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Summary:

"In the late fifties and sixties, iconoclastic young rebels in Chicago opened two tiny theaters--The Compass and The Second City--where they satirized politics, religion, and sex. Building scenes by improvising based on audience suggestions turned out to be a fine way to develop great actors, directors, and writers. Alumni went on to create such groundbreaking works as The Graduate, Groundhog Day, and Don't Look Up. Many of them also became stars on Saturday Night Live. Something Wonderful Right Away features the pioneers of the empire that transformed American comedy. This new edition tells even more of the story. Included for the first time is an interview with Viola Spolin, the genius who invented theater games that were the foundation of improvisational theater. Also included are dozens of follow-up stories about Mike Nichols, Barbara Harris, Del Close, Joan Rivers, Alan Arkin, and Gilda Radner, plus "You Only Shoot the Ones You Love," the story of how this book's author, playwright Jeffrey Sweet, became so involved in the community he covered that he was captured by it" -- [Provided by publisher]

Table of Contents:

• Viola Spolin
• David Shepherd
• Paul Sills
• Roger Bowen
• Andrew Duncan
• Barbara Harris
• Mike Nichols
• Severn Darden
• Mark and Bobbi Gordon
• Shelley Berman
• Del Close
• Theodore J. Flicker
• Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller
• Bernard Sahlins
• Eugene Troobnick
• Mina Kolb
• Paul Sand
• Alan Arkin
• Sheldon Patinkin
• Paul Mazursky

• Anthony Holland
• Bill Alton
• Alan Myerson
• Joan Rivers
• Avery Schreiber
• Richard Schaal and Valerie Harper
• Alan Alda
• David Steinberg
• Robert Klein
• J. J. Barry
• Gilda Radner
• Keegan-Michael Key.

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Author/Creator:

Sweet, Jeffrey, 1950- , author, interviewer

Contributors:

Napier, Mick , author of foreword

Spolin, Viola , interviewee

Shepherd, David, 1924-2018 , interviewee

Sills, Paul, 1927-2008 , interviewee

Bowen, Roger , interviewee

Duncan, Andrew, 1927- , interviewee

Harris, Barbara, 1935-2018 , interviewee

Nichols, Mike , interviewee

Darden, Severn, 1929-1995 , interviewee

Gordon, Mark, 1926-2010 , interviewee

Gordon, Bobbi , interviewee

Berman, Shelley , interviewee

Close, Del, 1934-1999 , interviewee

Flicker, Theodore J., 1930-2014 , interviewee

Meara, Anne , interviewee

Stiller, Jerry , interviewee

Sahlins, Bernard , interviewee

Troobnick, Eugene, 1926-2003 , interviewee

Kolb, Mina , interviewee

Sand, Paul, 1935- , interviewee

Arkin, Alan , interviewee

Patinkin, Sheldon , interviewee

Mazursky, Paul , interviewee

Holland, Anthony , interviewee

Alton, Bill , interviewee

Myerson, Alan , interviewee

Rivers, Joan , interviewee

Schreiber, Avery , interviewee

Harper, Valerie, 1939-2019 , interviewee

Schaal, Richard, 1928-2014 , interviewee

Alda, Alan, 1936- , interviewee

Steinberg, David, 1942 August 9- , interviewee

Klein, Robert, 1942- , interviewee

Barry, J. J., -1990 , interviewee

Radner, Gilda , interviewee

Key, Keegan-Michael, 1971- , interviewee

Languages:

English

Language Notes:

Item content: English

Main Work:

Something wonderful right away: the birth of Second City -- America's greatest comedy theater [by Sweet, J.]

Subjects:

Second City (Theater company)

Compass Players (Chicago, Ill.)

Entertainers — United States — Interviews

Improvisation (Acting)

General Notes:

Previous edition: New York: Avon Books, 1978.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description based on print version record.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

ISBNs:

9781621538257 (electronic bk.)
1621538257 (electronic bk.)
9781621538240 [Invalid]
1621538249 [Invalid]

OCLC Numbers:

1395055067

Other Control Numbers:

EBC7256631 (source: MiAaPQ)
[Unknown Type]: ybp305515803