Make 'em Laugh

The success of Steve Allen's "How To Be Funny" led first to the republication of that book, and now occasioned a companion volume, "Make 'Em Laugh". This new how-to book about the art of comedy includes an even richer assortment of examples of the author's unique humour. In "Make 'Em Laugh", Allen laces his formal instruction with hilarious ad-libs, written jokes, TV comedy sketches, satires, song parodies, humorous essays, amusing autobiographical reminiscences, one-act plays, witty speeches, and stand-up monologues from his comedy concerts. Noel Coward called Steve Allen the most talented man in America, and he is probably the most borrowed-from comedian of all time. The perceptive reader will recognise many of the comic ideas that Allen originated during the 'Golden Age' of television comedy - ideas that are still influential in the 1990's.