American Comedy Archives

The American Comedy Archives was established at Emerson College in 2005 to acquire, preserve and make available primary source material that documents the professional activities of the ground breaking individuals who have written, produced or performed comedy for radio, television, motion pictures or live performance.

The collection includes manuscripts, photographs, video and film materials, and an oral history collection. It is the first collection of its kind at an academic institution devoted to exploring the nature of comedy as an American art form and reflects the College's view that examining the history, sociology, and culture of comedy represents an important and underrepresented field of study.

The project is the brainchild of Bill Dana, a 1950 Emerson graduate with a distinguished career in comedy as a performer, writer and producer. Dana and Project Manager Jenni Matz have arranged interviews with a veritable “who’s who” of comedic history.

To date, over sixty interviews have been conducted with such luminaries as Phyllis Diller , Dick Gregory, Don Knotts, Norman Lear, Bob Newhart, Tom Poston, Paul Rodriguez, Dick Van Dyke, Betty White, and Jonathan Winters. You can read Excerpts from the Interviews, and View the full list of interviewees on this website, or arrange a visit to the Archives. We are currently in the process of enhancing access to the archives.

Initial funding for the Archives has been provided by Emerson College. To enable the project to continue, the College is now seeking additional funding from alumni and friends of the College, foundations and interested members of the public to make this collection more accessible.

If you are interested in making a tax-deductible donation to the American Comedy Archives, please contact us.