George Wallace’s One-Man Campaign

George Wallace, who spent years on the road doing as many as 300 shows annually before cutting back to a more manageable 250, laughs when asked what he likes to do in his free moments.

“I like to travel; I love to fly,” the good-natured comic said recently from Los Angeles, where he has lived since the late ‘70s. “I will be in Hawaii tomorrow morning to just goof off. It’s Hawaii or Spain when I get a few days. I love the weather, the Mediterranean . . . the people. I like hotels. I dial that 9 even when I’m at home.”

His penchant for travel also pays professional dividends in the form of new material.

“When a pilot asks if there’s anything he can do to make my flight better, I think, ‘How about that empty first-class seat?’ ” said Wallace, who performs at the Brea Improv for three nights starting Friday.

His act focuses on everyday people and situations. (“I’ll ask the people in Brea why they don’t live in L.A. like everyone else,” he said.) And having grown up in Atlanta as an African American with the name George Wallace, he has definite feelings about everyday life.

“When Ross Perot wanted to turn America back into what it used to be, that’s enough for me right there,” he said.

“When I was a kid, there were a lot of problems with civil rights. Georgia is right next door to Alabama. My nickname was ‘the Governor.’ It was a big thing when I first did the ‘Tonight Show.’ People down in Alabama were going, ‘Looky here.’

“I guess I’m the George Wallace now. We have made it a better name now, hopefully.”

Even as a youth, Wallace, who won the 1995 American Comedy Award for best male stand-up, knew he wanted to be a comedian. But before he pursued that career, he left Atlanta and went to the University of Akron in Ohio, earning degrees in marketing and transportation so he could make some money and have a financial cushion when he was ready to turn to comedy full time.

He ended up in New York, selling advertising on buses, subways, billboards and just about any other available outdoor space. He also started doing a little club work.

“I saved up $300 or $400, so I said, ‘I can go to L.A. now.’ That was a lot of money then,” the 43-year-old comic said, laughing, as he did often during the interview. “I was always interested in being successful either way. I’m very satisfied with what I’m doing. It pays well. I don’t mind being like Rodney [Dangerfield] or [the late] Redd Foxx and make a lot of money when I’m 60.”

After landing in Los Angeles, Wallace got a job writing for Foxx, who was just ending his popular “Sanford and Son” sitcom and heading into his variety show. But, unlike Foxx in his club shows, Wallace avoids off-color material.

“I was brought up that way,” said Wallace, who was raised in a Christian home with a sister and five brothers. “That’s why you don’t see me doing any of the blue stuff. It’s funny, and I’m the first to laugh at it, but audiences can get that from somewhere else. They don’t need it from me.”

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Besides his stand-up, he has a featured commentary spot Monday mornings on a nationally syndicated radio talk show. The bit, “Dr. Wallace, the Way I See It and the Way It Outta Be,” looks at the news from Wallace’s perspective. The show was recently dropped by KMAX-FM (107.1), and Wallace’s producers are looking for a new Southern California home.

This Monday and Tuesday, Wallace will gain more national exposure when he fills in as host on Greg Kinnear’s late-night show on NBC. Among his guests will be longtime friend Jerry Seinfeld, who was “almost dead” one night many years ago when Wallace got him some cough medicine.

“I gave him two capfuls. He didn’t know who he was, but he was feeling OK. There’s lots of stories we can talk about. Maybe I’ll bring him some more Nyquil,” said Wallace, who then took a short break to take another call. (“When white people call, I get one beep. When blacks call, I get a whole band.”)

Wallace, whose film work includes small roles in “Batman Forever” and “Rage in Harlem,” credits Foxx, Red Skelton, Red Buttons, Pinky Lee (“all people of color,” he’s fond of saying), Milton Berle and Moms Mabley with drawing him to comedy, but Skelton holds a special place.

“He’s just the best,” Wallace said. “Red Skelton is the reason I’m in the business. Red was a comedian clown I really identified with as a kid, seeing his characters on TV.”

He does not, however, pattern himself after any particular performer or style.

“I’m just being me. I just go out and talk about what I talk about. That’s the most important part of being a comedian. He’s himself. When you start, you have a little touch of other people in you, but you need to individualize yourself.

“I look forward to work every day. I’m the most blessed person in America.”

* Who: George Wallace.

* When: Friday at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Saturday 8 and 10:30 p.m., Sunday 8:30 p.m.

* Where: The Improv, 945 E. Birch St., Brea.

* Whereabouts: Exit the Orange (57) Freeway at Lambert Road; go west. Turn left onto State College Boulevard and right onto Birch Street. The Improv is in the Brea Marketplace, across from the Brea Mall.

* Wherewithal: $20.

* Where to call: (714) 529-7878.