In the 1970s, the Library of Congress decided to take comedy seriously and begin efforts to record and preserve its history. They selected a young producer by the name of Tony Belmont to record interviews and gather material from as many great comedians as possible. In 1987, Belmont and comedians Steve Allen and Morey Amsterdam wanted to continue the task of preserving comedy. They realized that many of the older generations of comedians were passing away and all of their props, routines, and other materials was being relegated to estate…
