Louie Anderson and Scott Hansen

A few weeks ago, Scott Hansen did something he's never done in his 36-year comedy career: He walked out of his own show. Hansen has been diagnosed with arthritis in the spine, making it difficult for him to be on stage for very long.

"It's hard to sit or stand," said Hansen who is credited for helping make Minneapolis a major comedy player. "I don't want to put myself in a position where I could fall or get hurt. It's not worth it anymore."

Hansen, 59, will do his last New Year's Eve show at the Maple Tavern, do a few corporate gigs and then officially retire his stand-up act around April. But don't think the ever resilient Hansen is going to stop going for laughs. He plans to concentrate on writing and developing sitcom ideas. "I'm not going to roll over and play dead," he said.