Cable Guy git-n-r done at Riverside Casino

Larry the Cable Guy has few awards but many fans. The veteran entertainer of “Blue Collar Comedy” fame has never received the credit he deserves. However, Larry the Cable Guy, aka Dan Whitney, is fine.

“(Comic) Jeff (Foxworthy) has been my friend for a long time and he told me a long time ago that I won’t take home much (hardware),” Whitney said while calling from his Orlando home. “He said, ‘Your reward is the ticket sales.’ ”

Larry the Cable Guy, who will perform Oct. 27 at the Riverside Casino Event Center, packs halls as a one-liner machine in a world of storytelling comics.

Comedy’s changing face

Set-up and punch-line comics aren’t as common as they once were. However, comics delivering anecdotes are ubiquitous.

“It’s true that the comedy landscape has changed,” Whitney said. “There are (fewer) guys telling jokes, like me. I think it’s because it’s hard to write one-liners and there is an art to telling those jokes. Some people call what I do as hacky but it’s not. It’s harder than it looks. There’s a real art to setting up a joke. There’s the timing of a joke.”

Whitney, 60, is refreshingly old-school. He will make an innocuous and pedestrian joke and then follow with funnier material.

“I’ll say something like, ‘I hate the Ferris wheel because there’s nothing fun about being completely bored and terrified at the same time.’ Then I’ll tag it with other jokes,” he said.

Johnny Carson would do the same to great effect when the chat show master delivered a monologue during his unparalleled “Tonight Show” run.

“Johnny loved the stinkers,” Whitney said. “If the guys writing the monologues were having a bad day, it would be good for Johnny, who would take a joke that’s kinda funny, but tag the joke and make it funnier than the actual joke.”

Whitney is aware that some comedic arbiters of taste dismiss his sense of humor, but he doesn't care.

“There are some comedy snobs out there but you can't please everyone,” Whitney said. “In this day and age, if you're not a comic trying to change the world with politics or culture, some members of the comedy elite don’t think you matter. Maybe some people aren’t crazy about what I do, but I’ll put my laughs per minute up against any comic.”

Whitney has enjoyed an enviable career. The Nebraska native, who still resides primarily in the Cornhusker state, has released seven comedy albums, three of which have sold more than 500,000 copies. Whitney starred along with Foxworthy, Ron White and Bill Engvall on the entertaining “Blue Collar TV” series and in three “Blue Collar” movies.

“Delta Farce,” “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector” and “Witless Protection” are some of the other films Whitney has starred in during his 32-year career.

“I’ve been very fortunate,” he said. “It’s been an amazing run. I’ve enjoyed it all.”

Family first

However, don’t expect Whitney to make more films.

“I’m about spending as much time as I can with my kids,” he said. “If there is a film role that requires me to be on the set for three days, I would consider that, but I like to be home with my two children as much as possible. That’s one thing Jeff (Foxworthy) told me. He said he wishes he was home more with his daughters. He told me if it’s something that you don’t have to do, don’t leave home.”

Whitney, who is the voice of Mater from the Pixar film “Cars,” still will do voice-over work.

“I can do that from my home studio, so I’m fine with that,” he said.

Whitney has followed Foxworthy’s advice of picking his spots for stand-up. Whitney only does 24 dates a year.

“That’s enough,” he said. “I love what I do, but I have children that are teenagers and I love being there watching my daughter in her plays. Family means more to me than anything.”

Bonding over baseball

Whitney also enjoys sports. The die-hard University of Nebraska fan is crestfallen since his Atlanta Braves, who won the most games in the major league this season with 104 victories, were knocked out of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Phillies. He and Foxworthy bonded over the Braves in 1986 shortly after they met at a Palm Beach, Fla., comedy club.

“I’ve been a Braves fan since 1975, and Jeff has been a Braves fan his whole life,” Whitney said. “I was doing open mics at a Florida comedy club and Jeff was a co-headliner back in the day at this club. I had season tickets for spring training Braves games. Way back then, Jeff and I went every day to Braves games for two weeks. We had the greatest time.”

Foxworthy, who is famously loyal to his friends, developed an unbreakable bond with Whitney.

“Jeff is like a brother to me,” Whitney said. “I love the guy.”

Like Whitney, Foxworthy has sold a lot of albums but has little hardware to show for his effort. Foxworthy’s “Games Rednecks Play” sold more than 3 million copies and received a 1996 Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Comedy Album.

“But Jeff didn’t win the Grammy,” Whitney said. “This album (Jonathan Winter’s ”Crank Calls“) won. It was an album that Jonathan Winters didn’t even put out. It was messages a guy had on his answering machine from Jonathan Winters. About 3,500 copies of that album sold. It’s so frustrating, but that’s the way it goes.

“Jeff was right. Our reward is ticket sales. I’ll always appreciate the fans who come out to see me. I don’t care if the comedy snobs aren’t at my shows. I perform in front of the people who come out to enjoy what I do.”