The Improv
An Oral History of the Comedy Club that Revolutionized Stand-Up
by Budd Friedman
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Pub Date Sep 19 2017 | Archive Date Oct 11 2017
Description
Featured in the New York Times 2017 "Holiday Gift Guide for Hardcover Fans"
Get an insider's oral history of the World's most iconic comedy club, featuring exclusive interviews with today's most hilarious stars recalling their time on stage (and off) at the Improv.
In 1963, 30-year-old Budd Friedman—who had recently quit his job as a Boston advertising executive and returned to New York to become a theatrical producer—opened a coffee house for Broadway performers called the Improvisation. Later shortened to the Improv, its first seedy West 44th Street location initially attracted the likes of Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Albert Finney, and Jason Robards, as well as a couple of then-unknowns named Dustin Hoffman and Bette Midler.
While it drew near-capacity crowds almost from day one, it wasn’t until comedians began dropping by to try out new material that the Improv truly hit its stride. The club became the first venue to present live stand-up in a continuous format, and in the process reinvented the art form and created the template for all other comedy clubs that followed.
From the microphone to the iconic brick wall, the Improv has been the launching pad for practically every major name in American comedy over the last five-plus decades. Now, in The Improv, Friedman, along with a Who’s Who of his most famous alumni—including Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Jimmy Fallon, Larry David, Billy Crystal, Lily Tomlin, Judd Apatow, Al Franken, Paul Reiser, Howie Mandel, Bob Saget, Drew Carey, and many more—tell it like it was in the first-ever oral history of how this game-changing comedy club came to be.
The Improv gives readers an exclusive look at what really happened onstage and off-mic at one of America’s most venerable institutions.
Advance Praise
“Tripp Whetsell deserves a shiny medal for this bright and greatly entertaining book about a now legendary time and place in the world of stand-up comedy. The colorful Budd Friedman's club—The Improv—played a vital part in my early stand-up days as it did in the careers of thedazzling array of stars, eccentrics, and colorful characters whose stories adorn this book. Get at least one copy, in case you lose one.” —Dick Cavett
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781942952435 |
| PRICE | $26.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 400 |
Featured Reviews
Stephen G, Reviewer
Wonderful book about stand-up comedy
While the book is specifically about The Improv and Budd Friedman, it really is much broader than that. It is a history of stand-up comedy from the 1970’s onwards. And while author Budd Friedman might have been self-congratulatory, he included lots of quotes from a WHO's Who of stand-up comedy and not all of these were flattering. This book is an insider's look at stand-up, the good and the bad. Overall this is an amazing book and I strongly recommend it for fans of stand-up comedy.
Jeffrey W, Reviewer
The Improv An Oral History of the Comedy Club that Revolutionized Stand-Up by Budd Friedman and Tripp Whetsell was received direct from the publisher. Who hasn't at least heard of the Improv, the comedy club? Some of us had been to one or even been to them at different locations. This book, by the founder of the club, gives the stand up comedy lover and Broadway shows lover the true behind the scenes story of the iconic original Improv. While touted as a autobiography, it is more short snippets of famous people who went there before it or they were famous. If you like stand up comedy, grab this book up.
5 stars
Lynn S, Bookseller
Fun to read about all my fav comedians who started at the Improv. My kind of history.
Stephanie D, Educator
I really enjoyed this history of The Improv, the institution that was instrumental in bringing stand-up comedy to the front of pop culture. Budd Friedman, the owner and founder of The Improv, is the narrator, but he splices in sound bytes from dozens of comedians who became household names.
If you enjoy the inner workings of the stand-up circuit, you'll love this collection of stories. Some chapters are focused on the rise of the club and Budd's struggles/recollections, and others are focused on specific comics, like Jay Leno and Andy Kaufman.
The book rides this great high until the very end, which left me a little disappointed. Budd mentioned bringing a lawsuit against an unnamed comedian, and it didn't seem to fit with the celebration of the rest of the book. The rest of the book is so candid - so much so that Budd has included some less-than-flattering comments about him from comics - and bringing up this bad blood and then not naming the other party seemed unresolved. The rest of the book paints the struggles of The Improv while also celebrating the successes.
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