Photo Op
Create Content to Take Home
Exhibit
Act the Part - Green Screen Experience
Put yourself and your friends and family in classic TV shows and movies including the iconic I Love Lucy chocolate factory scene, and favorite scenes from Dumb and Dumber, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, plus classic pie fights, movie car crash scenes and more.
Create Content to Take Home
Joke to Go
Presented by Coda Management, “Dr. Dan” Casamento & Family
At the end of your visit, before entering the Comedy Shop, scan your wristband at the provided kiosks, and grab a joke to go! The next time you're in a social situation, and you want to be funny, you’ll have a joke ready to deliver. It’s our gift to you – break a leg!
Main Entrance
Be the Performer -Comedy Karaoke
PHOTO OPP
Seven Dirty Words -Blue Room Entrance
PHOTO OPP
Ernie Kovacs at 100
Ernie Kovacs ascended to notoriety as an affable comedic Renaissance man, and one of the most prolific content creators of the 1950s. The Ernie Kovacs Centennial Exhibit celebrates this singular talent and his enduring comedic legacy, 100 years after his birth.
Ernie Kovacs at 100
Ernie Kovacs ascended to notoriety as an affable comedic Renaissance man, and one of the most prolific content creators of the 1950s. The Ernie Kovacs Centennial Exhibit celebrates this singular talent and his enduring comedic legacy, 100 years after his birth.
The Tonight Show Curtain
PHOTO OPP
Take a photo in front of the signature rainbow curtain from Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. This curtain graced the stage in Studio 1 at NBC Studios in Burbank, CA from 1969 through 1987.
The George and Jolene Brand Schlatter Theater
Welcome to our state-of-the-art, immersive theater featuring 30 projection screens. Here we present Johnny Carson: The Immersive Experience with Hologram Host Jimmy Fallon, celebrating Carson’s extraordinary 30-year reign as host of The Tonight Show. Laugh-In & George Schlatter's Comedy Revolution showcases the landmark sketch comedy series, which launched powerful comedic voices like Lily Tomlin and influenced generations sketch shows including Saturday Night Live and In Living Color. Feel free to walk in and out of the theaterat any time.
Ham It Up!
Presented by Era Team VP Real Estate
Tap your LaughBand to begin the experience. Based on your Sense of Humor Profile, the wall will recommend comedians you may be familiar with. Try to match the expression of famous faces like Bill Hader, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Margaret Cho, Larry David, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Lewis Black, George Carlin, Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Wiig, Leslie Jones, and more! View your photo next to the original. Did you ham it up?
Create Content to Take Home
Sounds Funny
Become a “Foley” artist by adding your own sound effects to a Three Stooges clip or the iconic campfire scene from Blazing Saddles. Do you have what it takes to fill these scenes with sounds that get the biggest laughs?
Create Content to Take Home
You Are Here
Presented by Cozi TV
Welcome to the United States’ official cultural institution dedicated to presenting the vital story of comedy and preserving its heritage. Our exclusive collections, world-class exhibits, and cutting-edge technology showcase the time-honed creative processes that have elevated comedy to an art form. Here we share with you why we exist, and why comedy is fundamental to telling the story of the human experience. As Billy Crystal states, “Everyone else has a place. Why not us?”
PHOTO OPP
Act the Part - Green Screen Experience
Put yourself and your friends and family in classic TV shows and movies including the iconic I Love Lucy chocolate factory scene, and favorite scenes from Dumb and Dumber, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, plus classic pie fights, movie car crash scenes and more.
Create Content to Take Home
Presented by Holly & Peter Sullivan and the Snow Family
Presented by Holly & Peter Sullivan and the Snow Family
The Movie House
Presented by Holly & Peter Sullivan and the Snow Family
Explore the genre of comedic film by tapping your LaughBand and taking a seat inside The Movie House. The exhibit will compile customized content based on the audience’s Your Sense of Humor profile. Stay as long as you like and enjoy interviews, movie clips, and extended scenes from some of your favorite comedic films. Stick around! The content changes as new visitors join the room.
