Candor in Comedy: Shattering the Glass Ceiling

Written by Natalie Abruzzo

Synopsis: The imbalance of male vs. female in the comedy circles is staggering. In 2009 males are still dominating the comedy culture. Aside from the fact that there are still female legends of comedy, both past and present, there still exists a floating concept that women are not as funny as men, or are not funny at all. This documentary will explore the male dominance of the comedy circuit while expounding on the many talented women who have broken through the proverbial glass curtain to rise as stars in their fields. The perception that women are not funny seems to elude the female superstars of comedy. These women have forged ahead carving a place in history for themselves and paving the way for newer generations of women to grab their piece of the comedy pie. Comedienne’s from writers, to stand ups, to sketch comedy actresses will examine their own struggles to break-down barriers, discuss how the stereotypes of female comics are morphing, and tell the audience why they continue to play the game. This documentary is a celebration of women and comedy.

Treatment: Candor in Comedy: Shattering the Glass curtain opens by leading the audience to the west coast and treated to a car ride dovm during dusk down the PCH through Santa Monica, and across Sunset Boulevard where we see video images of the ocean, palm trees, The Beverly Hotel, RCA Records building, The Hollywood Sign, Billboards, and comedy institutions – The Groundlings Theatre, The Laugh Factory, The Comedy Store, Hollywood Improv. The LA images are seen through a car window as the car moves past the institutions ala Taxi Driver the movie. The audio has now morphed into I Love LA performed by Randy Newman. The audio track is low and there are graphics on the screen as The Second City flashes by and the audience is given the name of the institution and the year it was established. The audio track of I Love LA is brought down and the next series of clips are of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. The clips come up as we see him introducing Joan Rivers, Ellen DeGeneres, Phyllis Diller, then Rita Rudner, Roseanne Barr, Lily Tomlin, Rosie O’Donnell, Paula Poundstone, Elaine Boosler. The audio of the applauding live studio audience is captured and expanded as the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson fades.

We are then whisked away to another great city for comedy greats – Chicago and we are exposed to video images of the Chicago skyline and the comedy institution that is The Second City. The Second City image is seen through a car window as the car moves past the institution ala Taxi Driver the movie. The audio has now morphed into My Kind of Town (Chicago Is) performed by Frank Sinatra. The audio track is low and there are graphics on the screen as The Second City flashes by and the audience is given the name of the institution and the year it was established.

The film has made it all the way to the east coast and takes the audience through the bustling streets of the comedy capital, New York City. We hear the sounds of the city – honking vehicle horns, vehicles whizzing by – and video images of taxis’, busy streets, tourists, traffic lights, pedestrian crossing signs -we are then directed to images of signage ou::side of some of the great comedy itutions of New York City – Saturday Night Live, Late Night with David Letterman, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, Caroline’s on Broadway, Stand-Up New York, Gotham, I’he Laugh Factory – The video images are as seen through a car window as the car moves past each insti::c1tion ala ‘:’ax:._ Driver the movie. The video images of the institutions are set to an audio track of New York, “Jew York performed by Frank Sinatra. The audio track is low and there are graphics on the screen as each instit·Jtion f2-ashes by and the audience is given the nane of the institution and the year it was established.

As the audio is brought down we are taken into the world of Saturday Night Live and there is a montage of clips of Tina Fey portraying Sarah Palin. More clips from SNL from the Weekend News Update starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Images continue to showcase film scenes of Mean Girls and Baby Mama — both films starring Fey and Poehler. As the clip images are brought down, the audience finds themselves sitting with Fey and Poehler on the set of SNL. The two are commenting on their performances and their longtime friendship and comedy collaborations. The topics of discussion with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at this time range from their comedy influences, when they knew they were funny, what barriers have they come up against in their careers, and when they knew they had made it.

The serious topic of shattering t: the glass curtain arises and Tina is reminded that she has conquered a male-dominated field. The clips of the big Emmy Awards wins for Tina Fey and the 30 Rock team are interspersed throughout this section giving the audience a sense of Tina’s accomplis’:lment alongside Tina as she reflects on this success. As Tina and Amy share their stories rising with the ranks we see clips their fellow female
corr.edienne influences. Tina and Amy are asked what made these particular women so influential and ahead of their time, and :’low these women made the job of comedy look so easy.
The audience is treated to clips of the likes of Phyllis Diller, Totie Fields, Gracie Allen, Caro; Burnett, Lily Tomlin, Joan Rivers, Elaine Boosler, Rita Rudner, Paula Poundstone, Whoopi Goldberg, Roseanne Barr, Janeane Garofalo, Rosie O’Donnell, etc.

We move from Tina and Amy to delve into the world’s of these comedy giants. Phyllis Diller, Joan Rivers, and Carol Burnett reflect on their beginnings, their peers, and the struggles with the glass curtain. The lovely ladies of laughter bring the audience into the many facets of comedy – discussing writing, stand-up, variety shows, sketch comedy, television sit-corns, the casting couch, the shift in stereotypes of female comedians, and whether they could have made a success of their acts in today’s comedy circles.

The audio is brought up and an MTV-like music video-esque clip is run and the images are of the new generation of comediennes these young, hot, ball-busting, chicks as we see video clips of their stage presence and performances. The audio track is blaring – Bootylicious by Destiny’s Child – The likes of Sandra Bernhard, Chelsea Handler, Sarah Silverman, Leslie Mann, Maya Rudolph, and Kristen Wiig have arrived and they’re not your mom’s comedienne of 20 years ago. These ladies are toned, tanned, and tousled. They are ready for anything. We sit with each of them and they chat about their experiences, influences, reason for getting in the game of comedy, and how the game has changed from their perspective.

Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig, both Saturday Night Live cast members speak briefly about Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s successes and what they hope to learn from all of the great women that have graced the SNL stage. This is a lead-in to clips of the television shows 30 Rock, and Parks and Recreation. Clips are shown and we are given a briefing of how the television shows came to be and how they are feeling about their careers, families, and futures.

As Candor in Comedy: Shattering the Glass Curtain winds down, we close out the images with Carol Burnett’s famous tug on her ear, and then Gracie Allen takes us out with a silly “Good night, Gracie.” The clip fades out, the audio fades-up and it is NewYork, New York performed by Frank Sinatra once again. The song is at the end and the lyric is c’mon, come through, New York, New York. We fade to black. The End