Phyllis Diller Gag File

Have You Heard the One About…?

The Phyllis Diller Gag File

Closed October 28, 2011
Online

This exhibition brought to life one of America’s most iconic and influential comediennes. At the center of the display was the gag file, a steel cabinet with 48 file-drawers containing more than 50,000 jokes and gags typewritten on index cards by Diller during her career. It also included some of Diller’s most iconic costume pieces—an unkempt wig, wrist-length gloves, cloth-covered ankle boots and a bejeweled cigarette holder, all of which became synonymous with her comedic persona. As her career progressed, Diller also worked her jokes into various books, which reached an even wider audience.

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