Lenny Bruce
Need description.
Cartoonist at Work
Presented by Lake Shore Savings
Featuring Marmaduke creator Brad Anderson's Studio.
Create a Cartoon
Presented by Hamister Family Foundation, LLC.
Try your hand at cartooning by following the instructions on the touchscreen monitor. Have fun creating your own characters and cartoon panels, which will be sent to you via email after your visit.
Create Content to Take Home
National Comedy Center Wall
PHOTO OPP
Art of the Roast
Need description.
Create Content to Take Home
Honors & Distinctions
Explore Comedy's Award Winners!
Cartoonist at Work
Presented by Lake Shore Savings
Featuring Marmaduke creator Brad Anderson's Studio.
Page to Stage
Presented by County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency
Comedy writers and performers, including Billy Crystal, Rob Reiner, Margaret Cho, Alan Zweibel, Pete Holmes and Bill Burr, take us through their writing processes as they conceive, develop and refine their stand-up comedy routines, television shows and movies.
Create a Cartoon
Presented by Hamister Family Foundation, LLC.
Try your hand at cartooning by following the instructions on the touchscreen monitor. Have fun creating your own characters and cartoon panels, which will be sent to you via email after your visit.
Create Content to Take Home
Jokes With a View
Presented by Hope's Windows
Take a moment to appreciate the view (and jokes) as you cross the sky bridge and onto more hilarious exhibits.
You Are Here
Presented by Cozi TV
PHOTO OPP
Take a photo in front of the You Are Here wall as you begin your interactive journey through comedy history.
Ham It Up!
Presented by Era Team VP Real Estate
Tap your LaughBand to begin the experience. Based on your Sense of Humor Profile, the wall will recommend comedians you may be familiar with. Try to match the expression of famous faces like Bill Hader, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Margaret Cho, Larry David, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Lewis Black, George Carlin, Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Wiig, Leslie Jones, and more!
Create Content to Take Home
Laugh Battle
Compete with friends and family to see who can make each other laugh. Microsoft AI facial recognition technology detects whether you smiled or laughed when a joke is delivered by your opponent. If you manage not to laugh, you’ll score the point.
Prop Stars
Explore how iconic comedy props – the anvil, the rubber chicken, “Groucho” glasses, whoopie cushion, the seltzer bottle, and many more – have been used throughout comedy history, as clips from classic films, TV shows and cartoons featuring those props are showcased.
Comedy with a Cause
Presented by Rotary Club of Jamestown
Need description.
Jokes With a View
Presented by Hope's Windows
Take a moment to appreciate the view (and jokes) as you cross the sky bridge and onto more hilarious exhibits.
Prank Bench
Presented by George and Jolene BrandSchlatter
PHOTO OPP
Create Your Sense of Humor Profile
Presented by Chautauqua Harbor Hotel
Let’s get started by setting up your Sense of Humor Profile on your LaughBand. Tell us about the comedy that you like most – your favorite artists, TV shows, movies and more. This will enable us to personalize your experience with comedy tailored to your taste -- as you engage with the exhibits. You’ll also be able to create your own content throughout the museum, which we’ll send to you via email after your visit.
The TV Room
Presented by Rick & Terry Turner
Scan your LaughBand and tune in for laughs at the TV Room, where you can watch clips from sitcoms that feature diverse styles of comedy and view commentary from the creative minds behind the characters.
Be the Performer - Comedy Karaoke
Presented by Southern Tier Brewing Company
It’s your turn to take the stage as you perform a classic comedy routine in front of your family and friends. Choose stand-up material from Jerry Seinfeld, Ali Wong, Jeff Foxworthy, Chris Rock, John Mulaney, Aziz Ansari and many more. If the spotlight is not your thing, cheer on your friends and family while enjoying a beverage in our Karaoke lounge.
