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Phyllis Diller’s American Comedy Lifetime Achievement Award

Object Details

Description

This American Comedy Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Phyllis Diller in 1991. The American Comedy Awards began in 1987 and are presented annually in the United States to honor performers in the field of comedy. After the death of Lucille Ball in 1989 the statue awarded was named “the Lucy” in her honor. Other recipients of the Lifetime Achievement in Comedy award include Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Lily Tomlin, Red Skelton, Betty White and Johnny Carson.

Phyllis Diller (1917-2012) began her comedy career in the 1950s at the age of 37 and broke barriers in the comedy world to become the first solo female comic to be a household name. She developed a stage persona of an incompetent housewife and dressed in outlandish outfits with wild hair. Her material focused on self-deprecating jokes that tackled the idealized image of American mothers and homemakers. She also created many mythical personas for her stage act including her “husband” Fang, her “neighbor” Mrs. Clean, and her “mother-in-law” Moby Dick.

Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1991
distributor
American Comedy Awards
maker
American Comedy Awards
place made
United States
Subject
Humor
Comedians
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Popular Entertainment
Phyllis Diller
Trophies
Credit Line
Gift of Phyllis Diller
Data Source
National Museum of American History
ID Number
2003.0289.41
accession number
2003.0289
catalog number
2003.0289.41
Object Name
Trophy
Physical Description
metal (overall material)
acrylic (overall material)
felt (overall material)
adhesive (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 9 in x 6 in x 4 in; 22.86 cm x 15.24 cm x 10.16 cm
Record ID
nmah_1247730
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-41a7-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
American Comedy Awards Lifetime Achievement in Comedy award given to Phyllis Diller in 1991
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