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Foreword

Whenever people ask me where I learned to write comedy, I tell them I attended the College of Gene Perret, got my Master’s from the School of Phyllis Diller, and my doctorate from the University of Bob Hope.

There was no greater education than watching these three legends in action. Gene Perret is an acclaimed teacher/mentor/book author/writer of television comedy for decades. Having written for The Carol Burnett Show, Mama’s Family, and for comedy greats Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller, this three-time Emmy winner knows his subject inside and out. He’s generous with that knowledge, too. I’ve personally made countless withdrawals from his bank of advice on many, many occasions. He’s not only been a mentor to me, but also a dear friend.

Phyllis Diller taught me comedy through her comments on the sides of the pages of material that I would send to her. “Too long of a set up,” “Too short of a set up,” or “Dynamite!” and “Great!” would be scribbled along the sides of individual jokes. Her words gave me encouragement, as well as helpful hints on how to make the jokes better.

From Bob Hope I learned to “hide the joke,” mine the humor hidden in the most unlikely topics, be aware of what’s going on around me at all times (everything’s potential material), and the most beneficial lesson of all, how to write fast.

By watching Gene work, I learned to write on demand, and I also learned the wisdom of sometimes getting alone to write. Often while the rest of us were trying to come up with a new line for Bob, Gene would step away and return some ten minutes or so later with a page of great material.

Writing in volume is another method that I learned from Gene. The more you write, the greater your chances are of coming up with the right joke. You can’t watch Gene for very long and not learn how to organize your material into a solid routine, too.

Don’t get me wrong—I bought his books also. But there’s something about watching the master in action that gives you an even greater insight into this world of comedy writing. There was something about watching Phyllis Diller and Bob Hope that taught me bonus lessons, as well. I learned from so many of the other legends that we were blessed to get to work with—Milton Berle, Danny Thomas, George Burns, Lucille Ball, the list goes on and on. Bob Hope ran in a nice crowd. A crowd that knew the art of comedy and continued to hone it until the day they exited the stage of life.

You truly can learn a great deal about a subject by watching the masters of it. Want to learn about Wall Street? Hang out with Wall Street traders. Ask them why they made the decisions that they made. Want to learn about professional sports? Follow the careers of those who have made or are making a name for themselves in that field. Watch how they handle their wins and losses, negotiate their contracts, and talk to the press. That’s information you can’t get in school. Or even in books. And it’s all free. Follow the people you admire. They’re your mentors. Learn from them. Read everything you can about that person. There’s a reason they’re at the top of their game.

I originally contacted Gene Perret because we had similar career paths. I got my comedy writing start in churches, roasting pastors. He roasted fellow workers and bosses when he worked for General Electric. I wrote for Phyllis Diller. So did he. But he was a lot further along in his career than I was. He was where I wanted to be. So I watched him. I read and reread his books. I stalked him. Okay, not really, but I did connect with him. He invited my husband and me down to CBS Studios in Hollywood to see a taping of Mama’s Family, and then the three of us walked over to a restaurant across the street. He was so gracious as he looked through my album of writing that I had brought with me that night, chuckling at all the appropriate places in the articles.

Today, I can say that it is because of Gene Perret’s encouragement, because he saw something in my writing that made him say, “You belong in Hollywood,” that I have enjoyed any success at all over these years. Ever since that night, I’ve wanted to live up to his faith in my writing skills. I’ve wanted to continue to improve and to make my mentor proud. I hope I have.

So find your mentors. Watch them. Learn everything they’ll share with you. Then, do whatever you can to make them proud.

And the best part of attending the College of Gene Perret is, it’s all been free.

—Martha Bolton

Emmy-nominated and Dove-nominated

writer and author of eighty-seven books,

including Josiah for President