PHOTO OPP
Sketch & Improv
Over the years, sketch and improv have evolved and intertwined, with comedians regularly moving between groups like Second City and The Groundlings and formats like television and live theater. The result? Iconic sketches and standout performances that have shaped the comedy landscape.
Make a Meme
Have fun as we show you how to create your own Meme and send it to you so you can share it with friends and family – maybe your Meme will be the next to go viral!
Create Content to Take Home
Carolines on Broadway
This new exhibit celebrates the 40-year legacy of the iconic Times Square comedy venue – one of the world’s most important venues for showcasing the art of stand-up comedy. It features iconic artifacts, including the stage backdrop bearing the world-renowned harlequin Carolines logo, showroom curtains and signage, entry doors and “barfly” stools.
Lyrical Laughter
Taking comedy beyond dialogue and marrying it with music introduced the art form of musical comedy. It became the hallmark of classic sketch shows like Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Saturday Night Live, featuring bits where characters would frequently and absurdly break into song. Parody artists like “Weird Al” Yankovic to The Looney Island perfectly mimicked musical groups to hilarious effect. To this day, satirists use music to share social and political commentary.
Carolines on Broadway
PHOTO OPP
My Sense of Humor
Presented by Chautauqua Harbor Hotel
At the end of your visit, tap your LaughBand band for your personalized Sense of Humor analysis. Your profile is honed and developed through everything you do between the lobby and this point. The software takes all the information the band has collected through your visit and determines what kinds of comedy you best. How insightful!
Comedy Continuum
Explore the connections and collaborations between artists on this state-of-the-art, 60-foot digital touch screen video wall. Learn the “six degrees of separation” between your favorite comedy stars and their greatest influences as you build webs that link comedic talent across genres and eras in comedy, and unlock their hidden connections
Sounds Funny
Become a “Foley” artist by adding your own sound effects to a Three Stooges clip or the iconic campfire scene from Blazing Saddles. Do you have what it takes to fill these scenes with sounds that get the biggest laughs?
Create Content to Take Home
George Carlin's Stuff
How did a comic genius like George Carlin craft his jokes? What insights and observations inspired his most famous routines? Fortunately for comedy fans, the answers like within the staggering amount of personal material that the comedian assembled over the course of his 50-year career. This exclusive glimpse into The George Carlin Collection has been designed to represent, as closely as possible, Carlin’s own extensive efforts to document his life and work.
The Comedy Shop
Shop for the best in comedy gifts and merchandise in our hub for all things funny at the National Comedy Center’s Comedy Shop.
Late Night Studio Camera and Control Booth
Presented by M&T Bank
Explore the sets of Late Night Television as a camera operator or cue-up monologues, signature bits, and guest interviews from the control booth. Walk through the history of the late-night daypart that has provided the next day’s conversation topics for over 60 years.
Laugh-In Wall
PHOTO OPP
Dangerous Words
Presented by Steve St. Georgeand Family
Need description.
Stand-Up Lounge
Presented by M&T Bank
Grab a table at the Stand-Up Lounge and tap your LaughBand to see your choice of performances. The exhibit will “read the room” and select a stand-up routine that best complements the audience’s preferences. No hecklers, please!
Entrance to Continuum and Prop Stars
PHOTO OPP
The Writer's Desk
Sit down at the Writer’s Desk and use hand gestures to flip through film and television scripts, many with handwritten annotations, to see how scenes often change from what was originally on the page to what is actually filmed. Perhaps a scene is falling flat on shoot day and has to be fixed — in the moment – to make it work, with the creative input of the writers, director, producer and/or the actors.
Carl Reiner: Keep Laughing
With a multi-faceted career spanning television, film, stage, record albums, books, and even social media, Carl Reiner, who passed away in June of 2020, was a twelve-time Emmy® award-winner, a Grammy® award-winner and a recipient of The Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. This new exhibit showcases hundreds of never-before-seen archival materials spanning Reiner’s remarkable seven decades as a writer, director, producer, author, and performer.
