Photos: Finding funny at the National Comedy Center
Sensing your humor
Guests create their own personalized comedy profile in the lobby before entering the National Comedy Center in Jamestown.
We all love her
A photograph of Lucille Ball greets visitors at the entrance to the National Comedy Center in Jamestown.
Keeping it funny
Journey Gunderson, executive director of the National Comedy Center in Jamestown.
Ode to George Carlin
An exhibit features the life and work of George Carlin.
Filth files
The meticulous research files of comedian George Carlin.
Setting the tone
An exhibit featuring the work of George Carlin.
Late-night talk shows
An interactive exhibit featuring the late-night television genre.
Interacting with the camera
Executive Director Journey Gunderson demonstrates an interactive exhibit featuring the late-night television genre in which visitors can use the camera to interact with sets from different programs.
Flatulence is funny
Brothers Ethan, 5, and Aiden, 3, of Akron, Ohio, laugh hysterically as they sit on a whoopie cushion bench.
Re-enacting a famous scene
Bruce and Melinda Zimmerman of Buffalo re-enact a famous scene from "I Love Lucy" in an interactive exhibit.
Fifteen minutes of fame
Bruce and Melinda Zimmerman of Buffalo re-enact a famous scene from "I Love Lucy" in an interactive exhibit.
Stand-up Lounge
The Stand-up Lounge reads guests' wristbands to deliver a stand-up routine that is tailored to the audience.
Using AI to detect a laugh
Executive Director Journey Gunderson is pictured in an exhibit that uses AI to register when you laugh as part of a game in which a pair delivers jokes to one another.
Don't laugh!
Karen and Dennis Priore of Buffalo compete in an interactive game where they try to make each other laugh at the National Comedy Center. In other exhibits, visitors can make memes, design cartoons and have a try at matching the facial expressions of their favorite comedians.
Draft versus novel
An interactive display comparing Mark Twain's handwritten manuscript with the final text in his 1880 book "A Tramp Abroad."
Sitcom station
An exhibit featuring television sitcoms resembles a living room with couches visitors sit on to watch television.
Master of NSFW
An exhibit featuring the work of controversial comedian Lenny Bruce in the adult-rated Blue Room.
In his prime
A photograph of Carl Reiner in one of his journals on display.
Historic backdrop
The gift shop in the National Comedy Center in Jamestown.
Heeeeere's Johnny!
The Johnny Carson Experience exhibit at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown.
Calling card
Johnny Carson's note card for comedian Don Rickles, noting each appearance on the show as well as contact info for Rickles' agent, on display at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown.
Carson's "Floyd R. Turbo" costume
An exhibit featuring a costume from "The Tonight Show" featuring Johnny Carson at the National Comedy Center.
Andy Kaufman's Elvis Jacket
The Elvis jacket worn by Andy Kaufman on display at the National Comedy Center.
Zach Galifianakis' costume from 'The Hangover'
The iconic costume from Zach Galifianakis in "The Hangover" on display at the National Comedy Center.
Don't mess with Joan
Notes from comedien Joan Rivers with tips on how to handle a heckler on display at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown.
One-liners
A quote on the window in the hallway featuring the art of the "one-liner" at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown.
Meme me
Lillian Cook, 5, of Royal Oak, Mich., tries her hand at creating a viral meme at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown.
Did you hear the one about...
Austin Cook, 10, of Royal Oak, Mich., tries his hand at stand-up in the National Comedy Center in Jamestown.
Sketch comedy
Visitors check out exhibits at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown. In five years the center, top, has parlayed the attention it has received from national media into the development of exhibits that are drawing a range of visitors from Western New York and beyond
Analyze your sense of humor
Visitors analyze their sense of comedy after touring the National Comedy Center in Jamestown.
The center has parlayed the attention it began receiving from national media in its earliest days into the development of exhibits that are drawing a range of visitors from Western New York and beyond.
A note at the top of the screen during the 12:30 p.m. weekday newscast on WKBW-TV (Channel 7) had the words “AI-generated voice” used during voiceovers of some national stories.
