Comedian


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

Tabs

Highlights
George Carlin on advice he gives young comedians: write it down and classify everything
01:28
Steve Allen on putting together a comedy act and bombing on stage
01:59
Phyllis Diller on her advice to aspiring comics
02:22
Whoopi Goldberg on starting to gain traction as a performer in San Diego and starting to do improv
04:24
Keenen Ivory Wayans on the "comedian's code" during his time at The Improv in New York; about stealing jokes
01:48
Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara on how they became a comedy team
01:23
Who talked about this profession

Steve Allen

View Interview
Steve Allen on putting together a comedy act and bombing on stage
01:59
Steve Allen on his first late-night show for radio - gradually talking more and playing less music and the show taking off as a comedy show; on the response he got to ad-libbing
06:50

Beatrice Arthur with Emerson College

View Interview
Beatrice Arthur on comedy devices and originality in comedy
00:57

Ed Begley, Jr. with Emerson College

View Interview
Ed Begley, Jr. on the "rules" of comedy, and on then-favorite comedians, and managers of comedians
07:06

Shelley Berman with Emerson College

View Interview
Shelley Berman on writing for Steve Allen's Tonight show; on his first appearance on the show and realizing he was a comedian
Shelley Berman on when he realized he had become a comedian through his work at the Compass Players (which later became Second City) 
Shelley Berman on becoming a recognized performer and how it affected his performance as a comedian
01:29
Shelley Berman on doing stand-up comedy at the various clubs in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago in the 1950s
Shelley Berman on coming up with new material for his 22 Ed Sullivan performances; on not worrying about censors
06:21
Shelley Berman on playing both comedic and dramatic characters on TV
01:10
Shelley Berman on his advice to an aspiring performer
00:47
Shelley Berman on the type of performer he is, and on developing his early nightclub act
07:39
Shelley Berman on stand-up comedians using a stool, and various other props of the trade, and on the challenges faced by a stand-up comedian
08:00
Shelley Berman on the comedian Jim MacGeorge, and on his own poetry
04:33
Shelley Berman on the source of comedy in a script or situation, and on "teaching" comedy
04:16
Shelley Berman on the construct of comedy, and the difficulty in pinpointing what is funny or why people laugh
03:03
Shelley Berman on the importance in comedy of the audience relating to the comedian, and on the evolution of comedy in terms of explicit language
07:07
Shelley Berman on the importance of comedy in his life, and American life in general
05:07
Shelley Berman on his reputation for being difficult, and on the ups and downs of his life and career, including the loss of his son
23:16

Ken Berry

View Interview
Ken Berry on performing the physical comedy in F Troop
05:20

Lewis Black with Emerson College

View Interview
Lewis Black on his early interest in drama, and on becoming a comedian
05:45
Lewis Black on doing open mic nights at Catch a Rising Star in New York City
03:11
Lewis Black on working out his stand-up routine in front of audiences
03:47
Lewis Black on developing his comic persona
05:41
Lewis Black on the source of the anger in his comedy, and learning how to use the anger
07:53
Lewis Black on audience reaction to the evolution of his angry character
01:52
Lewis Black on doing political humor
06:26
Lewis Black on judging how far he can go with audiences
04:03
Lewis Black on whether comedy can be taught
05:54
Lewis Black on dealing with the business end of show business as a comedian
07:21
Lewis Black on longevity in a comedian's career
02:59

Eddie Brill with Emerson College

View Interview
Eddie Brill on learning comedy
03:34
Eddie Brill on developing a comedic voice
02:20
Eddie Brill on comedians using blue material
02:34
Eddie Brill on learning from older comedians
01:40
Eddie Brill on comedians being born or made
01:16
Eddie Brill on dealing with the business end of show business
01:57
Eddie Brill on the comedian's relationship to their audience
04:37
Eddie Brill on auditioning, and on working with Aretha Franklin
09:13
Eddie Brill on writing jokes, and on the power of laughter
03:12
Eddie Brill on what he gets out of being a comedian
01:37

Sid Caesar

View Interview
Sid Caesar on advice he has for aspiring performers
00:34

George Carlin

View Interview
George Carlin on getting fired from the Copacabana and being relieved to finally leave mainstream comedy
06:31
George Carlin on the origin of his famous routine "Seven Dirty Words"
04:09
George Carlin on the evolution of his comedy
05:27
George Carlin on getting to write about the "freak show"
02:08
George Carlin on defining himself and his role as an entertainer and a comedian
02:59
George Carlin on his creative process
03:22
George Carlin on why he never gets tired of performing his routines
03:03
George Carlin on advice he gives young comedians: write it down and classify everything
01:28
George Carlin on advice he gives young comedians: write it down and classify everything
01:28

