Look for the Union Label

Being a comedian is not all fun and games.  Like any other profession, it takes a lot of work, and when your livelihood depends upon the largesse of others, there is bound to be exploitation.

 I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-up Comedy's Golden Era by William Knoedelseder (Public Affairs, 2009).

After cutting their comedy teeth in New York City at clubs such as Catch a Rising Star, comics began to flock to Los Angeles.  The goal was to catch the eye of a talent booker for The Tonight Show, where an appearance could make one's career (or in a few cases, break it).  Everyone was there - Jay Leno, David Letterman, Richard Lewis, Andy Kaufman, Robin Williams,Tom Dreesen, and more - all vying to get noticed.  It was a golden time of camaraderie, fun times, and hard work, until the comics realized they were being exploited by club owners who hoarded precious stage time, meting it out to their favorites, giving nothing in return except "exposure."  The comedians' solution was to take a page from the labor movement.  They formed a union and went on strike.

There were few heroes and and one big villain in Knoedelseder's chronicle.  The "big bad" was Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore, the bitch mother of the L.A. comedy scene and the Marie Antoinette of the comedians' uprising.  She would alternate between being supportive and oppressive, and took advantage of her position.  Most striking was her treatment of women.  Rather than give female comics a chance in the Main Room (a rare occurence), she relegated them to "The Belly Room," which, in her mind, was a separate, but equal, nurturing space for them.  This also highlights a big void in the book.  With the exception of the appearance of Elayne Boosler, there isn't much focus on the women who also struggling for stage time.  The names are there - Alison Arngrim, Lois Bromfield, Susan Evans, and Marsha Warfield, to name a few, but hardly any get more than a mention or a few sentences.

As with every war, there are casualties. I'm Dying Up Here tells the parallel story of Steve Lubetkin, an aspiring comedian, who came to seek his fame and fortune in L.A., but ultimately finds frustration and a downward spiral that provides the balancing tragedy to the laughs.  

NOTE:  Jim Carrey received a green light from Showtime to create a series based on this book.