that there were 15,000 competitors, including Robertson's husband, Jerry, a former Duke University basketball player, who was competing for the third time in badminton. I told her this is a small percent. These are the ones who want to go. I look at people in adult tour groups. They want to go, and they find a way to get there." And, it is hoped, they find some humor along the way.

Reprinted with permission from
The Group Travel Leader 401 W. Main Street, Suite 222 Lexington, Kentucky 40507