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Transcript
Photo Op
Create Content to Take Home
Exhibit
Act the Part - Green Screen Experience
Put yourself and your friends and family in classic TV shows and movies including the iconic I Love Lucy chocolate factory scene, and favorite scenes from Dumb and Dumber, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, plus classic pie fights, movie car crash scenes and more.
Create Content to Take Home
Joke to Go
Presented by Coda Management, “Dr. Dan” Casamento & Family
At the end of your visit, before entering the Comedy Shop, scan your wristband at the provided kiosks, and grab a joke to go! The next time you're in a social situation, and you want to be funny, you’ll have a joke ready to deliver. It’s our gift to you – break a leg!
Main Entrance
Be the Performer -Comedy Karaoke
PHOTO OPP
Seven Dirty Words -Blue Room Entrance
PHOTO OPP
Ernie Kovacs at 100
Ernie Kovacs ascended to notoriety as an affable comedic Renaissance man, and one of the most prolific content creators of the 1950s. The Ernie Kovacs Centennial Exhibit celebrates this singular talent and his enduring comedic legacy, 100 years after his birth.
Ernie Kovacs at 100
Ernie Kovacs ascended to notoriety as an affable comedic Renaissance man, and one of the most prolific content creators of the 1950s. The Ernie Kovacs Centennial Exhibit celebrates this singular talent and his enduring comedic legacy, 100 years after his birth.
The Tonight Show Curtain
PHOTO OPP
Take a photo in front of the signature rainbow curtain from Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. This curtain graced the stage in Studio 1 at NBC Studios in Burbank, CA from 1969 through 1987.
The George and Jolene Brand Schlatter Theater
Welcome to our state-of-the-art, immersive theater featuring 30 projection screens. Here we present Johnny Carson: The Immersive Experience with Hologram Host Jimmy Fallon, celebrating Carson’s extraordinary 30-year reign as host of The Tonight Show. Laugh-In & George Schlatter's Comedy Revolution showcases the landmark sketch comedy series, which launched powerful comedic voices like Lily Tomlin and influenced generations sketch shows including Saturday Night Live and In Living Color. Feel free to walk in and out of the theaterat any time.
Ham It Up!
Presented by Era Team VP Real Estate
Tap your LaughBand to begin the experience. Based on your Sense of Humor Profile, the wall will recommend comedians you may be familiar with. Try to match the expression of famous faces like Bill Hader, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Margaret Cho, Larry David, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Lewis Black, George Carlin, Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Wiig, Leslie Jones, and more! View your photo next to the original. Did you ham it up?
Create Content to Take Home
Sounds Funny
Become a “Foley” artist by adding your own sound effects to a Three Stooges clip or the iconic campfire scene from Blazing Saddles. Do you have what it takes to fill these scenes with sounds that get the biggest laughs?
Create Content to Take Home
You Are Here
Presented by Cozi TV
Welcome to the United States’ official cultural institution dedicated to presenting the vital story of comedy and preserving its heritage. Our exclusive collections, world-class exhibits, and cutting-edge technology showcase the time-honed creative processes that have elevated comedy to an art form. Here we share with you why we exist, and why comedy is fundamental to telling the story of the human experience. As Billy Crystal states, “Everyone else has a place. Why not us?”
PHOTO OPP
Act the Part - Green Screen Experience
Put yourself and your friends and family in classic TV shows and movies including the iconic I Love Lucy chocolate factory scene, and favorite scenes from Dumb and Dumber, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, plus classic pie fights, movie car crash scenes and more.
Create Content to Take Home
Presented by Holly & Peter Sullivan and the Snow Family
Presented by Holly & Peter Sullivan and the Snow Family
The Movie House
Presented by Holly & Peter Sullivan and the Snow Family
Explore the genre of comedic film by tapping your LaughBand and taking a seat inside The Movie House. The exhibit will compile customized content based on the audience’s Your Sense of Humor profile. Stay as long as you like and enjoy interviews, movie clips, and extended scenes from some of your favorite comedic films. Stick around! The content changes as new visitors join the room.
