Legendary comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara are the latest personalities featured in an archive at The National Comedy Center.
National Comedy Center
The National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York — dedicated to preserving and celebrating the art of comedy — has become the new home for the career archive of iconic comedy duo Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, thanks to a donation from their son, Ben Stiller, and the Stiller family. The acquisition coincides with the debut of Stiller’s new documentary, Nothing Is Lost, premiering October 24 on Apple TV+, which explores his parents’ lives and legacy.
Married for more than six decades, Stiller and Meara made their mark performing on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and The Carol Burnett Show. Their comedy blended Stiller’s loud, neurotic energy with Meara’s sharp, deadpan wit, as they explored cultural and marital dynamics with honesty and affection.
The newly acquired archive — organized by the couple themselves — includes early improv notes, handwritten sketches, love letters, and production materials from their performances.
Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, who were married for over six decades and made their mark doing stand-up routines on entries like “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and “The Carol Burnett Show”
National Comedy Center
The Stiller and Meara archive includes early improv notes, handwritten sketches, love letters, and production materials from their performances.
National Comedy Center
“Knowing my parents’ body of work is preserved at the National Comedy Center means a great deal, because the material they left behind was not just a gift for my family, but for anyone who wants to understand comedy as a creative process,” said Ben Stiller in a statement. “They would have been very proud to know that the National Comedy Center is bringing their archive to life in a way that can inspire and educate future generations.”
As a real-life married couple — he Jewish, she raised Irish Catholic — Stiller and Meara mined their own experiences to create material that was both intimate and socially relevant. Their recurring characters, Hershey Horowitz and Mary Elizabeth Doyle, humorously explored cultural and religious differences, helping to usher in a more personal and authentic style of comedy that remains influential today.
“Stiller & Meara broke ground by mining their own lives for moments rooted in honesty and affection,” said Journey Gunderson, Executive Director of the National Comedy Center. “Their work was more than funny; it mainstreamed conversations about cultural difference, interfaith dating, gender equity, and the loosening of traditional relationship roles in a way that was quietly revolutionary.”
“From their earliest improv sessions at Chicago’s Compass Players, to handwritten drafts of sketches like ‘Computer Dating’ and ‘The Last Two People on Earth,’ the Stiller & Meara archive spans a remarkable body of work,” noted Dr. Laura LaPlaca, head of the National Comedy Center’s archive. “Their comedy was crafted to feel spontaneous, but they were serial editors — often refining a single sketch over decades.”
The Stiller & Meara Archive joins the National Comedy Center’s growing collection of landmark comedy artifacts, including George Carlin’s handwritten joke files, Lenny Bruce’s obscenity trial records, Joan Rivers’ 70,000-joke card catalog, and production materials from I Love Lucy, Saturday Night Live, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, In Living Color, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The Center’s archive department was named in honor of Carl Reiner in 2021, following the addition of his own extensive collection.
The Stiller & Meara Archive joins the National Comedy Center’s growing collection of landmark comedy artifacts.
National Comedy Center
