National Comedy Center – America’s Home for Laughs
The folks at the National Comedy Center certainly knew what they were doing when they chose not to use the word “museum” to brand their fascinating and incredibly engaging monument to mirth, mayhem and mockery.
After all, “museum” implies an experience defined by detached observation. And that is about as far from the NCC as you can get. Instead, visiting the year-old repository in the western New York city of Jamestown provides a wholly immersive experience borne on the wings of dazzling technology that ably fulfills the center’s mission which, according to NCC Executive Director Journey Gunderson, is “educating people about the story of comedy in our culture and engendering appreciation for this craft and this art form.”
While some may find it difficult to afford pie-throwing, comic strips and mother-in-law jokes such serious respect, Gunderson begs to differ. Comedy, she insists, is important “because it is not just entertainment. It has been a source of social progress. It has been the mirror to reflect things we should consider carefully. It speaks truth to power, and it’s been the source of seismic social change in this country. So, for it to be missing from the overall education on arts and culture in this country is a crime.”
The Center makes a strong case for this viewpoint in a way that arguably makes it America’s most entertaining archival complex.
As visitors enter the building--a repurposed train station--they receive wristbands equipped with RFID (radio) technology that records information at their initial stop: A video kiosk at which they are presented with the names and headshots of numerous standup comics, living and dead. They are asked to select as many favorites as they wish. Once done, the process is repeated with TV and film comedies. The info is stored in the wristbands which, when read at the various exhibits and displays, results in content tailored specifically to an individual or groups at that stop.
The dozens of displays pretty much cover the entire comedy spectrum and include a historical timeline, examinations of cartoons (which includes the opportunity for visitors to create their own) and a technologically ingenious way to explain the history of items—including rubber chickens and ventriloquist dummies—used in the creation and execution of comedic material.
Among the many other noteworthy stops are a “Comedy Karaoke” (Jokaoke?) station where folks can recite a routine by a favorite comedian in front of other visitors, and a video setup that puts them in two of the most iconic scenes from “I Love Lucy,” the candy factory conveyor belt and grape-stomping bits.
And the basement boasts a sizable display devoted to X-rated humor which, not surprisingly, is off-limits to kids.
Interestingly, the museum is surprisingly short on memorabilia. But it does boast a small number of artifacts including the “puffy shirt” from Seinfeld, the gold blazer worn by Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor and Charlie Chaplin’s cane.
Because of the NCC’s huge collection of information and interactive activities, it’s impossible to calculate how much time one could spend at the Center. However, two-to-three hours seems about right for most visitors.
Live events are also part of the Center’s comedy smorgasbord, most notably the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, which is set for Aug. 7-11. It will be headlined by standup stalwarts Sebastian Maniscalco and John Mulaney, and also feature an exhibit dedicated to TV comedy visionary Ernie Kovacs.
In case you’re wondering why Jamestown, rather than New York or Los Angeles, is the NCC’s home, it has to do with the burg’s most famous native, Lucille Ball (who actually lived in Celoron, which abuts Jamestown). According to Gunderson, it was Ball’s wish that comedy in general, and not just she, be celebrated by the city. But her many fans need not despair, a short walk away is the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, a much more modest, but informative, archive that does a nice job of covering Ball’s life and career.
If you are planning a visit, the year-old Chautauqua Harbor Hotel, which sits on scenic Chautauqua Lake in Celoron is unconditionally recommended. It’s a full-service resort/spa that seamlessly combines a rustic, lodge-like vibe with all manner of modern conveniences and amenities. It is less than a 10-minute drive from the National Comedy Center.
