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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...

In his one-and-a-half-hour interview for the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College, Charles Grodin (1935-2021) talks about his writing career, and writing for specific audiences. He describes his acting training...

In this three-hour interview, Hal Holbrook (1925-2021) talks about his early life, and deciding to become an actor while in college. He chronicles the creation of his classic one-man show...

In his hour-and-a-half interview for the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College, Lewis Black talks about his early interest in drama, and what made him decide to be a comedian...

In his one-hour interview for the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College, Shecky Greene tells the story of his career in comedy, including his time on the comedy club circuit...

In his four-hour interview, Joe DeTullio talks about his parents encouraging him to go into the arts, and his decision to become an architect. He describes working in various positions...

In her three-and-a-half-hour interview, Lesli Linka Glatter talks about her early years, and moving to Japan to be a dancer and choreographer. She describes moving to Los Angeles to join...

In her four-and-a-half hour interview, Ellen Holly (1931-2023) talks about her early life, and her paternal family tree going back to the 1700s. She discusses becoming interested in acting, and...

In her two-hour interview, Martha Quinn talks about her early years, and music she saw on television while growing up, on shows like The Midnight Special, Soul Train, and Dick...

In her one-hour interview, Cokie Roberts (1943-2019) discusses her early years as the daughter of Congressman Hale Boggs, and how the assassination of President John F. Kennedy shaped her politically...

In his two-hour interview, John Aniston (1933-2022) talks about his early years, and his time in the Navy. He recalls his earliest stage performances, and early roles on shows like...

In his four-hour interview, Hal Gurnee talks about his early years, and his first job in television, working at the DuMont Network with stars like Dennis James and Jackie Gleason...

In his three-hour interview, Billy Crystal talks about his early life, and becoming interested in comedy at a young age. He describes attending NYU to study film, where he learned...

In his three-hour interview, Jeff Kisseloff talks about his early years, and the fact that his family were early adopters of television, color television, and cable television. He describes doing...

In his seven-hour interview, Reese Schonfeld (1931-2020) talks about his early years, and his time working for United Press Movietone News. He describes his years at UPI Television News, and...

In his one-hour interview for the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College, Jackie Mason talks about where his comedy comes from, and the process of building his act. He describes...

In his one-and-a-half hour interview for the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College, Jamie Masada talks about how he came to found the Laugh Factory, and Richard Pryor being the...

In their three-hour, joint Emerson Comedy Archive interview, Rocky (1921-2016) and Irma Kalish (1924-2021) discuss their backgrounds, and how they met and married. In a free-wheeling discussion, they touch on...

In their three-hour, joint Emerson Comedy Archive interview, Rocky (1921-2016) and Irma Kalish (1924-2021) discuss their backgrounds, and how they met and married. In a free-wheeling discussion, they touch on...

In his one-hour interview for the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College, “Weird Al” Yankovic talks about his early years, and his first break, getting his music played on the...