The National Comedy Center is an American museum dedicated to
comedy. The museum and its archives are located in
Lucille Ball’s hometown of
Jamestown, New York
Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamestown is the largest pop ...
. The museum documents the history of comedy and the artists, producers, writers, cartoonists, and other notable figures who have influenced its development in the US. It was designated as the United States' official cultural institution and museum dedicated to comedy by the
United States Congress on February 26, 2019.
The museum includes more than 50 immersive experiences through comedy history, from early vaudeville acts to viral memes. Visitors have a ‘humor profile’ created on entry and stored on an RFID wristband called a ‘Laugh Band’. Content is then presented according to individual tastes, from broad slapstick to edgy satire. Along with educational games and competitions, guests can also create their own comedic content with interactive activities like performing stand-up, recreating iconic funny faces, and creating their own comic strip.
The center opened in August 2018. The National Comedy Center began as the
Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Museum, which is now located a few blocks away.
Entertainment industry support
The entertainment industry supports the National Comedy Center with donations of materials related to famous persons in comedy. Individual donors include
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...
, the
Shelley Berman
Sheldon Leonard Berman (February 3, 1925 – September 1, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, and lecturer.
In his comedic career, he was awarded three gold records and he won the first Grammy Award for a spoken comedy reco ...
estate, the
Smothers Brothers, The
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), known professionally as Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy which ...
Memorial Foundation,
Carol Burnett,
Kelly Carlin
Kelly Marie Carlin (born June 15, 1963) is an American radio host, producer, screenwriter and actress.
Biography
Carlin was born on June 15, 1963 in Dayton, Ohio, the only child of comedian George Carlin and his first wife, Brenda Hosbrook. She b ...
and the
George Carlin estate, the
Andy Kaufman Memorial Trust, the
Harpo Marx Family, the
Harold Ramis Family,
Carl Reiner, the
Garry Shandling
Garry Emmanuel Shandling (November 29, 1949 – March 24, 2016) was an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer.
Shandling began his career writing for sitcoms, such as '' Sanford and Son'' and ''Welcome Back, Kotter''. He made ...
Estate,
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
, the
Betty White estate, and
Lily Tomlin. Entertainment companies have provided items from their archives, including
Desilu Too,
NBC Universal,
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
, and
Warner Brothers. Through a partnership with the Elkhorn Valley Museum in
Norfolk, Nebraska, the center shares management of the
Johnny Carson
John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...
archive.
Additionally, the center's advisory board includes members of the comedy industry, including
Carl Reiner (2018-2020),
Lewis Black,
Paula Poundstone
Paula Poundstone (born December 29, 1959) is an American stand-up comedian, author, actor, interviewer, and commentator. Beginning in the late 1980s, she performed a series of one-hour HBO comedy specials. She provided backstage commentary durin ...
,
W. Kamau Bell,
George Schlatter,
Laraine Newman
Laraine Newman (born March 2, 1952) is an American actress, writer and comedian. She was part of the original cast of NBC's ''Saturday Night Live''. She took an interest at improv in high school. After graduating, she studied mime with Marcel M ...
,
Jim Gaffigan,
Pete Docter
Peter Hans Docter (born October 9, 1968) is an American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer, voice actor, and chief creative officer of Pixar. He is best known for directing the Pixar animated feature films ''Monsters, Inc.'' (2001) ...
,
Kelly Carlin
Kelly Marie Carlin (born June 15, 1963) is an American radio host, producer, screenwriter and actress.
Biography
Carlin was born on June 15, 1963 in Dayton, Ohio, the only child of comedian George Carlin and his first wife, Brenda Hosbrook. She b ...
,
George Shapiro
George Shapiro (May 18, 1931 – May 26, 2022) was an American talent manager and television producer. He was among the most successful managers in show business in the United States, best known for representing Jerry Seinfeld, Carl Reiner and A ...
(succeeded by
Amy Poehler after Shapiro's death),
Rain Pryor,
Paul Feig, Kitty Bruce,
Robert Klein
Robert Klein (born February 8, 1942) is an American stand-up comedian, singer, and actor. He is known for his appearances on stage and screen. He has released four standup comedy specials: ''A Child of the 50s'' (1973), ''Mind Over Matter'' (197 ...
,
David Steinberg, Violet Ramis Stiel,
Mark Russell
Mark Russell (born August 23, 1932) is an American political satirist and comedian. He is best known for his series of semimonthly comedy specials on PBS television between 1975 and 2004. His routines were a mix of political stand-up humor cover ...
,
Alan Zweibel, Robin Zweibel,
Paul Provenza
Paul Provenza (born July 31, 1957) is a television presenter, actor, radio panelist, stand-up comedian, filmmaker, and skeptic based in Los Angeles. He has appeared on several podcasts and in recent years has interviewed other stand-up comedians. ...
, Joan Dangerfield,
Jeff Abraham Jeff Abraham is an American publicist, comedy historian and author. His book, '' The Show Won't Go On: The Most Shocking, Bizarre, and Historic Deaths of Performers Onstage'', was written with Burt Kearns, and published on September 3, 2019, by Chic ...
, and Stephen J. Morrison.
Recognition
In June 2019, the National Comedy Center was named one of the "100 Reasons to Love America" by People magazine.
In August 2019, the National Comedy Center was named one of the "World's Greatest Places" – one of "100 new and newly noteworthy destinations to experience right now" and one of only nine attractions to visit in the United States by TIME magazine.
In January 2019, the National Comedy Center was named by USA Today 10Best as a "Best New Attraction" in the country, ranking #2 out of 20 new attractions, and chosen as the #1 museum and #1 ticketed attraction.
In September 2018, ''Condé Nast Trav''e''ler'' called the National Comedy Center "One of the best museums in the country."
Comedy Education and Preservation
The National Comedy Center has collaborated with dozens of artists and estates to preserve materials that represent comedy's significant artistic, social, and political contributions to American culture including collections illustrating the careers of artists like
George Carlin,
Lucille Ball,
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), known professionally as Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy which ...
,
The Smothers Brothers and more.
Within the Comedy Center's museum galleries, more than 50 interactive exhibits and immersive experiences present the history of the art form from its origins to the present day – using archival documents, artifacts, and media as their core.
Its educational programming on the art form has featured
Tiffany Haddish,
George Lopez,
Margaret Cho,
Norman Lear
Norman Milton Lear (born July 27, 1922) is an American producer and screenwriter, who has produced, written, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear is known for many popular 1970s sitcoms, including the multi-award winning ''All in the Famil ...
,
Rain Pryor (daughter of
Richard Pryor),
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
,
Kenan Thompson,
Gabriel Iglesias,
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The Ton ...
,
Lin-Manuel Miranda,
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
, and many more. In April 2020, the center launched the "National Comedy Center Anywhere" online platform featuring content directly from its interactive comedy exhibits, including: exclusive interviews and online programs with comedians, directors, writers, producers, and creators on the comedic craft.
In March 2021, the museum's archives were renamed "The National Comedy Center’s
Carl Reiner Department of Archives and Preservation." It was simultaneously announced that this would be the official repository of
Carl Reiner's archives. Reiner was an early supporter of the center.
See also
*
Lucille Ball
*
Lucie Arnaz
References
External links
Official Web Site{{Jamestown New York Regional Attractions
American comedy
Jamestown, New York
Museums in Chautauqua County, New York
Buildings and structures in Chautauqua County, New York
Museums established in 2018
Private congressionally designated national museums of the United States