Funny Women For Serious Cause

CBS This Morning visited the Friar's Club in New York to join a bunch of funny women who got together for lunch on Wednesday.

It was the kickoff for Marshall's Women in Comedy Festival, and those on hand included comedians Rita Rudner, Paula Poundstone, and Amy Stiller.

"We're a little bit scary," says Rudner. "[Women comedians] haven't been around that long. We're a little bit of an oddity. People like to look at us. We're almost like a creature in the zoo."

This Morning asked the three funny women who gave them the biggest laughs.

Says Rudner, "I always loved Phyllis Diller. I love Joan Rivers. I loved the fact that they just got on stage and did their act."

Paula Poundstone (CBS)

Poundstone says she particularly admires the work of Lily Tomlin and the late Gilda Radner. "When I was in high school, I cut pictures of [them] and put them on display on my bed," she recalls.

Amy Stiller (CBS)

And who inspired Amy Stiller? "Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg," says Stiller, who is the sister of actor-director Ben Stiller. She has appeared in two of the movies her brother directed, including The Cable Guy.

The Marshall's Women in Comedy Festival, named after the clothing store chain that is its primary sponsor, showcases female comics in performances throughout New York City for five days. Proceeds go to programs that help prevent domestic violence.

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