The Death and Life of Truman Capote“My life is so strange — it’s not like anybody else’s,” Capote said. And it wasn’t — his friendships and feuds were more intense, his talent greater.
Tom Wolfe’s Worldview Came Into Focus In New YorkThe new documentary “Radical Wolfe” captures a singular writer whose story is bound up with our own—as you can read in his freshly-digitized archive.
Dave Foley Gets Into the Holiday Special SpiritHoliday specials, for the most part, are a family affair. In general, they are (at best) sweet adventures or (at worst) cloying cash-grabs. […]
ByRamsey Ess
from the archives
How the Late-Night Monologue Got TopicalA short history featuring Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert.
‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’s Local TV OriginsGuys, there’s so much TV now. There are a million channels, with new ones launching constantly, and then tons of streaming platforms, with new […]
Looking Back at Bruce McCulloch’s ‘Carpoolers’
Bruce McCulloch has always done things differently, whether it was with The Kids in the Hall, or his comedy albums, or his book or his TV […]
25 Years Later: Was ‘Herman’s Head’ Any Good?
Before 1989 there were three big television networks and none of them were Fox. Then came The Simpsons and by gum, that put them on the map. […]
Fred Allen, King of Radio, Takes on TelevisionIf you’ve never heard of Fred Allen, “cranky” might be a good introductory word. From 1933-1949 he was one of the comedian kings of radio, but […]
ByRamsey Ess
Looking Back at Chris Rock the Talk Show Host
The Paley Center for Media, which has locations in both New York and LA, dedicates itself to the preservation of television and radio […]
ByRamsey Ess
When Bob and Ray Stormed Carnegie Hall
Sadly, this week we lost a legend of comedy with the passing of Bob Elliott at the age of 92. Bob had a long career in comedy, beginning in […]