Dick Cavett with Emerson College

View Interview
Dick Cavett on the likeability of comics and the possibility of laughing at comics you don't like
04:50
Dick Cavett on his comedy style and the difficulty of writing material for yourself
08:26

Margaret Cho

View Interview
Margaret Cho on what she enjoys about comedy and why performing in front of an audience feels safe
01:12
Margaret Cho on what she learns from bombing on stage
00:57
Margaret Cho on how her act developed
01:19
Margaret Cho on her first comedy show/special after All-American Girl, I'm The One That I Want, and how comedy helped her at that time
02:24
Margaret Cho on the craft of comedy and her writing process
01:57
Margaret Cho on her comedic influences
02:02
Margaret Cho on her comedic influences
02:02
Margaret Cho on getting to work with her mentors
01:01
Margaret Cho on advice from other comedians that she's taken to heart
01:13
Margaret Cho on balancing serious topics and humor in her comedy; on cancel culture and on whether she's ever felt restricted in her comedy
05:43
Margaret Cho on the role of comedy in today's political climate
02:08
Margaret Cho on being a role model for Asian American female comedians
00:41
Margaret Cho on advice to an aspiring comedian
00:30
Margaret Cho on what she wishes she had known when she first started her career
00:18
Margaret Cho on advice for young women entering the industry
00:31

Billy Crystal

View Interview
Billy Crystal on advice to an aspiring comedian
00:42

Bill Dana with Emerson College

View Interview
Bill Dana on advice to aspiring writers and comedians
01:14
Bill Dana on founding the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College and on the challenges of being a comedian
03:06
Bill Dana on the importance of having a good agent
02:38
Bill Dana on the difficulties comedians face
02:39
Bill Dana on comedy being a difficult job, and on the most important quality of a comic
02:27
Bill Dana on comedians using situations and constraints to their advantage, and on the impatience of audiences
04:39
Bill Dana on learning to use humor as a weapon to disarm
01:33
Bill Dana on when he first learned he could make people laugh, and on attending Emerson College
03:31
Bill Dana on his early comedic influences
05:24
Bill Dana on what he's learned about the business side of the entertainment/comedy industry
03:13
Bill Dana on comedians stealing each other's material
02:22
Bill Dana on the source of his comedy, and his characters, and on Jonathan Harris as "Mr. Phillips" on The Bill Dana Show
02:26
Bill Dana on his answer to the question "What is funny?"
01:40
Bill Dana on the need for a performer to pay their dues
01:42
Bill Dana on his answer to the question "Was it worth it?"
01:28
Bill Dana on ethnic humor, and on the importance of good representation
04:22

Richard Dawson

View Interview
Richard Dawson on crafting his first act as a comedian and getting into acting
13:27

Phyllis Diller

View Interview
Phyllis Diller on her trademark laugh
01:16
Phyllis Diller on her advice to aspiring comics
02:22

Brad Garrett

View Interview
Brad Garrett on his start in stand-up
01:52

Whoopi Goldberg

View Interview
Whoopi Goldberg on starting to gain traction as a performer in San Diego and starting to do improv
04:24

Shecky Greene with Emerson College

View Interview
Shecky Greene on why he started in comedy, and on his earliest gigs
05:36
Shecky Greene on the relationship between laughter and depression
03:26
Shecky Greene on developing his comedy act, characters in comedy, and his role in creating the Comedy Store
04:36
Shecky Greene on doing dialects in his act, and on working for the mob
02:03
Shecky Greene on what he has gotten out of his comedy career
02:23
Shecky Greene on his comedic persona, and on appearing on Today with Katie Couric
06:46
Shecky Greene on surviving in comedy
02:34
Shecky Greene on the then-current state of comedy, and on Jewish comedy and the joys of performing
04:29
Shecky Greene on summing up his career
03:08

Dick Gregory with Emerson College

View Interview
Dick Gregory on what comedy can do and cannot do for society
03:52
Dick Gregory on what he wanted to accomplish with this stand-up comedy, and on his early experiences with nightclubs
04:47
Dick Gregory on coming up with material for his act
07:13
Dick Gregory on defining what a comedian is
01:47
Dick Gregory on using his life experiences as fodder for his act
09:45
Dick Gregory on advice to aspiring comedians, and on profanity in comedy
05:23
Dick Gregory on comedians developing a technique
08:29
Dick Gregory on the role of the comic in society
07:31

Charles Grodin with Emerson College

View Interview
Charles Grodin on his brand of comedy, and on figuring out he was funny
04:58

Geri Jewell

View Interview
Geri Jewell on the first time she did stand-up comedy, and how she talked about cerebral palsy in her routine
05:57

