A Comedian’s Long Road from Harvey to Hollywood

Tom Dreesen, a comedian who spent years touring with Frank Sinatra, passed away recently. He grew up in Harvey, Illinois, a place where his family stood out as one of the few white households in a predominantly Black neighborhood. Life wasn’t easy—Dreesen had to help support his seven siblings from a young age. He worked odd jobs like bowling pin setter, shoe shiner, and newspaper seller to keep the family afloat. Later, he served in the Navy for four years before taking on tough manual labor jobs. Comedy wasn’t his first career path, but it became his calling.Before becoming a solo act, Dreesen teamed up with comedian Tim Reid in the late 1960s. Their duo, Tim & Tom, broke barriers as one of the first multiracial comedy teams in the U. S. They met through a community group and discovered their chemistry while doing a drug education show for kids. After gaining local fame, Reid left the act, leaving Dreesen to decide whether to quit or push forward. He chose the latter—partly because of a last-minute opportunity to open for Sammy Davis Jr. Davis liked his act so much that he recommended Dreesen to Sinatra, who then hired him for 13 years of touring. Beyond performing, Dreesen mentored rising stars like David Letterman and Jay Leno at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. He also fought for better pay for comedians by leading a strike in 1979. Though he moved to California in the mid-1970s, he never forgot his Chicago roots. He returned often, performing one-man shows and even throwing out a first pitch at a Cubs game. His humor drew from his childhood, and in 1989, he released a comedy album recorded in his hometown, Harvey, proving his ability to connect with any audience.