Arrangement
Biography
Access
Publication Rights
Acquisition Information
Preferred Citation
Processing Information
Scope and Contents
Separated Materials
Title: Bob Smith Stand-up Comedy and Writings
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2012.004
Contributing Institution:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
4.0 linear feet.
4 records boxes + 1 flat archive box.
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1991-2004
Date (inclusive): 1972-2006
Abstract: This collection primarily consists of material relating to Bob Smith’s professional career as a writer and comedian, and includes
scripts, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, writing and performance contracts, calendars, research files, correspondence, and
recordings of his performances. (1972-2006, bulk: 1991-2004).
creator:
Smith, Bob, 1958-
Arrangement
Arranged into three series: Professional files, Personal files, and Audiovisual material.
Biography
Bob Smith is an American writer and comedian based in New York City. Born in Buffalo, New York, in 1958, he began writing
and performing stand-up comedy in 1977, and in 1998, he formed the comedy troupe "Funny Gay Males" with comedians Jaffe Cohen
and Danny McWilliams. Smith was the first openly gay comedian to appear on the
Tonight Show and to have his own
HBO Comedy Half-Hour special. He has written comedy for Amblin Films, the
MTV Video Music Awards,
Dennis Miller,
Roseanne, and
MAD-TV. In addition to his autobiographies
Openly Bob (1997), which received a Lambda Literary Award, and
Way to Go, Smith! (1999), he has published two novels,
Selfish and Perverse (2007) and
Remembrance of Things I Forgot (2011), and numerous essays. Smith was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2007.
Access
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
Publication Rights
Researchers wishing to publish material must obtain permission in writing from ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives as the
physical owner of the material. Note that permission to publish does not constitute copyright clearance. ONE National Gay
& Lesbian Archives can grant copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold copyright. It is the responsibility
of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for all other materials from the copyright holder(s).
Acquisition Information
Received from Bob Smith, February, 19, 2008.
Preferred Citation
Box #, folder #, Bob Smith papers, Coll2012-004, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California
Processing Information
Collection processed by Kate Dundon, January 2012.
Scope and Contents
The collection primarily consists of material relating to Smith’s career as a writer and comedian, including scripts of sketches,
manuscripts of his published works, newspaper clippings of reviews of his performances or books, writing and performance contracts,
calendars, research files, and correspondence. Also included are DVDs, videotapes, and audiocassettes that document his performances
throughout his career. A small amount of personal material includes correspondence from friends and relatives. Materials range
from 1972-2006, but the bulk of the collection dates from 1991-2004. The collection is separated into three series: (1) Professional
files, which consists of material relating to Smith’s professional life, (2) Personal files, which consists primarily of personal
correspondence, and (3) Audiovisual material, which includes recordings of Smith's performances.
Separated Materials
The following materials have been separated from the collection:
Cohen, Jaffe and McWilliams, Danny and Smith, Bob.
Growing Up Gay: From Left Out to Coming Out. Hyperion: New York, 1995.
Out magazine, March 1997.
Out magazine, April 1998.
Rosen, Michael J. (editor).
101 Damnations: The Humorists' Tour of Personal Hells. St. Martin's Press: New York, 2002.
Rosen, Michael J. (editor).
Mirth of a Nation: The Best of Contemporary Humor. Perennial: New York, 2000.
Smith, Bob.
Openly Bob. Rob Weisbach Books: New York, 1997.
Smith, Bob.
Way to Go, Smith! Rob Weisbach Books: New York, 1999.
"Out There" Comedy Central T-shirt, circa 1993.
Juneau, Alaska Pride Parade T-shirt, circa 1999.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Audiotapes
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Comedians
Correspondence
Gay men's writings, American
Scripts (documents)
Stand-up comedy
Video tapes