Jerry Lewis

View Interview
Jerry Lewis on his father's influence on his performances
01:35

Rose Marie with Emerson College

View Interview
Rose Marie on comedy
01:40
Rose Marie on whether comedy can be learned
04:15
Rose Marie on dealing with the business part of show business
02:20
Rose Marie on what she learned from the great performers, including Milton Berle and Phil Silvers
03:56
Rose Marie on how she knows what's funny
02:13

Chuck McCann with Emerson College

View Interview
Chuck McCann on learning comedy
03:42
Chuck McCann on his advice to aspiring comedians
01:39

Anne Meara

View Interview
Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara on how they became a comedy team
01:23

Carlos Mencia with Emerson College

View Interview
Carlos Mencia on making a connection with his audience as a comedian, and the commonalities between people of different backgrounds
04:09
Carlos Mencia on the risks and rewards of doing edgy or racial humor
04:43
Carlos Mencia on aiming to inspire people, as well as make them laugh, though his comedy
03:00
Carlos Mencia on how comedy can heal divides, and solve problems in society
03:45
Carlos Mencia on his reaction to the notion of political correctness in comedy, and in life
10:13
Carlos Mencia on using "blue" material in his act, and how the choice of words can affect comedy
02:01
Carlos Mencia on comedians tailoring their acts to their environments
03:00
Carlos Mencia on being responsible to his community in his comedy
01:45
Carlos Mencia on having been accused of stealing jokes from other comedians
08:03
Carlos Mencia on advice to aspiring comedians
04:08

Pat Morita

View Interview
Pat Morita on getting his foot in the door as a comedian, and on knowing Flip Wilson in the early years
02:59
Pat Morita on tailoring his stand up act for television, and on using his Japanese heritage in his act
07:13
Pat Morita on starting to make the transition from comedian to actor
03:23

Jan Murray with Emerson College

View Interview
Jan Murray on how he came up with material for stand-up comedy routines
02:48
Jan Murray on how he came up with material for stand-up comedy routines
02:48
Jan Murray on comedians from different generations, recognizing the great comedians of each one, and the greatness and faults of comedians from the then-current generation
02:07
Jan Murray on becoming the host of Blind Date and on being the first comedian to host a live game show
04:40
Jan Murray on using isolated stories at the start of his routine to get the audience used to his persona
03:56
Jan Murray on learning to adapt his material to the audience when performing in Israel
03:11
Jan Murray on being a naturally funny kid and getting into comedy as a result
01:32
Jan Murray on entertaining in the Cavaliers Social Club early in his career
02:24
Jan Murray on getting his gig working in the Catskill Mountains
04:07
Jan Murray on getting his gig at the Melbourne Hotel and deciding to pursue show business
02:10
Jan Murray on performing for benefits and how it impacts a comedian's business
02:38
Jan Murray on providing feedback to Shelley Winters and adapting a routine they did together
04:24
Jan Murray on performing comedy as medicine
00:19

Bob Newhart

View Interview
Bob Newhart on his comedic style and how it has and hasn't work on TV over the years
00:53
Bob Newhart on performing and writing comedy routines
01:23
Bob Newhart on advice to aspiring performers
00:21

Louis Nye with Emerson College

View Interview
Louis Nye on his process for learning dialects
03:28
Louis Nye on the Pagliacci syndrome and the prevalence of depression among comedians
01:42
Louis Nye on what drew him to comedy
01:22
Louis Nye on the value of humor
01:11
Louis Nye on bringing back Old Vaudeville in his characters
02:59
Louis Nye on his characters potentially being offensive and on working with Jack Benny, Bop Hope, and Jimmy Durante
02:59
Louis Nye on tools he learned for getting laughs
01:13
Louis Nye on the business of comedy
02:59
Louis Nye on his work in nightclubs and on Broadway
02:34
Louis Nye on how comedy has changed since he started his career
04:02
Louis Nye on advice to students about a career in comedy and on sacrifices he made to be in the business
05:31
Louis Nye on what drove him to be a comedian and on his career longevity
02:01
Louis Nye on people expecting him to be in character
00:34
Louis Nye on originality in comedy
01:23
Louis Nye on whether it was all worth it
02:17

Tim Reid

View Interview
Tim Reid on meeting and becoming comedy partners with Tom Dreesen
04:09
Tim Reid on developing a stand-up comedy act with Tom Dreesen; on honing their act
02:54
Tim Reid on addressing race head-on in his stand-up comedy act with Tom Dreesen
06:23
Tim Reid on the end of his partnership with Tom Dreesen
01:27
Tim Reid on comedians today that push boundaries and the power of comedy and storytelling
08:20
Tim Reid on learning a valuable lesson from Jack Benny about performing
03:15
Tim Reid on learning from those who came before and passing on advice to others
03:49

