Inside comedy: the soul, wit, and bite of comedy and comedians of the last five decades

1. Disguised as a normal person

2. The apprenticeship of Duddy Steinberg: The most irresponsible student at the University of Chicago sees the best comedian of all time

Lenny Bruce

and finds his life's work

3. God

whom I'm sure you remember from last week's sermon: My first years at Second City and the other icons who joined

4. From Second City to Broadway: Little Murders, Elliott Gould, Lily Tomlin, and other memories from delight to disaster

5. The Comedians' comedians: Sid Caesar; Don Rickles; Mel Brooks; Jackie Mason; Carl Reiner; Jack Carter; Shecky Greene; Flip Wilson; Carol Burnett; Tim Conway; Harvey Korman; Jonathan Winters; Robin Williams

6. The Hillcrest Country Club: It's Not the Golf, It's the Comedy: Groucho Marx; The Marx Brothers; George Burns; Jack Benny; Danny Kaye, and Danny Thomas, who at least looked Jewish

7. Comedy in the age of Nixon . . . What comedy?

8. The brave humor of the Smothers Brothers

9. The Tonight Shows: Johnny Carson, and hosts before and after

10. Behind Some of the Best Comedy on Television: The Danny Thomas Show; Newhart; Designing Women; Golden Girls; Friends; Mad About You; Garry Shandling; Curb Your Enthusiasm; Seinfeld, and those in between

11. Actors as Comedians, Comedians as Actors: Julia Louis-Dreyfus; Steve Martin; Chris Rock; Will Ferrell; Whoopi Goldberg; Lucille Ball; Bette Midler; Mike Myers; Ben Stiller; Albert Brooks; Bob Einstein; Redd Foxx; Wanda Sykes; Tina Fey; Sarah Silverman; Richard Lewis; Bob Saget; Steve Carrell; Jim Carrey; Ellen DeGeneres; John Stewart; Jimmy Fallon; Kevin Nealon; Robert Klein; John Candy; Stephen Colbert; Martin Mull; Eric Idle; Richard Belzer; Drew Carey; Billy Crystal; Marty Short.