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American Comedy Awards
Awarded for	All forms of comedy
Presented by	1987-2000: American Broadcasting Company 2001: Comedy Central
Country	United States
First awarded	1987
Last awarded	2001

The American Comedy Awards were a group of awards presented annually in the United States from 1987 to 2001 recognizing performances and performers in the field of comedy, with an emphasis on television comedy and comedy films. They began in 1987 and for all but one year were sponsored by the ABC television network, who initially billed them as the "first awards show to honor all forms of comedy."^[1]

History

ABC had broadcast a similar awards program for two years in the 1970s; it was called the American Academy of Humor and was "founded" by Alan King.^[1][2]

The last ACA ceremony in 2001 was held under the auspices of the cable network, Comedy Central; in 2003 that network replaced them with its own Commie Awards in what turned out to be a one-time replacement.^[3]

Awards and nominations

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1987: 1st annual awards

The first awards were held on May 19th, 1987. ABC determined the nominees through letters sent to "about 1,600 performers, producers, directors, writers, talent bookers and entertainment industry executives."^[1] Bette Midler won four awards, for Female Performer of the Year, for her role in Ruthless People, for her album Mud Will Be Flung Tonight, and a fourth for "Lifetime Achievement"; Woody Allen was also recognized for "Lifetime Achievement" and won competitive awards in the categories of "Funniest Male Comic" and "Best Male Comedian in Film" for Hannah and Her Sisters.^[1]

In addition to Midler and Allen, at least nine others have received Lifetime Achievement Awards: Steve Allen, Lucille Ball, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Sid Caesar, Jerry Lewis,^[4] Mary Tyler Moore, Lily Tomlin and Jonathan Winters. A "Lifetime Creative Achievement" award was given to Norman Lear.^[1]

2001: 15th annual awards

The 2001 Awards were held in April 2001.^[3][5]

See also

• Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
• BBC New Comedy Awards
• Robert Benchley Society Award for Humor

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Bette Midler Wins 4 Comedy Awards". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE6D7133CF932A15756C0A961948260. Retrieved 2008-09-10. 
2. ^ Some Interesting & Creative Things We've Done from the website of the public relations firm of Barbara Meltzer & Associates
3. ^ ^{a b} "American Comedy Awards, USA". The Internet Movie Database. 2008. http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/. Retrieved 2008-09-10. 
4. ^ Entertainment Awards Database, accessed March 8, 2009
5. ^ "The 15th Annual American Comedy Awards". Comedy On Tap. 2001. http://www.comedyontap.com/features/ama.html. Retrieved 2008-05-19.