Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America
Season 1, Episode 1: Nerds, Jerks & Oddballs: Would Ya Hit a Guy with Glasses?
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This episode looks back at the bespectacled wannabe (Harold Lloyd) and the vain coward (Bob Hope) as the outsiders of their day. Along with pioneering women in comedy like Phyllis Diller and truly zany characters who seem to have arrived from another planet (Jonathan Winters, Andy Kaufman and Robin Williams), the great social upheaval of the 60s and 70s introduced counter-culture favorites Cheech & Chong, as well as superstar nerds like Woody Allen and “jerks” like Steve Martin – who ultimately became so popular that the idea of the outsider had to be re-cast.
All Episodes - Season 1
Episode 1
Nerds, Jerks & Oddballs: Would Ya Hit a Guy with Glasses?
Episode 2
Breadwinners and Homemakers: Honey, I'm Home!
Episode 3
The Knockabouts: Slip on a Banana Peel
Episode 4
The Groundbreakers: When I'm Bad, I'm Better
Episode 5
The Wiseguys: Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
Episode 6
Satire and Parody: Sock It To Me