On why a joke is funny:
Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller talks about why a joke is funny. Interviewed June 8, 2005 in Los Angeles, CA.
Phyllis Diller (b. Phyllis Ada Diller July 17, 1917 in Lima, OH) is one of the foremost American comedians. She began her career in show business after many years as a homemaker and mother in her late 30s, when she began working in clubs as a stand-up. She has always used her personal life as fodder for her comedic material, which became a kind of stage family (such as husband "Fang"). She became known for her outlandish costumes and “fright wigs”, and a signature laugh. Following the huge success of an early booking at San Franscisco’s Purple Onion in 1955, she turned a 2-week engagement there into an over-80 week run. She later would appear on the Jack Paar Show and other popular television shows. She had her own television specials and “The Phyllis Diller” show in 1966. In addition to the accolades she has received for being one of the only female stand-ups performing in the 1950s, Diller has received many humanitarian awards, and is an accomplished concert pianist. Her autobiography: Like A Lampshade in a Whorehouse: My Life in Comedy, was published in early 2006.
