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From the Archives: Comedians Diller and Lewis.

Interviews with comics Phyllis Diller and Richard Lewis. For more than 40 years, Phyllis Diller has made a career out of her own poor looks, and the exploits of her bumbling, imaginary, husband, Fang. Diller paved the way for an entire generation of female comics. Terry's interview with Phyllis Diller first aired on the weekly version of Fresh Air on 7/1/86.

Richard Lewis portrays a spastic, tortured, self-deprecating man living a life of unrelieved pain. He says of his standup comedy that after he's finished his act "people throw prescription drugs and the names of their therapists instead of roses. I'm the wreck they can't be." Lewis has appeared roughly 35 times on the "Late Night with David Letterman" show and has had his own comedy specials on HBO. (Lewis appeared on Fresh Air on June 16, 1988).

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Other segments from the episode on December 29, 1989

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, December 29, 1989: Interviews with Phyllis Diller and Richard Lewis; Interviews with Richard Belzer and Robert Townsend; Interview with Al Franken.
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18:19

From the Archives: Comedians and Actors Townsend and Belzer.

Interviews with comedians Richard Belzer and Robert Townsend. Belzer has been a professional comic for more than 15 years. For five years, he was the emcee at Catch a Rising Star, New York's best-known comedy club, and has appeared frequently on "Saturday Night Live" "The Tonight Show" and "Late Night with David Letterman." He's also written a book titled How To Be a Stand-up Comic. (Belzer first aired on Fresh Air on 12/31/87).

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04:08

The Al Franken Decade.

For the last word on the 80s, comedian Al Franken looks back on the Al Franken decade. It's from an interview Terry did with Franken on March 22, 1988.

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Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

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09:54

Comedian Richard Lewis is "Exhausted."

Standup comic Richard Lewis. In his act, Lewis portrays a spastic, tortured, self-deprecating man living a life of unrelieved pain. He says of his comedy that after he's finished his act "people throw prescription drugs and the names of their therapists instead of roses. I'm the wreck they can't be." Lewis has appeared roughly 35 times on the "Late Night with David Letterman" show. His new HBO comedy special, "Richard Lewis: I'm Exhausted Concert," premieres on June 18th.

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27:36

A Comedienne Keeps Up Appearances

Phyllis Diller became a comedian at the age 37; she and her husband, who had five children together, believed it would be the best way for her to support the family financially. She is known for her frazzled onstage persona, jokes about her imagined husband Fang, and her many plastic surgeries.

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