With his tender, funny memoir of four decades in the business, Alan Zweibel traces the history of American comedy

 

Alan Zweibel started his comedy career selling jokes for seven dollars apiece to the last of the Borscht Belt standups. Then one night, despite bombing on stage, he caught the attention of Lorne Michaels and became one of the first writers at Saturday Night Live, where he penned classic material for Gilda Radner, John Belushi, and all of the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players. From SNL, he went on to have a hand in a series of landmark shows—from It’s Garry Shandling’s Show to Curb Your Enthusiasm.

 

In Laugh Lines, Zweibel takes readers through his 40-year career in the comedy-writing business and charts the story of American comedy over the decades. From when the Catskills were a breeding ground for talented comedians, through the era of vanguard New York City comedy clubs that spawned a new wave of original voices, Zweibel covers comedy variety television, prestige cable, the Broadway stage, and the streaming world today. He weaves together his own stories and interviews with his friends and collaborators, including Billy Crystal, Larry David, Martin Short, Dave Barry, Carl Reiner, Sarah Silverman, John Mulaney, and Steve Martin. Laugh Lines is a warmhearted cultural memoir of American comedy.