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Everyone knows that Bert Kreischer, Jerry Seinfeld and Seth Meyers are headlining this year's Lucille Ball Comedy Festival.
What hasn't received as much attention is a full schedule of comedy taking place over the course of four days in downtown Jamestown that includes the annual Stand-Up Showcase, Comedy Late Night shows, festival-exclusive National Comedy Center programs and archive experiences, Lucille Ball fan experiences, and entertainment throughout the city.
“For 35 years, the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival has brought people together through laughter while honoring Lucille Ball’s extraordinary legacy in her hometown,” said Journey Gunderson, National Comedy Center Executive Director. “This milestone year celebrates not only comedy’s history, but the incredible community that has made Jamestown a destination for comedy fans from across the country. We look forward to welcoming visitors for an unforgettable weekend of live comedy, discovery and celebration.”
For times and prices, visit https://tinyurl.com/54yzn78s. Here are five things you may not know are taking place beyond the headliners at this year's festival, in no particular order.
GRAB A COPY OF 'FUNNY STUFF: HOW COMEDY SHAPED AMERICAN HISTORY."
‘Funny Stuff: How Comedy Shaped American History.” The book is a collaboration between the National Comedy Center and the Smithsonian Institute edited by Laura Laplaca, founding director of the National Comedy Center's archive, and Ryan Lintelman, curator of entertainment at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
The book takes readers behind the scenes to uncover the stories behind American heirlooms like Groucho Marx's tailcoat, George Carlin's joke files, Carol Burnett's "Went with the Wind" dress, Johnny Carson's monologues, and the very first Saturday Night Live script, alongside materials from cultural touchstones like The Simpsons, The Muppet Show, In Living Color, All In the Family, and I Love Lucy. With a foreword by comedy legend Mel Brooks, this dynamic work offers pop culture aficionados, history lovers, and comedy nerds alike a new perspective on America's past and who we are as a nation through our comedy.
"Gunderson quote on phone,"
LIVE IT UP WITH LEIFER
Casual comedy fans may not recognize Carol Leifer's name, but you probably recognize her work.
In addition to a career as a stand-up comedienne, Leifer is an Emmy Award-winning script writer for her work on The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld and the 82nd and 84th Academy Awards. She performed stand-up comedy on Late Night with David Letterman 25 times while also appearing The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Dr. Katz, Politically Incorrect, Hollywood Squares, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno while also appearing as the opening act for Jerry Seinfeld and Frank Sinatra.
Leifer has written for Saturday Night Live, Alright Already (a 1997 WB sitcom on which she also starred), The Ellen Show and Seinfeld, where she wrote notable episodes like “The Lip Reader,” “The Hamptons,”, “The Secretary,” “The Beard,” “The Understudy,” and “The Rye.”
“A Conversation With Carol Leifer” takes place at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, in the Comedy Karaoke Lounge at the National Comedy Center.
FRIDAY LAUGHS
Friday night brings four stand-up comics to stages throughout the city: Gina Brillon, an America’s Got Talent finalist seen on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Seth Meyers and The View; Ian Lara, who has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, HBO Max and Comedy Central; Peter Revello, who recently made his network television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; and Nick Thune, a 10-time guest on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon guest who has also filmed Netflix and Amazon comedy specials; and Emmy Blotnick, who is also part of the In Conversation with Carol Leifer event and has been a writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and FX’s English Teacher.
Lara and Rovello also appear in Comedy Late Night shows during the festival.
FUNNY THINGS HAPPEN IN LATE NIGHT
Night owls can find comedy in the late evenings Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Performing Thursday are Katie Hannigan, a stand-up comedian featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert; Clayton English, winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing and an actor in Marvel’s Hawkeye; and Sterling Scott, a Canada’s Got Talent finalist and winner of the San Francisco International Comedy Competition.
On Friday, the late night schedule includes Tina Friml, who has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and named one of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch; Kenice Mobley, who has performed at the Netflix Is a Joke Festival and Edinburgh Fringe; and Drew Dunn, who has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and selected as a Just for Laughs New Face.
Saturday's performers include Jenny Zigrino, who has been featured on Conan, After Midnight and the Netflix Is a Joke Festival; Alex English, winner of NBC’s Bring the Funny; Jared Goldstein, a Just for Laughs “New Face” who has appeared on Comedy Central, Hulu and Modern Family; Brittany Schmitt, who has been featured on Comedy Central, Hulu and YouTube.
LOVE SOME LUCY, TOO
We are celebrating Lucille Ball’s birthday, after all. It’s worth checking out the Lucy-Desi Museum as well as a Lucy Town Tour that takes place throughout the weekend while there are also several special events over the weekend that include:
– Thursday: I Love Lucy at 75 Special Pilot Episode Screening in the Schlatter Theater at the National Comedy Center at 11 a.m.
– Friday: Archives Encounter featuring the 70th anniversary of Forever, Darling, the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz film that was premiered in Jamestown. The event is at 10:30 a.m. in the Lucy-Desi Museum.
A Lucy-Desi Super-Fan Trivia contest is scheduled at 2 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel in Jamestown, which will also host a RICKY Ricardo themed Bingo game at 5 p.m. The National Comedy Center will also host a free screening of I Love Lucy episodes on the center’s outdoor video boards at 8 p.m. There is no charge for the Lucy Under The Stars screening.
– Saturday: I Love Lucy Trivia: 101 is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Doubletree Hotel.
The I Love Lucy Legacy will be presented at 1 p.m. in the Comedy Center Lounge in the National Comedy Center with an Archives Encounter featuring the 75th anniversary of I Love Lucy scheduled at 1:30 p.m. at the comedy center.