1) To honor the great comedy legends who have dedicated their lives to enhancing the quality of ours by sharing with us their humor and bestowing upon us the greatest gift of all, Laughter.

2) To educate the public about the history of comedy in the American Theater.

The National Comedy Hall of Fame Museum will be a family oriented facility. It will include puppets, clowns and cartoons to entertain the younger generation, to the brilliance of comedy legends like Burns & Allen for everyone to enjoy. The museum is expected to open in Tampa Bay, Florida around December 1996.

The museum is designed to provide visitors with an educational yet entertaining history of comedy from the beginning of the century to present day, including radio, screen, stage and nightclub comedians. It will provide a melting pot of comedy performers including the great black comedians, women of comedy, ventriloquists, clowns, mimes and even cartoon characters. As an added feature for the student of comedy history, monthly comedy workshops will be provided with instruction by accomplished comics, designed to encourage young comedians.

The Museum will house exhibits of over 400 world-renowned comedians spanning over 90 years in comedy history and representing every medium in the entertainment industry from Film, Radio, Stand-up, Television, Theater and Vaudeville. The exhibits, while including state of the art technology such as holograms, lasers, robotics and virtual reality, will be workable by everyone from small children to people challenged with disabilities.

The National Comedy Hall of Fame is searching for donations of Comedian Artifacts for display in the Museum. If you have any artifacts such as films, photographs, posters and puppets or have knowledge of the location of these types of artifacts please contact Tony Belmont, Executive Director, at 813-319-0666 or E-Mail CHF@interserv.com or write to P.O. Box 20492, St. Petersburg, FL 33742. All donations are tax deductible.

We are offering a reward/gift for information leading to the contact of the following famous comedians or their relatives: Tim "KINGFISH" Moore of Amos & Andy; Moms Mabley; Tottie Fields; Belle Barth; Pigmeat Markham; Fibber, Mc Gee & Molly; Eddie Cantor; Eve Arden; Fannie Brice; Soupy Sales; Joe E. Lewis; Harold Lloyd; Buster Keaton; Jack Parr; Freddie Prinze; The Great Gildersleeve; Ish Kabibble; Jerry Colonna; Henry Morgan; Huntz Hall; Frick & Frack; and silent film stars, Polly Moran; Ben Turpin and Edna Purviance.

Furthermore, if you are a known-professional comedian/actor and have not been contacted by our organization, please contact Susan Paul, Director of Marketing & Public Relations to insure that you are recognized in the Comedy Hall of Fame Museum for your contributions to the world of comedy.

As a gesture of appreciation to the wonderful people who have dedicated their lives to making us laugh, a portion of proceeds from admission to the Museum will be donated to the National Comedy Hall of Fame Foundation Trust Fund to provide financial assistance for major medical treatment required by comedians who are experiencing financial difficulties.

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