"Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America" (2009) TV series 2009-

Seasons:

1 | unknown

Release Date:

14 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Apostrophe In Title | Eight Word Title | Comedienne | Country Name In Title | Comedian

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Billy Crystal	...	Himself - Host (6 episodes, 2009)
Amy Sedaris	...	Herself - Narrator / ... (6 episodes, 2009)
Leonard Maltin	...	Himself - Film Critic / ... (5 episodes, 2009)
Robert Klein	...	Himself / ... (4 episodes, 2009)
George Carlin	...	Himself - Comedian / ... (4 episodes, 2009)
Larry Gelbart	...	Himself - Writer / ... (4 episodes, 2009)
Joan Rivers	...	Herself / ... (4 episodes, 2009)
Anne Beatts	...	Herself - Writer / ... (4 episodes, 2009)
Chris Rock	...	Himself / ... (4 episodes, 2009)
Larry Wilmore	...	Himself (4 episodes, 2009)
George Schlatter	...	Himself - Producer / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Judd Apatow	...	Director / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Michael McKean	...	Himself / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Joseph Adamson	...	Himself - Film Historian (3 episodes, 2009)
Jonathan Winters	...	Himself - Comedian / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Dick Gregory	...	Himself - Comedian / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Richard Lewis	...	Himself - Comedian / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Kaye Ballard	...	Herself / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Jason Alexander	...	Himself - Actor / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Conan O'Brien	...	Himself / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Carl Reiner	...	Himself / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Dick Smothers	...	Himself - Comedian / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Garry Marshall	...	Director / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Herself (3 episodes, 2009)
Richard Belzer	...	Actor / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Shelley Berman	...	Himself / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
David Steinberg	...	Director / ... (3 episodes, 2009)
Robert Thompson	...	Himself - Cultural Historian (3 episodes, 2009)
Dick Van Dyke	...	Himself (3 episodes, 2009)

Series Directed by
Michael Kantor		(6 episodes, 2009)

Series Writing credits
Michael Kantor		(6 episodes, 2009)
Laurence Maslon		(5 episodes, 2009)
Jon Macks		(3 episodes, 2009)

Series Produced by
Erika Frankel	....	co-producer (6 episodes, 2009)
Michael Kantor	....	producer (6 episodes, 2009)
Sally Rosenthal	....	producer (6 episodes, 2009)
John Beug	....	executive producer: Rhino Entertainment (5 episodes, 2009)
Tina Fletcher-Hill	....	executive producer: BBC (5 episodes, 2009)
David Horn	....	executive producer (5 episodes, 2009)
David M. Jackson	....	executive producer: BBC (5 episodes, 2009)
Ryan Minchin	....	executive producer: BBC (5 episodes, 2009)
Bill O'Donnell	....	supervising producer (5 episodes, 2009)
Julia Marchesi	....	consulting producer (3 episodes, 2009)

Series Original Music by
Stephen Ulrich		(2 episodes, 2009)

Series Cinematography by
Ulli Bonnekamp		(1 episode, 2009)

Series Film Editing by
Kris Liem		(2 episodes, 2009)
Jed Parker		(2 episodes, 2009)

Series Makeup Department
Janet Arena	....	hair stylist / makeup (1 episode, 2009)
Marissa De Leon	....	hair stylist / makeup (1 episode, 2009)
Stacy Halax	....	key makeup artist (1 episode, 2009)
Shannon Hughey	....	hair stylist / makeup (1 episode, 2009)
Cohl Katz	....	makeup artist (1 episode, 2009)
Lea Nettles	....	hair stylist / makeup (1 episode, 2009)
Michele O'Callaghan	....	hair stylist / makeup (1 episode, 2009)
Stacey Stempler	....	hair stylist / makeup (1 episode, 2009)
Brenda Todd	....	hair stylist / makeup (1 episode, 2009)
Sachi Worrall	....	hair stylist / makeup (1 episode, 2009)

Series Production Management
Jane Buckwalter	....	production manager (1 episode, 2009)
Jeff Dockendorff	....	post-production supervisor (1 episode, 2009)
Sean Riordan	....	post-production supervisor (1 episode, 2009)

