Netflix, Marty Callner adding The Hall to National Comedy Center in 2020

Is the National Comedy Center the Hall of Fame for comedy?

Whether you believed so or not, you will have more reason to believe next year, when Netflix and legendary stand-up comedy special director Marty Callner, along with Funny Business, Inc., add “The Hall” to the center in Jamestown, NY.

They’ll film a tribute special and induction ceremony, “The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-Up,” later this year in Los Angeles. It’ll come out on Netflix in 2020, by which time The Hall also will become a new wing inside the center in upstate New York. Callner and Randall Gladstein, partners in Funny Business, Inc., will executive produce the Netflix special with manager/producer David Steinberg.

“Stand-up comedy is more than funny jokes — these artists shape our culture,  teach us, and challenge us about the world and ourselves,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer. “We’re honored to partner with Marty, Randall, David, and everyone at the National Comedy Center as we celebrate the greats in this field,  create a space for comedy lovers to come together, and share the induction ceremony with Netflix members everywhere.”

Callner directed the first-ever stand-up comedy special, An Evening with Robert Klein, for HBO and directed the first comedy specials of greats such as Billy Crystal, Steve Martin and the late Robin Williams and George Carlin.

“Stand-up comedy is an art form all its own,” said Callner. “Stand-ups have a unique ability to make us laugh and to make us think. Often their social commentary mixed with humor makes them the most effective voices of the moment. It is long overdue that they be recognized with The Hall, where generations to come can appreciate their work forever.”

“As the country’s official cultural institution dedicated to the art form of comedy, the National Comedy Center is honored to partner with Netflix, Marty Callner, Randall Gladstein and David Steinberg to become the permanent home for the legends of stand-up comedy,” said Journey Gunderson, National Comedy Center Executive Director. “We look forward to welcoming comedy fans from around the world as we share the stories of the artists who had an enormous impact on comedy, and in turn, our culture – in a new wing of our museum complex devoted to these brilliant comics.” 

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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