Choice Ribs

When a film finishes shooting, the stars often give fancy little gifts to the crew. But those who worked in Houston on 1997's astronaut comedy Rocket Man got a little something different from leading man Harland Williams: bulls' balls.

Courtesy of Harland Williams

Bullish on Houston: Williams.

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"I found this barbecue place in Houston that sold the hollowed-out, dried testicle sacs of bulls that had been de-nutted. You could put flowers and stuff in them," Williams says. "So I ordered about 300 for the crew. I hope it has a place of honor on mantels all over Houston."

Williams will be bringing his stand-up show -- which he calls the "backbone" of his career -- to town this week. Fans of the Canadian-born comic can expect his usual rants, where he blurts out things like "Come on now, hey, dontcha know?" and "Food? Anyone here enjoy food?" Williams also promises to "rib" his often goofy persona in his films (Half-Baked, There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber), TV appearances, voice-over work (including in the upcoming Robots) and the series of children's books he writes and illustrates, about a dinosaur named Lickety Split. "Wait, you're in Texas," he adds, "so those are the porkribs of my career."

Of all his roles, it's his turn as befuddled stoner Kenny in Half-Baked that people remember most, especially since it's become a huge cult hit. Many of Williams's (often improvised) lines in the flick are known and repeated by millions under the age of 30. And while he doesn't mind when people spout them back upon meeting him, it's not cool during his show.

"People will scream them out when I'm in the middle of a bit, and it throws everything off," says Williams. "Especially when it comes from a drunk, hammered guy who's breathing and drooling with his arms around you. It's kind of like dancing with Cujo."

Williams gets bullish at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 10, and again at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12. The Laff Stop, 1952 West Gray. For tickets, call 713-524-2333 or visit www.laffstop.com. $22 to $29.50.