Alan Alda on his methodology for memorizing lines
Alan Alda on the importance of the relationship between the writers and the actors on M*A*S*H, as facilitated by director Gene Reynolds
Alan Alda on the role of improvisational training in his acting work, and specifically the work done at Second City
Alan Alda on the uncomfortable things actors must do to accommodate the camera
Alan Alda on working out a scene with Wayne Rogers on M*A*S*H, after shooting for the satisfaction of getting it right
Alan Alda on winning an Emmy, and how some of your best writing work can come as a surprise
George Carlin on the origin of his famous routine "Seven Dirty Words"
George Carlin on getting fired from the Copacabana and being relieved to finally leave mainstream comedy
George Carlin on getting to write about the "freak show"
George Carlin on the evolution of his comedy
George Carlin on why he never gets tired of performing his routines
George Carlin on why he never gets tired of performing his routines
George Carlin on defining himself and his role as an entertainer and a comedian
George Carlin on advice he gives young comedians: write it down and classify everything
Dick Gregory on what comedy can do and cannot do for society
Dick Gregory on what he wanted to accomplish with this stand-up comedy, and on his early experiences with nightclubs
Dick Gregory on coming up with material for his act
Dick Gregory on defining what a comedian is
Dick Gregory on using his life experiences as fodder for his act
Dick Gregory on advice to aspiring comedians, and on profanity in comedy
Dick Gregory on comedians developing a technique
Dick Gregory on the role of the comic in society
Tony Roberts on the craft of being a straight man, and on his philosophy of comedy
Tony Roberts on dealing with the peaks and valleys of an actor's career
Tony Roberts on an actor dealing with and learning from his audience
Tony Roberts on summing up his career as an actor, and how he has navigated it
Tony Roberts on the role agents and managers have played in his career
Tony Roberts on how an actor deals with being typecast
Tony Roberts on how he feels about his career
Shelley Berman on the type of performer he is, and on developing his early nightclub act
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
Shelley Berman on the comedian Jim MacGeorge, and on his own poetry
Shelley Berman on the source of comedy in a script or situation, and on "teaching" comedy
Shelley Berman on the construct of comedy, and the difficulty in pinpointing what is funny or why people laugh
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
Shelley Berman on the importance of comedy in his life, and American life in general
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
Bill Dana on the importance of having a good agent
Bill Dana on the difficulties comedians face
Bill Dana on comedy being a difficult job, and on the most important quality of a comic
Bill Dana on comedians using situations and constraints to their advantage, and on the impatience of audiences
Bill Dana on learning to use humor as a weapon to disarm
Bill Dana on when he first learned he could make people laugh, and on attending Emerson College
Bill Dana on his early comedic influences
Bill Dana on what he's learned about the business side of the entertainment/comedy industry
Bill Dana on comedians stealing each other's material
Bill Dana on the source of his comedy, and his characters, and on Jonathan Harris as "Mr. Phillips" on The Bill Dana Show
Bill Dana on his answer to the question "What is funny?"
Bill Dana on the need for a performer to pay their dues
Bill Dana on his answer to the question "Was it worth it?"
Bill Dana on ethnic humor, and on the importance of good representation
Carlos Mencia on making a connection with his audience as a comedian, and the commonalities between people of different backgrounds
Carlos Mencia on the risks and rewards of doing edgy or racial humor
Carlos Mencia on aiming to inspire people, as well as make them laugh, though his comedy
Carlos Mencia on how comedy can heal divides, and solve problems in society
Carlos Mencia on his reaction to the notion of political correctness in comedy, and in life
Carlos Mencia on using "blue" material in his act, and how the choice of words can affect comedy
Carlos Mencia on comedians tailoring their acts to their environments
Carlos Mencia on being responsible to his community in his comedy
Carlos Mencia on having been accused of stealing jokes from other comedians
Carlos Mencia on advice to aspiring comedians
Eddie Brill on teaching and learning comedy
Eddie Brill on developing a comedic voice
Eddie Brill on comedians using blue material
Eddie Brill on learning from older comedians
Eddie Brill on comedians being born or made
Eddie Brill on dealing with the business end of show business
Eddie Brill on the comedian's relationship to their audience
Eddie Brill on auditioning, and on working with Aretha Franklin
Eddie Brill on writing jokes, and on the power of laughter
Eddie Brill on what he gets out of being a comedian
Lewis Black on his early interest in drama, and on becoming a comedian
Lewis Black on doing open mic nights at Catch a Rising Star in New York City
Lewis Black on working out his stand-up routine in front of audiences
Lewis Black on developing his comic persona
Lewis Black on the source of the anger in his comedy, and learning how to use the anger
