Funny People

By: Steve Allen

Narrated by: Jack Benny, Milton Berle, George Burns, Jimmy Durante

Few people had a better perspective on comedy and comedians than the master of it all, Steve Allen. In Funny People, Allen conveys insightful and personal observations—by anecdote and example—of some of the 20th century' s greatest comic performers: Jack Benny, George Burns, Milton Berle, and Jimmy Durante. Laugh along with Steve as he offers witty and perceptive looks at comedy legends whose work has stood the test of time.

©1994 Steve Allen (P)1994 Phoenix Books, Inc.

Entertaining and informative

Loved it, but he jumped from comedian to comedian back and forth between them.
Good Purchase.

Just ok

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, I would not recommend this to a friend because it wasn't that entertaining

Would you be willing to try another book from Steve Allen? Why or why not?

I might.

What three words best describe the narrators’s performance?

Not a performance.

Was Funny People worth the listening time?

Yes, it was worth the listening time since I did not know the back story behind these entertainers. Some parts of it were interesting.

Very nice considering the length and price

Steve Allen is a warm and comfortable narrator and his personal relation to the subjects helps. The chapters talk more about the comedic styles of the men and why they entertain so well and not really about their lives which is fine.
Three of the four are nicely done but the George Burns chapter is very very sparse and mostly consists of a forgettable conversation between him and Jack Benny,

Golden Age Humor At It's Best

Steve Allen does a wonderful job of telling the back stories of such great talents of Jack Benny, Milton Berle, George Burns, and Jimmy Durante. These comics were before my time but they were from an era of my mother's youth. Growing up my mother shared her love of such talents via old movies and they then too became part of my childhood entertainment. It was nice to hear how these talented comics made it into the business and to have their styles defined by Mr. Allen. But the best part was actually listening to audio of these men either doing their routines or just chatting amongst themselves and telling old tales. This was a nice indulgence in nostalgia. This audible is right up there with the "Hi Bob!" by Bob Newhart audiobook; I loved that audio.

Can’t Miss With Steve Allen

Steve has a wonderful way of talking about anything. With comedians, he is right in his element.