Stories that deserve to be preserved…

I’m sure you know, people are truly intrigued about San Francisco’s comedy history… and your place in that storied past. Who better to share those stories than the funny folks who lived and witnessed it first-hand. Whether you found it a great proving ground, a stepping stone to larger audiences or your life’s calling, the truth will be lost in the sands of time as we all move forward. 

Hopefully you don’t mind sharing a few memories to populate your personal wing of the AMUSEum. As a jumping-off point for preserving some of San Francisco’s comedy scene experiences, memories and best-forgotten shenanigans, the AMUSEum hopes to crowd-source a virtual institution that will inform and live beyond the ephemeral nature of laughter of those times.

Featured Contributions

Showcase Audio

HCZ: Laugh-In • March 27, 1977

On a tip, George Schlatter traveled to a small club to see who was waiting to be discovered in San Francisco.

• Audio cassettes recorded by Tony Depaul. Donated by Dorothy Gorecki •

Talk Show

Wally's Comedy Club • January 1984

An early cable access show out of San Jose featuring a 10 minute set and interview with a rising star on the scene. You'll be craving a big old plate of hash browns…

• Video created by Host Wally Smith •

Calendars & Flyers Galore

The Valencia Rose Collection

…along with many others from the Holy City Zoo, Other Cafe, Cobb's Pub, and hand-crafted versions for self-promotion by a handful of enterprising comics. Over a 140+ and still counting…

• Calendars donated by Tom Ammiano, Marty Higgins, Bob Wieder, J Hansen •

Comedians @ AMUSEum • Stories to Edify and Amuse

Joshua Brody
Darryl Henriques
Pappas and Diederich
A. Whitney Brown
Pat Daniels
Bill Farley
Mark Miller
Ray Hanna
WIll Durst
Carrie Snow
Fran and Jan
Femprov
Carol Roberts
Jan Solomita
Paul Giles
Clark Peterson
Dr. Gonzo
Comedy Underground
Jeannene Hansen
Linda Hill
Larry Brown
Jon Ross
Dan St. Paul
Marty Higgins
Jaz Kaner
Pros From Dover

Clubs @ AMUSEum • The Rooms Where They're Laughing

Holy City Zoo
The Other Cafe
The Punchline
Cobb's Pub
Lipps
Valencia Rose
Laughs Unltd.
Tommy Ts
Fubars

Green Room @ AMUSEum • Waiting in the Wings • Alphabetical

Milt Able
Sandee Althouse
Chicago Steve Barkley
Rob Becker
Robin Benjamin
Robert Berry
Mike Bizarro
Geoff Bolt
Rey Booker
Michael Bossier
Eugene Broadnax
Leland Brown
Joe Campiola
Steve Carey
Dana Carvey
Al Clethin
Jimi Celeste
Ruby Cooper
Evan Davis
Robin Davies
Nora Dunn
Debi Durst
Billy Jaye
Laura O'Hare
Monica Piper
Bob Sarlatte
David Scheuber
Tom Scheuber
Murphy St. Paul

Laughter from the Herafter @ AMUSEum • Memories of the Funny Before

John Cantu
Kevin Meaney
Denise Schultz
Jose Simon
Jim Cranna
Bill Bonham
The Amazing Johnathan
Johnathan Szeles
Joe Sharkey
Perry Kurtz