Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America

Who said of war, “When you get into trouble 5,000 miles from your home, you've got to have been looking for it”? Was it Bill Maher? Jon Stewart? Stephen Colbert? Nope, it was Will Rogers, whose good-humored pokes at politicians defined the 1920s and ‘30s and set the stage for today's more confrontational Real Time with Bill Maher, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report. An enlightening and exhilarating survey of American comedy, the six-part PBS-aired series Make ‘Em Laugh explores how comedy has defined the nation's character, spotlighting comedians through the generations who broke the mold, the rules, and, in some cases, their necks in order to make us bust a gut. Each episode turns the spotlight on a particular genre or style of comedy, such as “Would Ya Hit a Guy with Glasses? Nerds, Jerks and Oddballs,” “Honey, I'm Home! Breadwinners and Homemakers,” and “Sock It To Me? Satire and Parody.” Hosted by Billy Crystal and narrated by charmingly off-center Amy Sedaris, the series features the inevitable heinous snubs (among them Ernie Kovacs, David Letterman, and SCTV), but the roster of participants (over 90 comedians, writers, producers, agents, and historians) is staggering, and the clips aren't just retreads (viewers will see rare footage of Elaine May and Mike Nichols, as well as Tom Lehrer). The series is contemporary enough to include Judd Apatow, Larry David, The Simpsons, and Family Guy, along with the old masters (Chaplin, Keaton, Laurel & Hardy, the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, and The Three Stooges), and the so-called sick and cerebral comedians of the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s (Lenny Bruce, Shelley Berman, Richard Pryor, George Carlin), for whom “getting a laugh and getting at the truth were the same thing.” To its credit, Make ‘Em Laugh also pays respect to some faded or forgotten clowns, characters, and kidders, including Harold Lloyd, Mae West, Moms Mabley, Phil Silvers, and Alan Sherman. Cultural historians are on hand to explain what it all means, but it's more fun to hear the performers talk about their comedy heroes and inspirations. DVD extras include interviews with Roseanne Barr on sitcoms versus standup, James L. Brooks on The Simpsons, Carol Burnett on Lucille Ball, Joan Rivers on Bill Cosby, and Cheech Marin on Lenny Bruce. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (D. Liebenson)