Proctor and Bergman
Proctor and Bergman are the comedians Philip Proctor and Peter Bergman, two of the four members of The Firesign Theatre. Starting in 1973 when the rest of the group was in disarray, Proctor and Bergman recorded an album called "TV or not TV"[1] which was eventually filmed.
"It was also over our heads in a sense that we were turning out a show, too much, too soon. The show was bigger than who we were. We didn't come up through the clubs. We went back to the clubs after this."— Peter Bergman[2]
The two Midwestern members of the group performed as a double act for a while in the mid-1970s and recorded a few albums,[3] though all four members continued to perform and record together.
In 1977, they were regulars on a summer replacement television series on CBS hosted by the Starland Vocal Band.
After the series, at the peak of their career as a duo, the performers and their entourage were eating a post show meal when they were ancillary to the Golden Dragon massacre. When Army veteran Bergman realized the perpetrators had emptied their weapons, he rose in time to see their faces as they exited, later testifying in their conviction. While only one person in their party was wounded in the massacre, it took the air out of their will to continue on the road.[2]
The screenplay for the 1979 movie Americathon was an adaptation by others of a play written by Proctor and Bergman.
Discography
- TV or not TV (1973)
- What This Country Needs (1975)
- Give Us a Break (1980)