Comedy

Actor/comedian/screenwriter and playwright Steve Martin. He stars in "The Spanish Prisoner." He is also an author. He's written two books; "Picasso at The Lapin Agile and Other Plays" (Grove/Atlantic Press; just out in paperback), and a collection of short stories, "Cruel Shoes." His screenwriting credits include "L.A.

Standup-comic Bob Newhart. This Friday he performs at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of the Toyota Comedy Festival. Newhart has been a part of the American comedy landscape since 1961 when his debut comedy album "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart" became a surprise hit. (Now available on CD, on the Warner label) Since then he's starred in three TV shows, including the Peabody award winning original "The Bob Newhart Show." And appeared in numerous films.

TV critic David Bianculli reflects on the end of "Seinfeld."

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld from an interview recorded before his "Seinfeld" fame. He also wrote the bestselling book "SeinLanguage" . (REBROADCAST FROM 9/2/87).

British standup comic Eddie Izzard. The cross-dressing comic is a household name in England, but little known here. His new one-man show is "Dress to Kill" (at New York's Westbeth Theater, in the West Village). A New York Times review describes him as "a ticklingly entertaining hybrid of mainstream cultural influences and offbeat personal tendencies." (Interview by Barbara Bogaev)

Political satirist Al Franken. He was one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live. He won four Emmys for his writing on the show. His most popular character was Stuart Smalley, the new age cable TV host. He's also the author of "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations." His newest endeavor is the sitcom "Lateline" which premieres next Tuesday on NBC about the behind the scenes of a late night news show.

We remember comedian Henny Youngman with a 1991 interview. He died yesterday from complications from the flu. He was 91 years old. (Rebroadcast of 10/17/91)

TV Critic David Bianculli previews tonight’s presentation of “South Park” on cable TV’s Comedy Central.

Actress and Comedian Alexandra Wentworth. She's the author of The WASP Cookbook (Warner), a collection of purposefully bland recipes (with nicknames such as Kiki’s Cupcakes and Nummies) and plenty of standard drinks. Wentworth has acted on Seinfeld,In Living Color,Jerry Maguire, and Trial and Error.