Lenny Bruce
Need description.
Cartoonist at Work
Presented by Lake Shore Savings
Featuring Marmaduke creator Brad Anderson's Studio.
Create a Cartoon
Presented by Hamister Family Foundation, LLC.
Try your hand at cartooning by following the instructions on the touchscreen monitor. Have fun creating your own characters and cartoon panels, which will be sent to you via email after your visit.
Create Content to Take Home
National Comedy Center Wall
PHOTO OPP
Art of the Roast
Need description.
Create Content to Take Home
Honors & Distinctions
Explore Comedy's Award Winners!
Cartoonist at Work
Presented by Lake Shore Savings
Featuring Marmaduke creator Brad Anderson's Studio.
Page to Stage
Presented by County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency
Comedy writers and performers, including Billy Crystal, Rob Reiner, Margaret Cho, Alan Zweibel, Pete Holmes and Bill Burr, take us through their writing processes as they conceive, develop and refine their stand-up comedy routines, television shows and movies.
Create a Cartoon
Presented by Hamister Family Foundation, LLC.
Try your hand at cartooning by following the instructions on the touchscreen monitor. Have fun creating your own characters and cartoon panels, which will be sent to you via email after your visit.
Create Content to Take Home
Jokes With a View
Presented by Hope's Windows
Take a moment to appreciate the view (and jokes) as you cross the sky bridge and onto more hilarious exhibits.
You Are Here
Presented by Cozi TV
PHOTO OPP
Take a photo in front of the You Are Here wall as you begin your interactive journey through comedy history.
Ham It Up!
Presented by Era Team VP Real Estate
Tap your LaughBand to begin the experience. Based on your Sense of Humor Profile, the wall will recommend comedians you may be familiar with. Try to match the expression of famous faces like Bill Hader, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Margaret Cho, Larry David, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Lewis Black, George Carlin, Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Wiig, Leslie Jones, and more!
Create Content to Take Home
Laugh Battle
Compete with friends and family to see who can make each other laugh. Microsoft AI facial recognition technology detects whether you smiled or laughed when a joke is delivered by your opponent. If you manage not to laugh, you’ll score the point.
Prop Stars
Explore how iconic comedy props – the anvil, the rubber chicken, “Groucho” glasses, whoopie cushion, the seltzer bottle, and many more – have been used throughout comedy history, as clips from classic films, TV shows and cartoons featuring those props are showcased.
Comedy with a Cause
Presented by Rotary Club of Jamestown
Need description.
Jokes With a View
Presented by Hope's Windows
Take a moment to appreciate the view (and jokes) as you cross the sky bridge and onto more hilarious exhibits.
Prank Bench
Presented by George and Jolene BrandSchlatter
PHOTO OPP
Create Your Sense of Humor Profile
Presented by Chautauqua Harbor Hotel
Let’s get started by setting up your Sense of Humor Profile on your LaughBand. Tell us about the comedy that you like most – your favorite artists, TV shows, movies and more. This will enable us to personalize your experience with comedy tailored to your taste -- as you engage with the exhibits. You’ll also be able to create your own content throughout the museum, which we’ll send to you via email after your visit.
The TV Room
Presented by Rick & Terry Turner
Scan your LaughBand and tune in for laughs at the TV Room, where you can watch clips from sitcoms that feature diverse styles of comedy and view commentary from the creative minds behind the characters.
Be the Performer - Comedy Karaoke
Presented by Southern Tier Brewing Company
It’s your turn to take the stage as you perform a classic comedy routine in front of your family and friends. Choose stand-up material from Jerry Seinfeld, Ali Wong, Jeff Foxworthy, Chris Rock, John Mulaney, Aziz Ansari and many more. If the spotlight is not your thing, cheer on your friends and family while enjoying a beverage in our Karaoke lounge.
