Rocky LaPorte

Even though LaPorte has been doing stand-up for over 27 years, it took NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” to get him national exposure and a bump in his career.

LaPorte started out in his native Chicago honing his craft and slowly garnering a following, winning accolades and comedy competitions along the way. It was a matter of time before he headed out to Los Angeles and started getting booked for television while headlining some of the biggest rooms in Hollywood. Being in the L.A. area hooked him up with management and soon movie offers followed. One of his first appearances was in a remake of “The Shaggy Dog,” a Disney classic, and Tim Allen’s movie “Crazy On the Outside,” which co-starred Sigourney Weaver, Ray Liotta and Kelsey Grammer.

Television specials came after, including an iconic one on Comedy Central, Showtime’s “The Godfathers of Comedy” and a standing ovation after his first appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” LaPorte also has crossover appeal: Blue collar comedian Ron White invited him to perform on a segment for Country Music Television, which led to even more television stints.

If you ask LaPorte where his most memorable gig took place, he’ll tell you the time spent in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq performing for our men and women in uniform. The comedian also performs for countless charitable organizations including Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern Nevada, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, various NFL charities, benefits for the homeless and cancer research.

Of all his accomplishments, LaPorte’s most impressive credit is receiving his GED in New York City.

Ron Morey

Of the credits comedian Ron Morey has, my favorite involves musician Snoop Dogg recruiting him to play a geeky white guy for a video on the MTV show “Doggy Fizzle Televizzle.” After Snoop came across a headshot and bio of Morey, it’s rumored the rapper said, “Damn! This is exactly who I’ve been looking for,” and gave the comedian a call immediately.

Morey is a bundle of unbridled energy that commands attention and is infectious. He’s been known to whip an audience into a frenzy — a theme evidenced the last time he was here. After Morey left the stage the audience chanted “MORE RON, MORE RON, MORE RON, MORON, MORON,” which is a testament to the power of Ron “The Monster” Morey.

The comedian has worked with many well-known entertainers and has the dubious honor of being mentioned in The Entertainment Business Journal as a “stand-out kind of guy.” He does, in fact, stand out — he’s one of a few comics who still wear a three-piece suit onstage. There are many things to appreciate when working with a comedian like Ron Morey, one of which is he’s just as hilarious off stage as he is on.

Like LaPorte, Ron Morey has performed overseas entertaining our troops. It’s great having the two here like bookends that balance each other out.

The Improv at Harveys takes place Wednesdays through Sundays at 9 p.m. Learn more at http://www.harveystahoe.com.