Harvard sends a disproportionate number of its graduates to the Supreme Court — currently six of nine SCOTUS justices studied at the famous university. Then there are the dropouts, including two of the richest men in the world — tech titans Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. But 60 Minutes is after a different — no less successful — sort of Harvard talent when 60 Minutes correspondent Jon Wertheim goes inside the secret society castle of the Harvard Lampoon in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Wertheim is after the magic formula for funny. Because Harvard — and especially the Harvard Lampoon — produces comic writers and artists at almost the same rate the university manufactures Supreme Court justices. The Lampoon is the supreme training ground for comedy writers, nurturing both talent and connections for those who get the invitation to join.
An invitation to join? That’s slim pickings. Applications are pretty straightforward: Submit six pieces of comedy writing and it’s pass/fail. Or what the Lampoon calls Funny Or Die. (Note: if Funny Or Die sounds familiar, it’s a popular web destination founded by comedian Will Ferrell and his longtime partner Adam McKay.) The Harvard Lampoon also gave birth to the National Lampoon, makers of funny movies like Vacation starring Chevy Chase. Besides big name Harvard Lampoon alumni like novelist John Updike, literary man George Plimpton, and news tycoon William Randolph Hearst, the Lampoon has stamped the popular culture. Wertheim talks to David Mandel, a Lampoon alum who writes for VEEP and used to write for Seinfeld. He talks to SNL’s Jim Downey and The Simpson’s Al Jean, too. It’s said the guy who knows all the secrets is Conan O’Brien — Conan is a former president of the Harvard Lampoon. 60 Minutes airs on Sundays at 7pm.