Lewis Black on audience reaction to the evolution of his angry character
Lewis Black on doing political humor
Lewis Black on judging how far he can go with audiences
Lewis Black on whether comedy can be taught
Lewis Black on dealing with the business end of show business as a comedian
Lewis Black on longevity in a comedian's career
Shecky Greene on why he started in comedy, and on his earliest gigs
Shecky Greene on the relationship between laughter and depression
Shecky Greene on developing his comedy act, characters in comedy, and his role in creating the Comedy Store
Shecky Greene on doing dialects in his act, and on working for the mob
Shecky Greene on what he has gotten out of his comedy career
Shecky Greene on his comedic persona, and on appearing on Today with Katie Couric
Shecky Greene on surviving in comedy
Shecky Greene on the then-current state of comedy, and on Jewish comedy and the joys of performing
Shecky Greene on summing up his career
Robert Culp on modifying his acting when going from stage to television
Robert Culp on making a living as an actor
Robert Culp on making money as an actor, and on getting work on the stage
Robert Culp on writing a play, and on learning how to prepare material to perform
Robert Culp on his chemistry with Bill Cosby on I Spy, and on acting advice he gave him
Robert Culp on advice to an aspiring actor
Jeannie Epper on being one of the founding members of the Stuntwoman's Association of Motion Pictures
Jeannie Epper on dealing with the risks and fears that come with being a stuntwoman; on being part of a stunt family
Jeannie Epper on how safety regulations have changed for stunt people over the years
Jeannie Epper on her style as a stuntwoman, and insurance coverage for her profession
Jeannie Epper on how CGI has affected stunt work
Jeannie Epper on advice to an aspiring stunt person
Sandra Gimpel on how she learned to do stunts on Lost in Space, on which she was Bill Mumy's stunt double and stand-in
Sandra Gimpel on the community of stunt performers when she started out in the business, and on the most importance advice she got from early mentors
Sandra Gimpel on the fact that most stunt performers were men when she started out in the business
Sandra Gimpel on how her background as a dancer helped her when she became a stunt performer
Sandra Gimpel on the importance of emulating actors' movements and walk when doubling for them
Sandra Gimpel on why her small stature was advantageous when she became a stunt performer
Sandra Gimpel on "sugar glass", which is made of resin and used for stunt performers to be able go break through glass windows, and other forms of breakable glass used for stunt performers
Sandra Gimpel on the idea of actors "doing their own stunts": "99% of the actors have a stunt double...it's not that the actor can't do the stunt, it's not smart to let them do the stunt"
Sandra Gimpel on how she handled an actor wanting to their own stunts when she was the stunt coordinator on set
Sandra Gimpel on working with directors as a stunt coordinator, and on working with Jim Carrey on a stunt he wanted to perform in "The Truman Show" (where she was a stunt performer, not the coordinator on set)
Sandra Gimpel on a near fatal accident during a stunt she performed on the show Bring 'Em Back Alive, and on the importance of safety on set and double checking the set up before performing stunts
Sandra Gimpel on an accident when she was performing a stunt where she had to jump off a building, and on how she tries to ensure safety on sets
Sandra Gimpel on how much she rehearses a stunt before performing it on film, and on an accident that happened while she was performing a stunt in a Kellogg's cereal commercial
Sandra Gimpel on what a stunt coordinator does and what a second unit director does, and how it worked when she was acting as both on set
Sandra Gimpel on how the sunt coordinator works with the second unit director on set
Sandra Gimpel on her thoughts on the fatal accident that happened during the filming of a stunt on the 1983 "The Twilight Zone" movie (she did not work on that project), and on an incident when she insisted a director not shoot a stunt due to dangerous circumstances
Sandra Gimpel on whether accidents like the one on the set of "The Twilight Zone" movie have led to changes in safety standards in the industry
Sandra Gimpel on speaking out about the safety of a stunt, even at the risk of losing a job, but the fact that not everyone can or will speak up for fear of losing a gig, and on an accident on the set of Other World where she was acting as stunt coordinator
Sandra Gimpel on stunts she won't perform, including her dislike of motorcycles, and on how she handles it when the on-set set ups don't meet her expectations
Sandra Gimpel on the most dangerous stunt she's performed, and on the closest calls in her career
Sandra Gimpel on injuries she's sustained while performing stunts
Sandra Gimpel on insurance coverage for stunt performers
Sandra Gimpel on not having a speciality as a stunt performer, but being able to perform many different kinds of stunts, and on how the equipment stunt performers use has changed over time especially for women
Sandra Gimpel on redoing stunts when she is acting as second unit director
Sandra Gimpel on what makes a good stunt performer
Sandra Gimpel on each stunt person having an indvidual style, and on why Taekwondo is a good style for fighting on-camera
