Steve's Blog
AFI’s 100 Laughs: #99 – The Nutty Professor
When I was a kid, I think I really liked Jerry Lewis’ The Nutty Professor. I think. It’s been a long time. But now? Not so much. The Nutty Professor (1963), was produced, written (with Bill Raymond), directed, and starring Jerry Lewis in what many believe is his...
AFI’s 100 Laughs: #100 – Good Morning Vietnam
I’ve decided, for no other reason than it’s there, to screen, or in most cases, to re-screen all 100 movies on AFI’s 100 Laughs list and to report back to you, faithful readers, on how the movie has stood the test of time. Or the test of my own set of preconceived...
Controversial ‘South Park’ Episode Takes On Trump
I was among a number of comedy experts who got to opine on South Park's brutal take-down of Donald Trump.
Read more“Any particular tips for approaching sketch writing?
In particular, any advice for coming up with strong endings?
Other Resources
Great Web Sites Scriptchat: The place to be on Twitter for all things screenwriting Michael Wiese Books: The place to go for books on filmmaking Great People Pilar Alessandra: "The Coffee Break Screenwriter" Theresa Robbins Dudeck: "Keith Johnstone: A Critical...
Speaking of Funny Radio Interview
Radio interview I did this summer with James Barbour talking about my new book, The Hidden Tools of Comedy.
Happy Bert-day, Cowardly Lion!
Bert Lahr was born in New York City on this day in 1895. A star in vaudeville and on Broadway, his career in the movies never really took off--except for this little picture he once was featured in, The Wizard of Oz. Happy Birthday, Bert!
So, a minister walks into a bookstore, and . . .
. . . and buys my book, and writes a whole sermon based on the book! How cool/bizarre/unlikely/cool is that? The recording begins in the middle of the first sentence which went something like, "When was the last time you read a good book on the theory of comedy?" The...
The “Hidden Tools” on Blog Talk Radio
This is an interview I gave last year prior to the publication of The Hidden Tools. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelwieseproductions/2012/02/14/steve-kaplan--hidden-tools-of-comedy
Coming to a Bookstore Near You . . .
2013-01-16 . . . even though by the time this is published, there may not be any bookstores left open. In any event, on July 1, 2013, my book The Hidden Tools of Comedy: The Serious Business of Being Funny will be published by Michael Wiese Productions. Woot Woot!
ISA Podcast Dec. 2011
In this podcast, sponsored by the International Screenwriter's Association, we talk about the 8 myths of comedy. The Comedy Perception Test. And the 8 Hidden Tools of Comedy. And the last half hour is reserved for a Q&A session — your chance to have one of your...
Interview, Part 2
2012-02-18 This is the second part of an interview with German journalist and film-maker Harald Dudel, recorded during the Chicago Comedy Intensive in November 2010
