Research Catalog

Title

Something wonderful right away : the birth of Second City : America's greatest comedy theater / Jeffrey Sweet ; foreword by Mick Napier.

Author

Sweet, Jeffrey, 1950-

Publication

• New York : Allworth Press, [2023]
• ©2023

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Napier, Mick
• Spolin, Viola
• Shepherd, David, 1924-2018
• Sills, Paul, 1927-2008
• Bowen, Roger
• Duncan, Andrew, 1927-
• Harris, Barbara, 1935-2018
• Nichols, Mike
• Darden, Severn, 1929-1995
• Gordon, Mark, 1926-2010
• Gordon, Bobbi
• Berman, Shelley
• Close, Del, 1934-1999
• Flicker, Theodore J., 1930-2014
• Meara, Anne
• Stiller, Jerry
• Sahlins, Bernard
• Troobnick, Eugene, 1926-2003
• Kolb, Mina
• Sand, Paul, 1935-
• Arkin, Alan
• Patinkin, Sheldon
• Mazursky, Paul
• Holland, Anthony
• Alton, Bill
• Myerson, Alan
• Rivers, Joan
• Schreiber, Avery
• Harper, Valerie, 1939-2019
• Schaal, Richard, 1928-2014
• Alda, Alan, 1936-
• Steinberg, David, 1942 August 9-
• Klein, Robert, 1942-
• Barry, J. J., -1990
• Radner, Gilda
• Key, Keegan-Michael, 1971-

Description

xl, 398 pages; 23 cm

Summary

"In the late fifties and sixties, iconoclastic young rebels in Chicago opened two tiny theaters--The Compass and The Second City--where they satirized politics, religion, and sex. Building scenes by improvising based on audience suggestions turned out to be a fine way to develop great actors, directors, and writers. Alumni went on to create such groundbreaking works as The Graduate, Groundhog Day, and Don't Look Up. Many of them also became stars on Saturday Night Live. Something Wonderful Right Away features the pioneers of the empire that transformed American comedy. This new edition tells even more of the story. Included for the first time is an interview with Viola Spolin, the genius who invented theater games that were the foundation of improvisational theater. Also included are dozens of follow-up stories about Mike Nichols, Barbara Harris, Del Close, Joan Rivers, Alan Arkin, and Gilda Radner, plus "You Only Shoot the Ones You Love," the story of how this book's author, playwright Jeffrey Sweet, became so involved in the community he covered that he was captured by it" --

Subject

• Second City (Theater company)
• Compass Players (Chicago, Ill.)
• Entertainers > United States > Interviews
• Improvisation (Acting)
• Entertainers
• United States

Genre/Form

Interviews.

Note

• Previous edition: New York: Avon Books, 1978.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 383-387) and index.

Contents

Viola Spolin -- David Shepherd -- Paul Sills -- Roger Bowen -- Andrew Duncan -- Barbara Harris -- Mike Nichols -- Severn Darden -- Mark and Bobbi Gordon -- Shelley Berman -- Del Close -- Theodore J. Flicker -- Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller -- Bernard Sahlins -- Eugene Troobnick -- Mina Kolb -- Paul Sand -- Alan Arkin -- Sheldon Patinkin -- Paul Mazursky -- Anthony Holland -- Bill Alton -- Alan Myerson -- Joan Rivers -- Avery Schreiber -- Richard Schaal and Valerie Harper -- Alan Alda -- David Steinberg -- Robert Klein -- J. J. Barry -- Gilda Radner -- Keegan-Michael Key.

Call Number

MWED (Chicago) 23-4740

ISBN

• 9781621538240
• 1621538249

OCLC

1347428791

Author

Sweet, Jeffrey, 1950- author, interviewer.

Title

Something wonderful right away : the birth of Second City : America's greatest comedy theater / Jeffrey Sweet ; foreword by Mick Napier.

Publisher

New York : Allworth Press, [2023]

Copyright Date

©2023

Edition

Expanded second edition.

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 383-387) and index.

Added Author

Napier, Mick, author of foreword.

Spolin, Viola, interviewee.

Shepherd, David, 1924-2018, interviewee.

Sills, Paul, 1927-2008, interviewee.

Bowen, Roger, interviewee.

Duncan, Andrew, 1927- interviewee.

Harris, Barbara, 1935-2018, interviewee.

Nichols, Mike, interviewee.

Darden, Severn, 1929-1995, interviewee.

Gordon, Mark, 1926-2010, interviewee.

Gordon, Bobbi, interviewee.

Berman, Shelley, interviewee.

Close, Del, 1934-1999, interviewee.

Flicker, Theodore J., 1930-2014, interviewee.

Meara, Anne, interviewee.

Stiller, Jerry, interviewee.

Sahlins, Bernard, interviewee.

Troobnick, Eugene, 1926-2003, interviewee.

Kolb, Mina, interviewee.

Sand, Paul, 1935- interviewee.

Arkin, Alan, interviewee.

Patinkin, Sheldon, interviewee.

Mazursky, Paul, interviewee.

Holland, Anthony, interviewee.

Alton, Bill, interviewee.

Myerson, Alan, interviewee.

Rivers, Joan, interviewee.

Schreiber, Avery, interviewee.

Harper, Valerie, 1939-2019, interviewee.

Schaal, Richard, 1928-2014, interviewee.

Alda, Alan, 1936- interviewee.

Steinberg, David, 1942 August 9- interviewee.

Klein, Robert, 1942- interviewee.

Barry, J. J., -1990, interviewee.

Radner, Gilda, interviewee.

Key, Keegan-Michael, 1971- interviewee.

Other Form:

Online version: 9781621538257 1621538257 (OCoLC)1395055067

Research Call Number

MWED (Chicago) 23-4740