Series Art Department
Charley Beal	....	set designer (1 episode, 2009)
Brian O'Connell	....	graphics (1 episode, 2009)
Rich O'Connor	....	graphics (1 episode, 2009)
Richard O'Connor	....	graphics (1 episode, 2009)
B.T. Whitehill	....	titles (1 episode, 2009)

Series Sound Department
James Jack	....	sound mixer / sound (6 episodes, 2009)
Doug Johnson	....	post-production sound (6 episodes, 2009)
Branka Mrkic	....	dialogue editor (6 episodes, 2009)
John Zecca	....	sound recordist (6 episodes, 2009)
Angela Organ	....	assistant sound editor (5 episodes, 2009)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Ned Hallick	....	lighting director / lighting technician (5 episodes, 2009)
John M. Roche	....	gaffer (5 episodes, 2009)
Craig Feldman	....	assistant camera / gaffer (2 episodes, 2009)

Series Casting Department
Jon Berman	....	voice casting (1 episode, 2009)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Scott Farley	....	wardrobe (1 episode, 2009)

Series Editorial Department
Paulo Padilha	....	assistant editor (6 episodes, 2009)

Series Music Department
Rosemary Fishel	....	music supervisor (1 episode, 2009)
Emily Lee	....	music services (1 episode, 2009)

Series Other crew
Arlen Appelbaum	....	legal & business affairs (6 episodes, 2009)
Jeff Abraham	....	advisor / consultant (5 episodes, 2009)
Anne Beatts	....	advisor / consultant (5 episodes, 2009)
Barry Dougherty	....	advisor / consultant (5 episodes, 2009)
Rachel Dratch	....	advisor / consultant (5 episodes, 2009)
Eddy Friedfeld	....	advisor / senior consultant (5 episodes, 2009)
Michael Frisch	....	advisor / consultant (5 episodes, 2009)
Barry Goldsmith	....	advisor / consultant (5 episodes, 2009)
Allan Neuwirth	....	advisor / consultant (5 episodes, 2009)
Mel Watkins	....	advisor / consultant (5 episodes, 2009)
Gerald Nachman	....	advisor (4 episodes, 2009)
Matthew Tischler	....	production coordinator (4 episodes, 2009)
Elisabeth Weis	....	consultant (3 episodes, 2009)
Max Wilk	....	consultant (3 episodes, 2009)

Series Thanks
Jeff Abraham	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Nancy Carlen	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Carol Cole	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
A. Stone Freedberg	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Steve Garrin	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Tanner Gibson	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Chris Jaehnig	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Don Joint	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Gary Kingston	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Matt Labov	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Peter Laird	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Edie Landau	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Roseanne Limoncelli	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
C. Bruce Parker	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Andrea Rosenthal	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Jennifer Rowe	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
David Steinberg	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Buddy Teich	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Larry Wilde	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)
Scott Wolfe	....	special thanks (1 episode, 2009)

Production Companies

• Ghost Light Films
• Thirteen / WNET (as Thirteen / WNET New York)
• Rhino Entertainment Company (in association with)
• BBC Cymru Wales (in association with)

Distributors

• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (2009) (USA) (TV)
• YLE Teema (2010) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)  funding
• National Endowment for the Arts, The  funding
• Starr Foundation  funding

Also Known As:

Runtime:

55 min (6 episodes)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White (archive footage)

Company:

Ghost Light Films

a much too serious documentary about comedy

I was grown and educated on Robert Youngson's compilation of 'Golden Age of Comedy' which by the end of the 50s was bringing back to audiences world-wide the great masters of the first decades of comedy in the cinema. The endless collection of gags made me and all audiences roll under the theater chairs with laughs and at the same time taught a lesson I never forgot about the great comedians of the screen - from Keaton and Chaplin to Laurel and Hardy.

The six part series from PBS could have done the same thing, It covers a much longer period, practically the whole 20th century and each part is dedicated to one specific genre - stand-up, family shows, physical comedy, wise-guys parody. The main problem is that the show while quite informative and well written is simply not enough fun. The first episode is especially boring, and if I had to watch it weekly rather than get all six episodes recorded I doubt that I would have shown up the next week at the same hour on the same station. Rather than talking heads we could have used more comedy. Making a too serious documentary about comedy is a capital sin.

(and come on - a the family comedy episode that does not mention 'Married with Children'?)