Our story begins with Mort Sahl. He opened the door to comedy being more than just telling a series of jokes.

Mort opened a new way to do comedy that would influence many comedians: Elaine May, Mike Nichols and Del Close. But no one took it in the direction Woody Allen did.

Woody was so big when he hit, he even did his sophisticated comedy to country music fans!

His move to movies solidified his stardom:

Woody Allen did the first mockumentary, TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

Woody became so huge- he even got to guest host THE TONIGHT SHOW

Woody Allen - Looks at 1967 Guests Liza Minnelli, John Byner, Aretha Franklin, William F Buckley

Featuring the flawless stand-up of Woody, and skits such as: Woody and Candice having to rehearse nude for an artistic play. A funny interview with Billy Graham on religion and God. Woody Allen's take on the heyday of the silent film era, featuring a short film about a doomed love affair with rich girl Candice. Finally, Rabbi Woody teaches the vacuous Candice Bergen to be an intellectual with knowledge on music, art and films. The 5th Dimension perform "Workin' On A Groovy Thing" and the No. 1 hit "Wedding Bell Blues". Also features original commercials with Tony Randall promoting Libby's canned goods:

In this episode of "Movie Talk," host Julian Schlossberg interviews the legendary Woody Allen, delving into his multifaceted career and personal experiences. Allen reflects on his culturally sparse childhood, early fascination with films, and the significant influence of radio on his imagination. They discuss the nostalgic charm of old movie theaters and the transition from radio to television. Allen shares insights into his writing and directing processes, emphasizing the importance of creative control and collaboration. The conversation also touches on Allen's early career, his approach to character development, and the evolving landscape of the film industry:

Wikipedia: Directors who admire Allen's work include Quentin Tarantino, who called him "one of the greatest screenwriters of all time", as well as Martin Scorsese, who said in Woody Allen: A Documentary, "Woody's sensibilities of New York City is one of the reasons why I love his work, but they are extremely foreign to me. It's not another world; it's another planet". Stanley Donen stated he liked Allen's films, Spike Lee has called Allen a "great, great filmmaker" and Pedro Almodóvar has said he admires Allen's work. In 2012, directors Mike Leigh, Asghar Farhadi, and Martin McDonagh respectively included Radio Days (1987), Take the Money and Run (1969), and Manhattan among their Top 10 films for Sight & Sound. Other admirers of his work include Olivia Wilde and Jason Reitman, who staged live readings of Hannah and Her Sisters and Manhattan respectively. Filmmaker Edgar Wright listed five of Allen's films (Take the Money and Run, Bananas, Play It Again, Sam, Sleeper, Annie Hall) in his list of 100 Favorite Comedy films.

Bill Hader cited Allen's mockumentary films Take the Money and Run and Zelig as the biggest inspirations of the IFC series Documentary Now!

Film critics including Roger Ebert and Barry Norman have highly praised Allen's work. In 1980, on Sneak Previews, Siskel and Ebert called Allen and Mel Brooks "the two most successful comedy directors in the world today ... America's two funniest filmmakers." Pauline Kael wrote of Allen that "his comic character is enormously appealing to people partly because he's the smart, urban guy who at the same time is intelligent, is vulnerable, and somehow by his intelligence, he triumphs".

Behind the paywall: Mighty Aphrodite