Tim and Tom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tim and Tom were an American comedy duo made up of Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen. DuPont marketing manager Reid and insurance salesman Dreesen met at a Junior Chamber of Commerce meeting near Chicago[1] in 1968. They were "put together to promote an anti-drug program in the local schools" and, prompted by a comment from a child, decided to form a comedy team.[1] The team, later billed as "Tim & Tom", was the first interracial comedy duo (Reid is African-American and Dreesen is white). Years later, Reid and Dreesen co-wrote a book about those years called Tim & Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White (ISBN 978-0-226-70900-0, co-written with sports writer Ron Rapoport).
Tim and Tom | |
|---|---|
| Comedy career | |
| Medium | Stand-up, television |
| Subjects | Race, ethnicity, America, race relations |
A 1970 Jet article stated that the comedy duo were good examples of racial cooperation and had received national attention "in persuading young people against the use of drugs".[2]