Emerson Comedy Archives Adds Interviews with Burr, Cantone, Poundstone & Wood Jr.

Need a laugh? Well, look no farther than the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College. The Archives recently added new interviews with alumni comedians and actors Bill Burr ’92 and Mario Cantone ’82, as well as comedians Paula Poundstone, and Roy Wood Jr.

“It was such a thrill to go back to my alma mater and be interviewed by one of my favorite Emersonians and comedians, Eddie Brill!” said Burr of the experience. Burr and comedian Eddie Brill ’80 sat for the interview at Emerson’s Boston campus in 2024.

The interviews span the personal and professional backgrounds of the comedians, they also discuss the elements of great comedy, and the current comedic landscape.

The Archive also includes interviews with Steven Wright ’78, Billy Crystal, Bob Newhart, Phyllis Diller, Carl Reiner, Dick Gregory, Margaret Cho, Dick Van Dyke, and many other comedy greats.

The American Comedy Archives at Emerson College was founded in 2005 in partnership with alum Bill Dana ’50 with the purpose of collecting, preserving, and providing access to primary source materials that document the professional activities of groundbreaking writers, producers, and/or performers of comedy for radio, television, motion pictures, or live performance. The American Comedy Archives are supported in part by a generous donation from Mark and Elizabeth White.

Since the 2010s, the College additionally has a partnership with the Television Academy Foundation’s The Interviews: An Oral History of Television and the Center for Comedic Arts. The oral histories/interviews are accessible  online, along with all available transcripts. The interviewees include comedians Tracey Ullman, Carlos Mencia, Janis Paige, Betty White, and Weird Al Yankovic.

During the most recent interview productions, Emerson students participated directly behind the scenes operating cameras, editing, and recording sound. The Archive also serves as an educational resource for the College and beyond, and will be incorporated further into selected courses and curriculum at Emerson.