PHOTO OPP
Sketch & Improv
Over the years, sketch and improv have evolved and intertwined, with comedians regularly moving between groups like Second City and The Groundlings and formats like television and live theater. The result? Iconic sketches and standout performances that have shaped the comedy landscape.
Make a Meme
Have fun as we show you how to create your own Meme and send it to you so you can share it with friends and family – maybe your Meme will be the next to go viral!
Create Content to Take Home
Carolines on Broadway
This new exhibit celebrates the 40-year legacy of the iconic Times Square comedy venue – one of the world’s most important venues for showcasing the art of stand-up comedy. It features iconic artifacts, including the stage backdrop bearing the world-renowned harlequin Carolines logo, showroom curtains and signage, entry doors and “barfly” stools.
Lyrical Laughter
Taking comedy beyond dialogue and marrying it with music introduced the art form of musical comedy. It became the hallmark of classic sketch shows like Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Saturday Night Live, featuring bits where characters would frequently and absurdly break into song. Parody artists like “Weird Al” Yankovic to The Looney Island perfectly mimicked musical groups to hilarious effect. To this day, satirists use music to share social and political commentary.
Carolines on Broadway
PHOTO OPP
My Sense of Humor
Presented by Chautauqua Harbor Hotel
At the end of your visit, tap your LaughBand band for your personalized Sense of Humor analysis. Your profile is honed and developed through everything you do between the lobby and this point. The software takes all the information the band has collected through your visit and determines what kinds of comedy you best. How insightful!
Comedy Continuum
Explore the connections and collaborations between artists on this state-of-the-art, 60-foot digital touch screen video wall. Learn the “six degrees of separation” between your favorite comedy stars and their greatest influences as you build webs that link comedic talent across genres and eras in comedy, and unlock their hidden connections
Sounds Funny
Become a “Foley” artist by adding your own sound effects to a Three Stooges clip or the iconic campfire scene from Blazing Saddles. Do you have what it takes to fill these scenes with sounds that get the biggest laughs?
Create Content to Take Home
George Carlin's Stuff
How did a comic genius like George Carlin craft his jokes? What insights and observations inspired his most famous routines? Fortunately for comedy fans, the answers like within the staggering amount of personal material that the comedian assembled over the course of his 50-year career. This exclusive glimpse into The George Carlin Collection has been designed to represent, as closely as possible, Carlin’s own extensive efforts to document his life and work.
The Comedy Shop
Shop for the best in comedy gifts and merchandise in our hub for all things funny at the National Comedy Center’s Comedy Shop.
Late Night Studio Camera and Control Booth
Presented by M&T Bank
Explore the sets of Late Night Television as a camera operator or cue-up monologues, signature bits, and guest interviews from the control booth. Walk through the history of the late-night daypart that has provided the next day’s conversation topics for over 60 years.
Laugh-In Wall
PHOTO OPP
Dangerous Words
Presented by Steve St. Georgeand Family
Need description.
Stand-Up Lounge
Presented by M&T Bank
Grab a table at the Stand-Up Lounge and tap your LaughBand to see your choice of performances. The exhibit will “read the room” and select a stand-up routine that best complements the audience’s preferences. No hecklers, please!
Entrance to Continuum and Prop Stars
PHOTO OPP
The Writer's Desk
Sit down at the Writer’s Desk and use hand gestures to flip through film and television scripts, many with handwritten annotations, to see how scenes often change from what was originally on the page to what is actually filmed. Perhaps a scene is falling flat on shoot day and has to be fixed — in the moment – to make it work, with the creative input of the writers, director, producer and/or the actors.
Carl Reiner: Keep Laughing
With a multi-faceted career spanning television, film, stage, record albums, books, and even social media, Carl Reiner, who passed away in June of 2020, was a twelve-time Emmy® award-winner, a Grammy® award-winner and a recipient of The Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. This new exhibit showcases hundreds of never-before-seen archival materials spanning Reiner’s remarkable seven decades as a writer, director, producer, author, and performer.