Stan Taffel

Early career

Taffel appeared in a series of televised PBS specials, titled The News In Revue that premiered as an off-Broadway stage show in the theater district. Taffel co-directed the show with creator Nancy Holson. This first special was nominated for five Emmy Awards, of which it won three.

Taffel was a founding member of the comedy improvisation troupes, Noo Yawk Tawk, which debuted at the Village Gate in New York City and Speakeasy, at the West End Comedy Club. Others in the group included Miguel Sierra, Marc Kudisch, Debra Wilson and Richmond Shepard. He has toured doing stand up comedy from coast to coast, and provided several voices for the animated series, The Toysters.

Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, Taffel appeared on Make Me Laugh, performing stand up comedy and impersonations and was a cast member of New Jewish Cuisine, a comedic cooking show.

Taffel conducted archival interviews with Jane Russell, Angie Dickinson, George Hamilton, Piper Laurie, Charles Lane, Don Murray, Joan Van Ark, Norman Lloyd, and Patricia Neal among others. Taffel also interviewed the surviving Munchkins from the MGM film, The Wizard Of Oz, at Grauman's Chinese Theater to commemorate their star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

Taffel is the vice president of Cinecon, a motion picture festival held annually in Los Angeles, and will be hosting the documentary, Gable: The Ties That Bind, for Tegan Summer Productions.

Emmy Awards

Taffel won three consecutive Emmy Awards in 1993, 1994 and 1995 for his performances in The News In Revue.

Archivist

In the profession of film archiving, Taffel's personal collection contains almost 1,500 prints of rare motion pictures and television shows, many of which are the only surviving copies. He has provided film clips and other information to documentaries including Buster Keaton: A Hard Act To Follow, The Tramp and The Dictator, Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic.