Harland Williams has been the big fish in a couple pretty bad movies — Sorority Boys, Freddy Got Fingered, and a small fish in some really good ones – There’s Something About Mary, Wag the Dog, Dumb & Dumber – but he’s probably best known for his turn in the pseudo stoner-classic Half Baked. Nobody does beer-sopped toga better than Belushi and nobody does malice-free but ambitionless stoner better than Harland Williams.

Be forewarned in these patriotic times: Williams is Canadian, but his act is surprisingly family-friendly, so if Ashcroft is taking names at the door, that should count for something.

Between stand up and acting stints, Williams has written a series of children’s books about a dinosaur named Lickety Split (which was much better as the name of dyke-rocker and novelist Lynn Breedlove’s all-girl bike messenger service, but don’t bother the kids with that tidbit). Williams has also tried his hand at directing and has frequently been spotted on both Letterman and Leno.

Harland Williams will be performing at Crackers, 6821 N. College Ave., Aug. 5-8. Also appearing are Mike Merryfield and Mary Armstrong. The show is rated PG-18. Tickets range from $8 to $23; call 255-4211 for show times, reservations or more information.