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The Improv
- An Oral History of the Comedy Club That Revolutionized Stand-Up
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
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Publisher's summary
In 1963, 30-year-old Friedman - who had recently quit his job as a Boston advertising executive and returned to his hometown of New York to become a theatrical producer - opened a coffee house for Broadway performers called the Improvisation. His goal? Simply to make a living, and if all went according to plan, to also make enough professional contacts to be able to mount his first Broadway show within a year's time.
Later shortened to the Improv, its first West 44th Street location in a seedy section of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen had previously been a Vietnamese restaurant. Initially attracting the likes of Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Albert Finney, Christopher Plummer, and Jason Robards, as well as a couple of then-unknowns named Dustin Hoffman and Bette Midler, Friedman's new venture was an instant hit. But while it drew near-capacity crowds almost from day one, it wasn't until comedians began dropping by to try out new material that the Improv truly hit its stride, not only becoming the first venue ever to present live stand-up in a continuous format, but in the process reinventing the art form and creating the template for all other comedy clubs that followed.
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Story
The New York Times best-selling biography of an American comedy legend. After three years of sobriety, Chris Farley's life was at its creative peak until a string of professional disappointments chased him back to drugs and alcohol. He fought hard against them, but it was a fight he would lose in December 1997. Farley's fans immediately drew parallels between his death and that of his idol, John Belushi. Without looking deeper, however, many failed to see that Farley was much more than just another Hollywood drug overdose. In this officially authorized oral history, Farley's friends and family remember his work and life.
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Incredibly sad....
- By Marie B on 04-12-15
By: Tom Farley, and others
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The Comedians
- Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy
- By: Kliph Nesteroff
- Narrated by: Kliph Nesteroff
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Comedians, comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff brings to life a century of American comedy with real-life characters, forgotten stars, mainstream heroes and counterculture iconoclasts. Based on over 200 original interviews and extensive archival research, Nesteroff's groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past 100 years.
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Performance issues
- By E. A. Smith on 09-02-19
By: Kliph Nesteroff
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Rat Pack Confidential
- Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter, Joey and the Last Great Show Biz Party
- By: Shawn Levy
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Frank Sinatra. Dean Martin. Sammy Davis, Jr. Peter Lawford. Joey Bishop. They call themselves The Clan. But to an awed world, they are known as The Rat Pack. They had it all. Fame. Gorgeous women. A fabulous playground of a city and all the money in the world. The backing of fearsome crime lords and the blessing of the President of the United States. But the dark side - over the thin line between pleasure and debauchery, between swinging self-confidence and brutal arrogance - took its toll. In four years, their great ride was over, and showbiz was never the same.
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If. You Are A Fan, Skip This Book
- By redheadmomx2 on 01-26-21
By: Shawn Levy
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George Carlin Reads to You
- An Audio Collection Including Grammy Winners 'Braindroppings' and 'Napalm & Silly Putty'
- By: George Carlin
- Narrated by: George Carlin
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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If one George Carlin audio is funny, then two are funnier and three must be funniest, right? That's our thinking behind this new collection. t's a HighBridge library of laugh-out-loud, award-winning recordings featuring George himself performing many of his best bits.
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Like a Cast of Thousands
- By Rick on 07-16-12
By: George Carlin
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Seinfeldia
- How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything
- By: Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Comedians Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld never thought anyone would watch their silly little sitcom about a New York comedian sitting around talking to his friends. NBC executives didn't think anyone would watch either, but they bought it anyway, hiding it away in the TV dead zone of summer. But against all odds, viewers began to watch, first a few and then many, until nine years later nearly 40 million Americans were tuning in weekly.
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This bad narration is making me thirsty...
- By Audio Gra Gra on 10-06-16
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Nora Ephron
- A Biography
- By: Kristin Marguerite Doidge
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
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Nora Ephron was one of the most popular, accomplished, and beloved writers in American journalism and film. Nora Ephron: A Biography is the first biography of the Manhattan-born girl who forged a path of her own, earning accolades and adoration from critics and fans alike. Author Kristin Marguerite Doidge explores the tremendous successes and disappointing failures Ephron sustained in her career and examines the private life she tried to keep in balance with her insatiable ambition.
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Informative & touching. You need to read it.
- By A consumer from your target market on 08-27-22
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The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improv Manual
- By: Upright Citizens Brigade
- Narrated by: Upright Citizens Brigade
- Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual is a comprehensive guide to the UCB style of long form comedy improvisation. Written by UCB founding members Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh, the manual covers everything from the basics of two person scene work (with a heavy emphasis on finding "the game" of the scene), to the complexities of working within an ensemble to perform long form structures, such as "The Harold" and "The Movie".
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Buy a Physical Copy Instead
- By Anonymous on 12-27-22
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Dangerously Funny
- The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'
- By: David Bianculli
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Decades before The Daily Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour proved there was a place on television for no-holds-barred political comedy with a decidedly antiauthoritarian point of view. In this explosive, revealing history of the show, veteran entertainment journalist David Bianculli tells the fascinating story of its three-year network run---and the cultural impact that's still being felt today.
