Laughter on the 23rd Floor is a 1993 hit comedy by Neil Simon. It focuses on the star and writers of a TV comedy-variety show in the 1950s, inspired by Simon's own early career experience as a junior writer, this ensemble comedy features all the attendant comic drama as the harried writing staff frantically scrambles to top each other with gags while competing for the attention of star madman Max Prince. The play is notable not only for its insider’s look at the personalities and processes of television comedy writing (and the hilarious results), but also for its reflection of the political and social undercurrents of its time, in particular the rise of Joseph McCarthy, relationships between various (European) American ethnicities, and attitudes toward women.