Tribute to Cozy Morley and "Old School Comedy" debuts at Keenan's this Sunday, July 1st

Not everyone gets to meet their heroes.

Worse yet, sometimes we do, and they don't exactly live up to expectations.

The exact opposite, however, was true for Chris Morris.

At the impressionable age of 8, Morris, a native of Roxborough in Philadelphia and the son of local basketball legend William "Speedy" Morris, came face-to-face with a man who would have an immeasurable impact on his life:

Legendary Wildwood entertainer Cozy Morley.

"I was starstruck," said Morris. "Absolutely mesmerized by this man, the way he commanded a room and an audience, the way he carried himself. Of course, there were the jokes, the comedy. I found out years later that much of his act was borrowed from others who preceded him, but he made them his own.

"He could also sing, could dance, played instruments. He ignited my passion for old school comedy and entertainment."

It's a passion that has flickered inside of Morris for three decades, and which he looks forward to sharing when he takes to the stage at Keenan's Irish Pub this Sunday night, July 1, for the first of three appearances this summer.

A Cozy Night With Chris: Tribute to Cozy Morley & Old School Comedy is Morris' love letter to a style of entertainment that was once synonymous with the Wildwoods, and a man who entertained tens of thousands of visitors in these parts for well over half a century.

Additional shows will take place on August 5 and September 2, both Sundays; they are part of a special lineup commemorating Keenan's 20th Anniversary season.

A $15 admission to each show includes cocktails at 4 PM and dinner at 5 PM, followed by the approximately 90-minute show, beginning at 6:30 PM.

Morris met Morley for the first time after one of the latter's shows at the infamous Club Avalon in North Wildwood, a ramshackle gathering place that Morley affectionately dubbed "The Toilet."

"The atmosphere was part of the charm," said Morris, of the club known for its cramped interior, burlap-covered "roof" and long picnic tabled seating. "Like Cozy, we're not going to see the likes of it again. But it was a special place to so many."

It is fitting, then, that Keenan's is just steps away from its former location. Club Avalon stood for many years at the corner of 1st & Chestnut Avenue, which became the home of Westy's Irish Pub and just this year was redubbed The Inlet on Olde.

Outside of the establishment, down the block from Keenan's, stands a bronze statue of Cozy Morley - the only such dedication of a real/historical figure on the island.

"Knowing that I'll be performing this tribute just yards away from where Cozy packed them in for so many years is incredibly special," said Morris. "It'll be part of the experience, for sure, because that area of Anglesea is still so special and holds so much magic.

"I miss Cozy dearly," said Morris of his idol, who passed away at age 87 in 2013. "As a performer, but even more so as a mentor and friend. I hope my show helps others relive those wonderful times, if just for a little while.

"And maybe, just maybe it will introduce younger people to a style of entertainment that has mostly been forgotten."