Comic, actor Tom Arnold comes home to Iowa for stand-up show at the Englert

A stockbroker or lawyer was in the mix of vocational goals when Tom Arnold attended the University of Iowa during the early '80s. However, neither was the business administration major's dream gig.

"I considered law school and the backup plan was to work for my uncle as a stockbroker," Arnold said while calling from his Los Angeles home. "But I had dreams of doing something completely different."

While growing up in Ottumwa during the '70s, Arnold hoped to leave Iowa for Hollywood for a career in entertainment.

"It didn't seem like it was impossible," Arnold said. "I gave it a shot."

Arnold, 66, became a stand-up in Los Angeles, and Roseanne Barr caught his routine and hired him to write jokes for her act.

"I came up with stuff for Roseanne that she used on (“The Tonight Show” starring Johnny) Carson."

Barr tabbed Arnold as a writer for her sitcom "Roseanne," which debuted in 1988. The blue-collar comedy was the highest rated show on television in 1989 and 1990. Arnold was content crafting scripts but was urged to perform on the show.

"One of the writers said, 'You have to be on the show. Everybody knows you and Roseanne are dating.’“

Arnold, who will appear Friday at the Englert Theatre, acquiesced and his acting career was born. Arnold scored his own sitcom "The Jackie Thomas Show“ in 1992. After the program was canceled in 1993, Arnold hit the big screen. He and Barr starred in "The Woman Who Loved Elvis," which was shot in Ottumwa.

It's not easy stealing scenes from Arnold Schwarzenegger, but Arnold did just that in the amusing and entertaining film "True Lies." Arnold has appeared in hundreds of other films.

"But only about four are good," Arnold cracked. "I was at a Comic Con with John Cena and we were both in 'Fred 3: Camp Fred.' I remember saying, 'This is the biggest piece of crap!' But my daughter loves it. When she's over at her mother's house, she insists that her mom plays it, so the movie is good for something."

Arnold is the father of two prepubescent children.

"My son loves 'True Lies' and 'Soul Plane' and 'The Stupids,’" Arnold said. "People either love 'The Stupids' or hate it. I watched it for the first time in 20 years and there's some good stuff in there. The studio hoped that it would have been another 'Dumb and Dumber' but you have no control over that kind of stuff."

When Arnold returns to Iowa City, expect him to riff about coming of age in the Hawkeye state.

"I'll talk about growing up in Iowa," Arnold said. "All of those experiences shaped who I am. I worked at a meat packing plant for three years so I could go to the University of Iowa. I would dream about having a career like I've had while I worked at the plant. I'm living proof that anything is possible. I have so many great memories growing up in Iowa."

Nothing tops Arnold's sojourns from Ottumwa to Iowa City with his grandfather during the '60s for Hawkeye football games.

"I've been going to University of Iowa football games since I was four years old," Arnold said. "The football teams were terrible back then but it was the greatest time with my grandfather. We would see some great coaches like (Ohio State's) Woody Hayes and (Michigan's) Bo Schembechler. Even when we were being crushed it was fun. Unlike how it is here in Los Angeles with people leaving big games early, we would stay until the end. When Hayden Fry arrived (in 1979) everything changed for the better. The culture changed, and back then I was working at the Hormel plant and we would all talk Hawkeyes football. The Iowa Hawkeyes are just so important to the mental health of the state. I love Hawkeye sports."

"The Best Damn Sports Show" returned to catch the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team while they were on their 2023 run to the NCAA national championship game.

"I slept at (Iowa Hawkeyes coach) Lisa Bluder's basement," Arnold recalled. "I went to a game and she made waffles for me. It was a perfect Iowa trip."

However, delivering stand-up back in his native state is different than flying in for a game.

"There's more pressure when I come back and do a show," Arnold said. "You want to give the best show you can. You're performing where it all began and it reminds me of my early days of being a comic. I remember my family saying, 'Why don't you talk about the good things?'“

Arnold doesn't expect to see many relatives at the Englert.

"Most of them have moved from Iowa to places like St. Louis and Kansas City and Oklahoma City," Arnold said. "My brother Johnny is still a farmer in Ottumwa. I love that he's still in Iowa since the state is filled with good people. The great thing about them is that they love stand-up comedy. I'm proud to be from Iowa. The heart of our country is Iowa and Nebraska, and if you don't know those places, you don't know America."