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On today’s episode of “Daily Variety” podcast, Journey Gunderson, executive director of the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, N.Y., explains why it’s important to have an institution devoted to the study of comedy. Jamestown, which is the hometown of Lucille Ball, will be abuzz with laughs as the center hosts the annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival Aug. 7-9, headlined by Jerry Seinfeld, Bert Kreischer and Seth Meyers.
Gunderson has been the driving force behind the nonprofit National Comedy Center for 15 years. She joined what was then the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum in Jamestown in 2011. In 2018, the organization’s footprint expanded to include the National Comedy Center, which is now home to the archives of comedy titans George Carlin, Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks.
The lure of working in Lucy’s hometown has been strong for A-list comedians for decades, as the comedy festival predated the launch of the center. But nowadays, when top stars parachute in for the festival, they’re able to tour the center and recognize that it is unique among museums and cultural institutions.
“I do think that sets us apart from any other city that an artist is touring and performing within. And the word has gotten out in the artist community that you have to make ample time to traverse the galleries of the National Comedy Center when you come and perform at the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival in Jamestown,” Gunderson says. “My favorite part of the job is touring the comedians themselves. When Jon Stewart toured the museum before headlining the festival last year, he just said, ‘No one’s ever done this for us before. No one has done this.’ I think it felt profound to him — the realization as he was walking through the museum that it wasn’t until 2018 that anybody opened a museum that tells the story of this art form.”
The festival draws visitors from around the country, many of whom travel distances to attend. The momentum that the event has generated in recent years has helped propel the center to new prominence. And that is reinforced by the fact that a living legend such as Brooks has committed his papers and memorabilia to the center.
“We knew there was a void of anybody taking responsibility for conservation and preservation in this way. Most people agree that comedy history is important, but also assume that important things somehow get saved automatically and they don’t. Preservation does not happen passively,” Gunderson says. “Someone has to decide to preserve something before it’s lost. And that is why we built the National Archive. There’s an urgency to this conservation work as well, so that it can be around for future generations to learn from.”
Brooks’ archive alone includes more than 150,000 documents and more than 5,000 photographs. Most important, it offers a window into how his comedy developed over time and how the world around him shaped his unique brand of yucks.
“From a very early age, Mel Brooks knew how to wield comedy to take back power. His ability to fearlessly satirize the atrocities of war and the horrors of humanity not only helped heal a post-World War II nation, it’s a playbook we want future generations to have. This is a method of processing. It’s a method of grieving. But it’s also a way of taking power back from a situation. And Mel Brooks could blend what some might consider lowbrow slapstick with highbrow satire like no other. And I’m glad he’s still doing it to this day.”
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