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Poor narration
- By Jane on 01-20-11
By: David Bianculli
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How To FAIL at Stand-Up Comedy
- Avoiding the Pitfalls that Kill a Comic's Career
- By: Steve Sabo
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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PICK UP THIS BOOK BEFORE YOU PICK UP THE MICROPHONE Part instruction manual, part memoir and part cautionary tale, “How to FAIL at Stand-Up Comedy” is a hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking exploration of a 30 year career in stand-up. Sabo pulls no punches while revealing what it’s really like to live the life of a traveling comedian, warts and all. Sabo points out everything you can do wrong in this business with glaring detail and without judgment. Chock full of advice from industry insiders and experts in the field, “FAIL” takes you on the journey from open-miker to seasoned ...
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Great strategies - for life….
- By Troy H. on 05-19-24
By: Steve Sabo
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Improv Nation
- How We Made a Great American Art
- By: Sam Wasson
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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At the height of the McCarthy era, an experimental theater troupe set up shop in a bar near the University of Chicago. Via word-of-mouth, astonished crowds packed the ad-hoc venue to see its unscripted, interactive, consciousness-raising style. From this unlikely seed grew the Second City, the massively influential comedy theater troupe, and its offshoots - the Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade, SNL, and a slew of others. Sam Wasson charts the meteoric rise of improv in this richly reported, scene-driven narrative.
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Compulsively listenable historical overview
- By Keith on 03-26-18
By: Sam Wasson
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Comedy Book
- How Comedy Conquered Culture–and the Magic That Makes It Work
- By: Jesse David Fox
- Narrated by: Jesse David Fox
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Comedy is king. From multimillion-dollar TV specials to sold-out stand-up shows and TikTok stardom, comedy has never been more popular, democratized, or influential. Comedians have become organizing forces across culture—as trusted as politicians and as fawned-over as celebrities—yet comedy as an art form has gone under-considered throughout its history, even as it has ascended as a cultural force.
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Not funny
- By steve finkelstein on 06-02-24
By: Jesse David Fox
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Pictures at a Revolution
- Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood
- By: Mark Harris
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 17 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is the epic human drama behind the making of the five movies nominated for Best Picture in 1967 - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Graduate, In the Heat of the Night, Doctor Dolittle, and Bonnie and Clyde - and through them, the larger story of the cultural revolution that transformed Hollywood and America forever.
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Would It Be Too Much To Ask?
- By Casey Keller on 12-31-08
By: Mark Harris
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Live from New York
- The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests
- By: James Andrew Miller, Tom Shales
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine, Paul Woodson
- Length: 28 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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When first published to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, Live from New York was immediately proclaimed the best book ever produced on the landmark and legendary late-night show. In their own words, unfiltered and uncensored, a dazzling galaxy of trail-blazing talents recalled three turbulent decades of on-camera antics and off-camera escapades.
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The First Forty Years ... and Counting
- By Dubi on 10-21-18
By: James Andrew Miller, and others
What listeners say about The Improv
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-15-23
Fantastic work!
An illuminating insight into the history of one of the most influential institutions of American comedy. A must read for comedy fans
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- OBK
- 05-26-19
very informative
Good info. A good history of comedy of 60s, 70s, andd 80s. Budd Friedman was a maker of stars so good to hear his insights.
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- Errol Olson
- 04-19-18
Comedy Is Gritty, Not Pretty!
It was very interesting to hear the stories about all the Improv alumni over the years, from the early 70s through 2000s and about the life of a comic just starting out. I was surprised to hear that Budd Friedman didn’t pay his comics at first, even though they were the reason people went to the club and how Mitzi Shore (Pauly Shore’s mother who died eight days ago) mistreated her comedic talent, insisting that they work exclusively at her rival The Comedy Store and refused to pay them, although she was getting quite rich off them until they, led by David Letterman, Jay Leno and Tom Dreesen, picketed her establishment in 1979 and after six weeks, she relented and agreed to pay them the princely sum of $15 per set, basically meal and gas money so they weren’t literally “starving comics”.
So many comics that got their start doing stand-up at the Improv went on to be famous on TV shows and in movies that it was really interesting to hear about their early years making people laugh; practicing and honing their craft!
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- William
- 12-02-17
The Improv and Budd
Great story. Belongs on the shelf with the good history of stand up comedy books also a great story in its own right.
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- ReviewrRob
- 04-19-24
Strange format, OK story.
The Improv has obviously had a large impact on comedy and the book is gives a good look at the history of it. The format is a bit strange as the author who was also the founder of The Improv will discuss a particular performer which will then be followed by other people commenting on the performer or time period, but in doing so will be putting themselves or the author "over" so to speak. So while it does give a good insight into the development or history of this historical comedy club, it comes across a bit egocentric.
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- JenniferW
- 06-28-23
Shockingly tone deaf
As someone who has followed comedy over the last 50 years, and also the #MeToo moment, I have to say how offensive it is to me to now hear every female performer described in terms of her body and whether she is attractive or not. The author speaks of women in ways he doesn’t also see men. He doesn’t speak of the overweight unattractive men he worked with, nor does he describe them as “delicious”, as he does of one performer. I turned off the book because we had young adults in the car who are over it. Unfortunate that this history was more inappropriate in the retelling than the jokes themselves. Don’t tell me it was a different generation, a different time. Weak. Editors failed writing for todays audiences.
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