hed him through the years, Allen succeeded because he was serious, hard-working, brilliant, intensely ambitious and because he worked at it all the time.
Quitting college after the first year when he flunked out, Allen soon found himself in the company of comedy greats Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Neil Simon. Developing a style of humor rooted in his Jewish background, Allen began writing for the Sid Caesar show, which many believe set a standard for American television comedy that has never been surpassed (Sinyard 8).
However, Allen's material always seemed funnier when delivered by himself than others. And, it was through the constant urging of his agents, Charles Joffe and Jack Rollins, that he decided he should perform his own material in nightclubs. Afraid of crowds, terrified and intrigued at the same time, Allen was to find success performing live. However, having always assumed that good material would get the laughs, he was to learn the hard way that delivery did not ensure success. It was the creation of a whole comic personality that would provide him with longevity.
Once he was able to develop this true comic personality, the Woody Allen now infamous through his many films surfaced. It was during this period that the persona of Woody Allen, a clown in the tradition of Charlie Chaplin, a personality that was a subtle and hilarious exaggeration of all the characteristics of himself was born. The nightclub performer, recreated in his film, became a victim, a schlemiel, that would sock himself in autobiographical stints covering subjects ranging from the privations of his early life; his family; and his first marriage (to Helen Rosen whom he divorced after five years of marriage) (Sinyard 10).
It was and continues to be Allen's apparent limitless capacity to absorb new ideas that allowed him to grow from the wisecracking Brooklyn boy to the most popular comedian of his generation. And, it was to be the wor...