Sandra Gimpel on being the stunt coordinator and second unit director on Harts of the West with Beau Bridges, and on her feelings about Westerns
Sandra Gimpel on performing stunts for television versus film: "television's much faster... features, they take their time"
Sandra Gimpel on what she likes about doing stunts, and on not know she would end up as a stunt performer when she was starting out
Sandra Gimpel on how stunt work has changed since she started in the industry
Sandra Gimpel on advice for aspiring stunt performers
Leslie Hoffman on the risks of a high jump stunt and precautions she takes
Leslie Hoffman on training to be a stuntwoman
Leslie Hoffman on rehearsing stunts
Leslie Hoffman on dealing with life or death situations as a stunt person
Leslie Hoffman on doing pratfalls
Leslie Hoffman on doing staircase falls
Leslie Hoffman on performing fire stunts
Leslie Hoffman on advice to aspiring stunt people
Felicity Huffman on what she likes about acting and the importance of storytelling
Felicity Huffman on advice for aspiring actors
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on Macy studying acting with David Mamet at Goddard College and how that led to Macy teaching acting in New York, where Huffman studied with him
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on how they help each other prepare for roles and the challenges of preparation as an actor
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on watching each other's work and their own, and how much they prepare for roles
Lisa Kudrow on realizing there was no "mystical truth" to becoming a working actor after seeing her brother's friend, Jon Lovitz, land a gig on Saturday Night Live
Lisa Kudrow on what she learned about acting from her work at The Groundlings Improv group and how invaluable the character monologues were
Lisa Kudrow on her first-ever performance in front of an audience
Lisa Kudrow on some realities of working in television and the expectations and challenges of coming in as guest-star on a long-running sitcom
Lisa Kudrow on the challenges of performing the same character for so many years, as on Friends with "Phoebe"
Lisa Kudrow on advice to aspiring actors "as long as it's not porn, do it"
Gene LeBell on stunts he won't do and stunts he'd like to do
Gene LeBell on how he got into stunt work
Gene LeBell on the lack of early safety regulations for stunt people
Gene LeBell on his specialty in stunts and the background necessary for the profession
Gene LeBell on early stuntwomen and men doubling for women
Gene LeBell on coordinating stunts
Gene LeBell on different types of stunts - high falls, stunt driving, pratfalls, stair falls and fistfights
Gene LeBell on preparations for stunt fistfights and fire stunts
Gene LeBell on essential qualities for a stuntperson
Gene LeBell on how he's credited a stuntperson
William H. Macy on studying acting with David Mamet at Goddard College
William H. Macy on the Practical Aesthetics acting technique, which he developed with David Mamet
William H. Macy on appearing in small roles on TV series early in his career
William H. Macy on his advice to actors for reading scripts
William H. Macy on what he likes about acting
William H. Macy on "being visited by the muse" while performing onstage
William H. Macy on the best advice he's received, and his advice to actors
William H. Macy on advice to aspiring actors
Anita Mann on doing choreography for television, and what she learned from working for Lucille Ball
Anita Mann on her duties as an assistant choreographer
Anita Mann on her process of choreographing a number for television, and on choreographing the Miss America Pageant for which she won an Emmy
Anita Mann on how choreography on television has changed since she started
Anita Mann on what she looked for when she hired dancers on Solid Gold
Anita Mann on how choreography on television has changed since she first started
Anita Mann on what she enjoys about choreography
Anita Mann on advice to an aspiring choreographer
William Schallert on feeling like he could act, but that he didn't look like an actor
William Schallert on being a character actor and not feeling typecast
William Schallert on how he creates different personas
William Schallert on often playing several roles on one series
William Schallert on how he gets jobs nowadays (2012)
William Schallert on his tenure as President of SAG; on chairing a committee to merge SAG and AFTRA
William Schallert on the mission of SAG
William Schallert on advice to aspiring actors
Yeardley Smith on her stage fright and how she's overcome it by being "over prepared"
Yeardley Smith on her early determination to find success as an actress, and feeling that she had a "gift"
Yeardley Smith on playing to your strengths as an actor and finding her way into a role
Yeardley Smith on the differences between television/film and theater, and appearing as a guest star on a TV show
Yeardley Smith on performing "Lisa Simpson"
Yeardley Smith on being on The Simpsons and wanting to get more on-camera roles
Tracey Ullman on how she transforms into characters
Tracey Ullman on the role of comedy in the then-current political climate
Tracey Ullman on the power of comedy
Tracey Ullman on how she prepares to get into character, and on being respectful and professional to the crew on a set
Tracey Ullman on advice to aspiring performers
Tracey Ullman on the balance between being a performer and being a well-rounded person
Tracey Ullman on why she has resisted the term "comedienne"
