“Lively and fast moving, ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’ is refreshingly on the ball.”
BOSTON GLOBE
“As ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’ shows, the evolution of comedy in America is less a straight line than a fever chart reflecting the national temperature.”
DENVER POST
“The title and the involvement of PBS may suggest an academic approach that would trigger more chin stroking than belly laughing, but the series is light on its feet…A dazzling treasure chest”
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL STAR TRIBUNE
“There is a lot to learn from ‘Make ‘Em Laugh,’ even while its funny business is making you laugh.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS
“‘Make ‘Em Laugh’ hits its mark. Even when it’s shallow, comedy is deep, because it goes to our core. Humans are the animals that know how to use a whoopee cushion. This is funny stuff, tied up in a ribbon of smart.”
LA TIMES
“It will warm the heart and tickle the funny bone.”
TAMPA BAY TRIBUNE
“‘Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America’… is simply brilliant. If you have ever wanted to understand why Lenny Bruce is still a legend or why Mae West was such an icon, this episode of this six part comedy documentary explains it better than anything I have seen on the subject.”
THE SERIOUS COMEDY SITE
“PBS provides some amazing documentaries and their latest is sure to have you rolling on the floor, laughing. Michael Kantor, who wrote and directed this series as well as 2004’s Broadway: The American Musical, has taken on a mountain of a subject, and manages to present the content in a clear, fun, and engaging way”
CELEBRITY CAFÉ
“’Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America,’ hosted by Billy Crystal and narrated by Amy Sedaris, manages to examine comedy without losing what makes it funny…the new PBS six-hour nostalgia fest takes a giant step toward making us more aware of how much the great comedians have meant to us. Before it’s over, you’ll be willing to treasure the great comedians, and to give them what they crave, a little love. Considering all the laughter they’ve given us, not a bad exchange.”
SAN DIEGO.COM
“Despite the tough economy, you can start the year with a smile—and it won’t cost a cent.”
PARADE MAGAZINE “PARADE PICKS 1/11/09”
“‘Make ‘Em Laugh,’ a six-part survey of American comedy can hardly miss… these hours are pure pleasure… studded with laughs, history, and the lore of comedians — a breed that knows nothing so well as its business.”
WALL STREET JOURNAL
“With broadcast networks largely failing on the comedy count and the country in need of some laughs right about now, viewers’ best bet may be to look back in time with PBS’s ‘Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America.'”
TOLEDO BLADE
“A slickly mounted mélange of vintage performance footage, brand new interviews, and all sorts of fascinating historical stuff to put it in context…passionately funny stuff here.”
BOXOFFICE.COM
