Hal Kanter with Emerson College

In his one-and-a-half hour interview for the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College, Hal Kanter (1918-2011) talks about how he got his start in comedy, writing for Eddie Cantor, as well as early radio shows he worked on. He discusses learning to write comedy, how to write for comedians’ voices, and structure jokes. He recalls creating the groundbreaking series Julia, starring Diahann Carroll, and writing for The Danny Kaye Show. Kanter speaks of dealing with several agents and managers in his career, and talks about how the industry has changed since he started. He gives advice to aspiring comedy writers, and concludes by discussing his role in the Pacific Pioneers Broadcasters Group. Bill Dana and Jenni Matz conducted the interview on June 6, 2005 in Beverly Hills, CA.