Author: Neil Sinyard
Publisher: Smithmark Publishers
ISBN: 9780831714512
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 182

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Book Description

Author: Neil Sinyard
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780861248780
Category : Comedians
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description

Author: Kristine Brunovska Karnick
Publisher: Other
ISBN: 9780415906395
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 826

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Book Description
Applies the recent return to history' in film studies to the genre of classical Hollywood comedy as well as broadening the definition of those works considered central in this field.

Author: Leonard Maltin
Publisher: Random House Value Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Examines the personal lives, careers, and films of Chaplin, Keaton, Laurel & Hardy, the Marx Brothers, Danny Kaye, and other great movie comedians.

Author: Anthony Balducci
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 078648893X
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
Classic comedy routines and individual gags have been around for many hundreds of years, probably thousands; the best of these ribticklers make their merry way through theater, circus, film and television. The challenge to comedians has always been to adapt familiar material in a way that emphasizes their personal style and outlook. The many routines and gags cited in this illustrated history are lovingly deconstructed to show how they have been shaped to suit different eras and performers. These tried and true laugh-provokers are indestructible. Through all the remakes, revivals, recycles and revamps, they have survived robustly to the present day. As these timeless comedy gems are traced to their beginnings and followed through the years, readers are taken on a mirthful journey from Keystone to Zombieland.

Author: Leonard Maltin
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781514324943
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 378

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Book Description
THE GREAT MOVIE COMEDIANS: FROM CHARLIE CHAPLIN TO WOODY ALLEN - Revised Edition by Leonard Maltin Leonard Maltin surveys the 20th century's greatest comedy performers to see what made each one unique. Drawing on his own observations as well as interviews with directors who worked with these stars, he presents entertaining profiles of everyone from Charlie Chaplin, the genius who "did it all" to his modern-day counterpart Woody Allen, whose nebbish persona became as identifiable as Chaplin's Little Tramp. Along the way you'll learn about pioneering comedienne Mabel Normand, sexual provocateur Mae West (who wrote her own saucy material), "iron man" Buster Keaton, the madcap Marx Brothers, the relentlessly rowdy Three Stooges, and many, many more. Maltin has revised his chapters (and filmographies) on Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, and Woody Allen to bring this acclaimed 1978 book up to date. What's more, he's added some rare, new photos to the already-impressive gallery of images. If you love comedy, you'll enjoy this celebratory volume.

Author: Russell Sweeney
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Comedy films
Languages : en
Pages : 60

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Book Description

Author: Wes D. Gehring
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786499966
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
The 1950s were a transitional period for film comedians. The artistic suppression of the McCarthy era and the advent of television often resulted in a dumbing down of motion pictures. Cartoonist-turned-director Frank Tashlin contributed a funny but cartoonish effect through his work with comedians like Jerry Lewis and Bob Hope. A new vanguard of comedians appeared without stock comic garb or make-up--fresh faces not easily pigeonholed as merely comedians, such as Tony Randall, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. Some traditional comedians, like Charlie Chaplin, Red Skelton and Danny Kaye, continued their shtick, though with some evident tweaking. This book provides insight into a misunderstood decade of film history with an examination of the "personality comedians." The talents of Dean Martin and Bob Hope are reappraised and the "dumb blonde" stereotype, as applied to Judy Holliday and Marilyn Monroe, is deconstructed.

Author: James Roots
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442236507
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 465

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Book Description
The silent film era featured some of the most revered names of on-screen comic performance, from Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton to Harold Lloyd, Douglas Fairbanks, and Laurel & Hardy. Besides these giants of cinema, however, there are other silent era performers—both leading actors and supporting players—who left an enduring legacy of laughter. In The 100 Greatest Silent Film Comedians, James Roots ranks the greatest performers based on a scorecard that measures each comic’s humor, timelessness, originality, and teamwork. Far more than just a listing, this is an idiosyncratic and entertaining review of the men and women who created the golden age of comedy. As a critic and deaf viewer, Roots brings a truly unique perspective to the evaluation of these performers and their work. He has viewed thousands of silent comedies and offers some assessments that run contrary to the standard list of performers. While many obvious names are placed in the top echelon, the author also champions performers who have been neglected, in part because their work has not been as visible. Each entry includes a filmography a scorecard an evaluation of the artist’s overall work an assessment of representative films DVD availability With the increased availability of films on DVD, as well as Internet access, more and more silent performers are being discovered by film fans. Supplemented by an appendix of comedians who missed the cut, as well as an annotated bibliography, The 100 Greatest Silent Film Comedians will be an invaluable resource to anyone wanting to know more about the brilliant entertainers of the silent era.

Author: Gerald Nachman
Publisher: Pantheon
ISBN: 0307490726
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 688

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Book Description
The comedians of the 1950s and 1960s were a totally different breed of relevant, revolutionary performer from any that came before or after, comics whose humor did much more than pry guffaws out of audiences. Gerald Nachman presents the stories of the groundbreaking comedy stars of those years, each one a cultural harbinger: • Mort Sahl, of a new political cynicism • Lenny Bruce, of the sexual, drug, and language revolution • Dick Gregory, of racial unrest • Bill Cosby and Godfrey Cambridge, of racial harmony • Phyllis Diller, of housewifely complaint • Mike Nichols & Elaine May and Woody Allen, of self-analytical angst and a rearrangement of male-female relations • Stan Freberg and Bob Newhart, of encroaching, pervasive pop media manipulation and, in the case of Bob Elliott & Ray Goulding, of the banalities of broadcasting • Mel Brooks, of the Yiddishization of American comedy • Sid Caesar, of a new awareness of the satirical possibilities of television • Joan Rivers, of the obsessive craving for celebrity gossip and of a latent bitchy sensibility • Tom Lehrer, of the inane, hypocritical, mawkishly sentimental nature of hallowed American folkways and, in the case of the Smothers Brothers, of overly revered folk songs and folklore • Steve Allen, of the late-night talk show as a force in American comedy • David Frye and Vaughn Meader, of the merger of showbiz and politics and, along with Will Jordan, of stretching the boundaries of mimicry • Shelley Berman, of a generation of obsessively self-confessional humor • Jonathan Winters and Jean Shepherd, of the daring new free-form improvisational comedy and of a sardonically updated view of Midwestern archetypes • Ernie Kovacs, of surreal visual effects and the unbounded vistas of video Taken together, they made up the faculty of a new school of vigorous, socially aware satire, a vibrant group of voices that reigned from approximately 1953 to 1965. Nachman shines a flashlight into the corners of these comedians’ chaotic and often troubled lives, illuminating their genius as well as their demons, damaged souls, and desperate drive. His exhaustive research and intimate interviews reveal characters that are intriguing and all too human, full of rich stories, confessions, regrets, and traumas. Seriously Funny is at once a dazzling cultural history and a joyous celebration of an extraordinary era in American comedy.