LaGuardia and Wagner Archives Welcomes New Collection for The Inner Circle
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (March 27, 2025) — The LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, a repository of NYC’s social-political history at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning to welcome its newest collection. The Inner Circle is a 102-year-old American musical parody group of journalists, bloggers, and media personalities from the New York metro area. It is a major donor to journalistic and educational charities, including PressPass NYC, the Inner Circle Fellows program at City College/CUNY, and Education Through Music.
The Inner Circle Collection features memorabilia from its annual gala, which lampoons local, state, and national politics and cultural issues. The event includes a “rebuttal” performance, often by the mayor of New York City and other elected officials. Broadway actors and notable figures, such as Hillary Clinton, Donald J. Trump, and Steve Buscemi, have taken the stage with the mayors. For example, in 2001, The Inner Circle presented a “Full Monty” parody titled “Full Front Rude-ity” in honor of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. In 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio starred in the off-off-off-off Broadway hit “Shamilton.” Most recently, Mayor Eric Adams was the focus of 2023’s “Rat Man Forever.”
“We are very proud to house this great NYC history at the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, which is constantly used by researchers, writers, authors, and investigators looking into NYC political history, with a special focus on the mayoralty,” said Kenneth Adams, President of LaGuardia Community College.
“The Inner Circle is delighted to have our collection of showbiz/political memorabilia added to the prestigious LaGuardia & Wagner Archives,” said Samantha Liebman, Inner Circle President and reporter at Spectrum News NY1. “It’s fitting that our parodies of NYC politics and government are now joined with the archives of mayors who have been our amiable targets for more than a century. This is a marquee showcase for scholars, journalists, and the public to study and enjoy our scripts, songs, performance videos, and more for the next hundred years.” Examples of items in the collection follows below.
The Inner Circle was founded in 1922 by NYC newspaper reporters covering City Hall. Its first show in 1923 satirized Governor Alfred E. Smith in “The Supersmith.” The collection includes digitized videos of Inner Circle shows dating back to the 1990s. The gala has also been a site of social activism, such as the Gay Activists Alliance’s awareness campaign in 1972.
Jennifer Jensen, Director of the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, spoke about the significance of The Inner Circle Collection. “We are thrilled to be the repository for this important collection of materials and documents that trace New York City’s political history through humor and satire,” said Ms. Jensen. “The collection offers deep insight into societal issues of the city and highlights the role media plays in shaping political and historical narratives, perceptions of public figures, and contextualizing current events both locally and globally. At its heart, the Inner Circle collection celebrates journalism as a profession and reminds us of the power of satire in a demanding news cycle.”
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards thanked LaGuardia Community College for safeguarding the legacy of The Inner Circle for generations to come and emphasized the importance of the organization’s work as journalists. “Democracy and First Amendment rights are under attack like never before. Reporting is more essential than ever. Every story you tell is a story that needs to be told.”
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio reminisced about his participation in The Inner Circle galas during his tenure as NYC’s mayor. “I fondly remember the galas that my team and I participated in. It’s a beautiful thing that we all get together and make fun of ourselves. Mayors need that. Let me tell you from the outside, having survived and returned to life after mayoralty, mayors need to be put in their place every now and then.”
Bob Liff, retired journalist for New York Newsday and the New York Daily News, shared his thoughts as a long-time Inner Circle member. “The heart and soul of the organization is the writing committee, which comes up with some of the best tasteless jokes that don’t make it into the script,” he said. “I have two rules for my work with The Inner Circle: it’s not my day job, and dignity is not the issue. If it’s not fun, it’s not worth it. It’s a lot of work, but we keep doing it. As they say in the Inner Circle parade, we go show after show again.”
The 2025 Inner Circle Show, “Beg Your Pardon,” will be at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on Saturday, April 5, with a ticketed Dress Rehearsal on Friday, April 4.
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The LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY chronicles the past 150 years of New York City history, with a growing focus on Queens and the outer boroughs. Housing more than two million documents, and with 100,000 photographs digitized and accessible on its website, the Archives serves students, scholars, journalists, policy makers, and exhibition planners. Collections include the records of the New York City Council and the New York City Housing Authority; explorations into Queens local history and LGBTQ activism in Queens; as well as selected documents from the administrations of Mayors Fiorello H. LaGuardia, William O’Dwyer, Robert F. Wagner, John V. Lindsay, Abraham D. Beame, Edward I. Koch, David Dinkins, and Rudolph Giuliani.
LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.
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