Paul Rodriguez with Emerson College

View Interview
Paul Rodriguez on developing his early stand-up routine, and on being Richard Pryor's runner
05:02
Paul Rodriguez on being inspired by Richard Pryor to use his Mexican heritage and identity in his act, and on the language he uses in his act
05:32
Paul Rodriguez on the importance of comedians taking chances, and on basing his comedy routines around his life
06:57
Paul Rodriguez on dealing with agents and managers in his career, and on longevity in his career
06:04

Garry Shandling

View Interview
Garry Shandling on being fascinated by comedians
03:27
Garry Shandling on writing George Carlin-style monologues and meeting Carlin
04:36

Robert Smigel

View Interview
Robert Smigel on the "modern" type of "so bad it's good" comedy he was interested in early in his career; catching the comedy bug after performing and winning a comedy standup contest at NYU; "I was stung, I was infected"; on getting to perform at The Comic Strip in New York city; on his closing bit as Ronald Reagan (foreshadowing a later TV Funhouse sketch "The X Presidents"); on getting more gigs after that; on being a fan of comedy that "tore everything down and made fun of itself"
14:35
Robert Smigel on wanting to be a comedian since he was three years old
01:34
Robert Smigel on joining a sketch comedy program (The Players Workshop) at Second City in Chicago; on his love of Chicago and how the experience at Second City helped build his confidence as a comedian; on gravitating towards sketch comedy over improv; learning how to develop writing sketch comedy from the players at Second City like Dan Castellaneta; on his early sketch comedy ideas; on meeting Dan Crowley in Chicago and joining his comedy group (All You Can Eat) as his replacement; on Al Franken and Tom Davis, original writers from Saturday Night Live, coming to Chicago to see a show Smigel had created, "All You Can Eat and the Temple of Doom"
18:58
Robert Smigel on whether there is a disconnect between himself and his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" and how his identity merged with "Triumph’s" character; on his feeling "Triumph" has more irony and absurdity than an insult comic, which makes "Triumph" less biting or mean
03:29

Jerry Stiller

View Interview
Jerry Stiller on considering himself a comedian
04:34
Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara on how they became a comedy team
01:23

Tracey Ullman

View Interview
Tracey Ullman on the role of comedy in the then-current political climate
02:40
Tracey Ullman on the power of comedy
01:51

Dick Van Dyke

View Interview
Dick Van Dyke on learning from Phil Silvers and discovering his love of comedy and his "funny bone"

Jimmie Walker

View Interview
Jimmie Walker on dealing with disappointment and rejection in his career
01:37
Jimmie Walker on what he loves about stand-up comedy
00:55

Keenen Ivory Wayans

View Interview
Keenen Ivory Wayans on finding out about the Improv in New York and changing his life to move back to the city and become a standup; how it changed his approach to comedy
03:09
Keenen Ivory Wayans on the advice his mentor Chris Albrecht gave him about comedy; make it specific
01:46
Keenen Ivory Wayans on the "comedian's code" during his time at The Improv in New York; about stealing jokes
01:48
Keenen Ivory Wayans on his stand-up act then and now
08:03

Larry Wilmore

View Interview
Larry Wilmore on doing his early stand-up comedy routines and on doing improv
04:28
Larry Wilmore on his comedic influences
04:12
Larry Wilmore on his stand-up act
08:47
Larry Wilmore on transitioning from writing jokes for himself to writing them for other people, and on finding his voice as a comic
04:25
Larry Wilmore on considering himself to be primarily a producer, and on his kinship with standup comedy
01:38

Jonathan Winters

View Interview
Jonathan Winters on advice for creating characters
02:44
Jonathan Winters on advice to those starting out in comedy
03:37

Steven Wright with Emerson College

View Interview
Steven Wright on the first joke he ever performed and on unknowingly learning techniques by listening to comedy performances on the radio
05:13
Steven Wright on every comedian being a teacher and a student at the same time
01:48
Steven Wright on his delivery
01:27
Steven Wright on starting to tell jokes with longer setups, on pauses in delivery, and on waiting out a laugh
04:38
Steven Wright on a comedian's relationship with the audience
03:59
Steven Wright on his love of words when he was young
01:35
Steven Wright on his advice to anyone with a goal - take the risk
01:44
Steven Wright on how he creates his material
03:32
Steven Wright on advice to aspiring comedians
02:12
Steven Wright on the four things he would't talk about in his act and his rules for performing -- and when/why he would break his own rules
06:30
Steven Wright on his nerves when he first started doing stand-up -- on differences between being funny amongst friends vs. on a stage
01:47
Steven Wright on the challenges of starting out in stand-up
00:56
About