Book
In on the joke : the original queens of standup comedy
Published [2022] by Doubleday, New York
ISBN 9780385545785
Bib Id 2497289
Edition First edition.
Description pages cm
More Details
Leader
03660cam a22005178i 4500
LCCN
2021-013200
ISBN
9780385545785 (hardcover) $30.00
0385545789
9781984899279 (trade paperback) $
1984899279
Call #
792.7028 L
Title
In on the joke : the original queens of standup comedy
Edition
First edition.
Publication Information
[2022] by Doubleday, New York :
Description
pages cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
Introduction -- Author's note -- The philosopher -- The pro -- The sunflower -- The bawds -- The pottymouth -- the liberator -- The positive thinker -- The perfectionist -- The songbird -- The scrapper -- Conclusion.
Summary
"Today, women are ascendant in standup comedy, even preeminent. They make headlines, fill arenas, spawn blockbuster movies. But before Amy Schumer slayed, Tiffany Haddish killed, and Ali Wong drew roars, the very idea of a female comedian seemed, to most of America, like a punchline. And it took a special sort of woman-indeed, a parade of them-to break and remake the mold. In on the Joke is the story of a group of unforgettable women who knocked down the doors of standup comedy so other women could get a shot. It spans decades, from Moms Mabley's rise in Black vaudeville between the World Wars, to the roadhouse ribaldry of Belle Barth and Rusty Warren in the '50s and '60s, to Elaine May's co-invention of improv comedy, to Joan Rivers' and Phyllis Diller's ferocious ascent to mainstream stardom. These women refused to be defined by type and tradition, facing down indifference, puzzlement, nay-saying, and unvarnished hostility. They were discouraged by agents, managers, audiences, critics, fellow performers-even their families. And yet they persevered against the tired notion that women couldn't be funny, making space not only for themselves but for the women who followed them. Meticulously researched and irresistibly drawn, Shawn Levy's group portrait forms a new pantheon of comedy excellence. In on the Joke shows how women broke into the boys' club, offered new ideas of womanhood, and had some laughs along the way"--
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