National Comedy Center

The National Comedy Center is an American archive and museum dedicated to comedy. The Museum and archive are located in Jamestown, New York, and documents the history of comedy and the artists, producers, writers, cartoonists, and other notable figures who have influenced its development in the US. It was designated the US National Comedy Center by the United States Congress on February 26, 2019, although The National Comedy Hall of Fame in Florida was designated as the first museum dedicated to comedy history in the United States, on July 25, 1991.[2]

National Comedy Center
Location of National Comedy Center New York State
National Comedy Center (the United States)
EstablishedAugust 1, 2018 (2018-08-01)
Location201 West 2nd Street
(West 2nd Street at Washington Street)
Jamestown, New York 14701
Coordinates42°5′44″N 79°14′19″W
Visitors66,000[1]
DirectorJourney Gunderson
Public transit accessVia (Jamestown station)
Chautauqua Area Regional Transit System
Coach USA
Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach
Websitecomedycenter.org

The Center opened in August 2018. National Comedy Center began as the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Museum, which is now located a few blocks away.[3]

Entertainment industry support

The entertainment industry supports the National Comedy Center with donations of materials related to famous persons in comedy. Individual donors include Dan Aykroyd, the Smothers Brothers,[4] The Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation, the Kelly Carlin and the George Carlin estate, the Harpo Marx Family, Carl Reiner, the Garry Shandling Estate, Jerry Seinfeld, and Lily Tomlin. Entertainment companies have donated items from their corporate archives, including Desilu Too, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Brothers.[5] Through a partnership with the Elkhorn Valley Museum in Norfolk, Nebraska, the center shares management of the Johnny Carson archive.[6]

Recognition

The National Comedy Center was named the “Best New Museum” in the country by USA Today as part of the 2020 USA Today's 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards.[7]

In June 2019, the National Comedy Center was named one of the 100 reasons to love America.[8]

In August 2019, the National Comedy Center was named one of the world's 100 best places by Time magazine.[9]

See also

References
  1. "National Comedy Center Releases Attendance Informaton". post-journal.com. Jamestown Post-Journal. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  2. Zremski, Jerry (February 26, 2019). "No joke: Jamestown's National Comedy Center wins national designation". The Buffalo News. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  3. "Lucy-Desi Museum". Comedy Center. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  4. "Smothers Brothers Donate Artifacts, Documents to National Comedy Center". Wnynewsnow.com. July 29, 2019.
  5. "In the News". comedycenter.org. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  6. National Comedy Center to lead preservation of Johnny Carson archives; open new multi-media exhibit in 2022. WGRZ. October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  7. "National Comedy Center named Best New Museum in 2020". USA Today Ten Best. USA Today. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  8. "National Comedy Center Named One of People Magazine's '100 Reasons to Love America'". comedycenter.org. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  9. "Worlds Greatest Places 2019". time.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
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