Larry Wilde
Contemporary Authors Online , 2001
Updated: June 28, 2001
Born: 1928
Nationality: American
Occupation: Writer
Larry Wilde
A novel; more humor books.
WRITINGS BY THE AUTHOR:
•The Great Comedians Talk about Comedy (compendium of taped interviews), Citadel (Secaucus, NJ), 1968, revised edition published as The Great Comedians, 1973.
•How the Great Comedy Writers Create Laughter, Nelson- Hall (Chicago), 1976.
•The Complete Book of Ethnic Humor, Corwin (Los Angeles), 1978.
•The Larry Wilde Book of Limericks, Bantam (New York City), 1982.
•The Larry Wilde Library of Laughter, Jester Press, 1988.
•The Larry Wilde Treasury of Laughter, Jester Press, 1992.
•Dimwits, Dweezils and Dumbbells, Pinnacle Books (New York City), 1996.
•When You're Up to Your Eyeballs in Alligators, Jester Press (Carmel, CA), 1998.
"OFFICIAL" JOKE BOOKS
•The Official Polish/Italian Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1973.
•The Official Jewish/Irish Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1974.
•The Official Virgins/Sex Maniacs Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1975.
•The Official Black Folks/White Folks Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1975.
•More of the Official Polish/Italian Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1975.
•The Official Democrat/Republican Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1976.
•The Official Religious/Not So Religious Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1976.
•The Official Ethnic Calendar for 1977, Pinnacle Books, 1977.
•The Official Smart Kids/Dumb Parents Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1977.
•The Official Golfers Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1977.
•The Last Official Polish Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1977.
•The Official Dirty Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1977.
•The Official Cat Lovers/Dog Lovers Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1978.
•The Last Official Italian Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1978.
•More of the Official Jewish/Irish Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1979.
•The Official Book of Sick Jokes, Pinnacle Books, 1979.
•More of the Official Smart Kids/Dumb Parents Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1979.
•More of the Official Democratic/Republican Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1979.
•The Official Bedroom/Bathroom Joke Book, Pinnacle Books, 1980.
•The Last Official Jewish Joke Book, Bantam, 1980.
•More of the Official Sex Maniacs Joke Book, Bantam, 1981.
•The Official Doctors Joke Book, Bantam, 1981.
•The Official Lawyers Joke Book, Bantam, 1982.
•The Last Official Sex Maniacs Joke Book, Bantam, 1982.
•The Last Official Irish Joke Book, Bantam, 1983.
•The Absolutely Last Official Polish Joke Book, Bantam, 1983.
•The Last Official Smart Kids Joke Book, Bantam, 1983.
•The Official Rednecks Joke Book, Bantam, 1984.
•The Official Politicians Joke Book, Bantam, 1984.
•The Official Book of John Jokes, Bantam, 1985.
•The Official Sports Maniacs Joke Book, Bantam, 1985.
•The Absolutely Last Official Sex Maniacs Joke Book, Bantam, 1985.
•The Official Executives Joke Book, Bantam, 1986.
•More of the Official Doctors Joke Book, Bantam, 1986.
•The Official All-American Joke Book, Bantam, 1988.
•The Official W.A.S.P. Joke Book, Bantam, 1988.
•(With Steve Wozniak) The Official Computer Freaks Joke Book, Bantam, 1989.
•The Official Locker Room Joke Book, Bantam, 1991.
•The Official Merriest Christmas Humor Joke Book, Bantam, 1991.
•The Official Golf Lovers Joke Book, Bantam, 1992.
"ULTIMATE" JOKE BOOKS
•The Ultimate Jewish Joke Book, Bantam, 1986.
•The Ultimate Lawyers Joke Book, Bantam, 1987.
•The Ultimate Sex Maniacs Joke Book, Bantam, 1989.
•The Ultimate Ethnic Humor Joke Book, Bantam, 1989.
•The Ultimate Pet Lovers Joke Book, Bantam, 1990.
OTHER
Has recorded albums, including The Joker Is Wild, Dot Records, and The Official Polish/Italian Comedy Album, Samada Records. Contributor to trade publications, including Professional Speaker and to periodicals, including Coronet, Gallery, Genesis, and Penthouse. The Great Comedians Talk about Comedy has been serialized in TV Guide and in newspapers.
Comedian, performing in night clubs, on stage, and in television. Made professional appearances while attending the University of Miami, has since performed in more than nine hundred cities in forty-nine states, as well as Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe, sharing the bill with such stars as Vikki Carr, Jack Jones, Diahann Carroll, Ann Margaret, Debbie Reynolds, Pat Boone, and Andy Williams; night club engagements include the Copacabana in New York, Harrah's at Lake Tahoe, Desert Inn in Las Vegas, and Latin Casino in Philadelphia. Has appeared on stage in One Damn Thing after Another (revue), Send Me No Flowers (comedy play), Of Thee I Sing (musical), and Candide (musical drama). Has appeared on television programs, including The Tonight Show, The Today Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and on situation comedies, including The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Sanford and Son. Has appeared in commercials for State Farm Insurance, Exxon, Chevrolet, Wrigley Gum, and others. Lecturer on comedy at universities, including University of Southern California, University of California, University of Miami, and New York University. Conducts humor workshops for corporate executives and public speakers. Founder of National Humor Month.
Family: Surname originally Wildman; born February 6, 1928, in Jersey City, NJ; son of Selig and Gertrude (Schwartzwald) Wildman; married Maryruth Poulos, June 2, 1974. Education: University of Miami, B.A., 1952. Politics: Liberal. Religion: Jewish. Avocational Interests: Golf, skiing, cooking (with salads as the specialty of the house). Military/Wartime Service: U.S. Marine Corps, Special Services, 1946-48; writer, director, and actor in service musicals and variety shows. Memberships: PEN (president, Los Angeles Center, 1981-83), Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, National Speakers Association. Addresses: Home: 25470 Canada Dr., Carmel, CA 93923. Agent: Jane Jordan Browne, 410 South Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60605.
"Sidelights"
"You can hardly walk into a bookstore these days without coming upon a new collection of jokes by Larry Wilde," writes Clarence Peterson in the Chicago Tribune. Wilde's books have sold over eleven million copies and are available in fifty-three countries. In a Publishers Weekly article, Wilde explains his popularity: "Really offensive ethnic jokes may not be exactly tasteful, but from time immemorial this sort of comedy has met a primal need, whether it be for the pure fun of it or because it releases some basic tension and fear in man. The ethnic joke has become America's most popular form of wisecracking." While ethnic humor often comes under attack, Wilde feels it will survive. "Ethnic humor will stay with us in spite of those who think of it as being `sick, mean-spirited and sacreligious,'" he adds. "We are a nation of many peoples from many lands, and if we have learned anything about the human spirit it is that in order to survive we must laugh at ourselves."
Wilde once told CA: "I love humor. Making people laugh has been a significant part of my life for over thirty years. I like hearing that a hospital patient enjoyed one of my joke books or that someone needing a lift got big giggles from some of my gags. When I learn that an aspiring comedian or comedy writer was motivated or influenced by having read one of my serious works on humor it makes me proud. I feel I've made some small contribution to the potential of future professionals."
Wilde's National Humor Month commences each April to "spotlight the importance of laughter in our lives." He lectures to corporations, associations, and healthcare professionals on how humor can overcome stress and tension in the workplace.
Further Readings
PERIODICALS
•Chicago Tribune, July 7, 1987.
•Publishers Weekly, November 25, 1983.
Source Citation:
"Larry Wilde." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
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Gale Document Number: GALE|H1000106132
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