Queens Of Comedy

Through candid personal interviews with Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, and other visionary performers, Queens of Comedy explores how comediennes have redefined the roles of women in not only the entertainment business, but society as a whole. Detailing both their public and private lives - as well as their many and varied performances - Queen of Comedy examines the impact these women have had on the predominantly male-oriented world of comedy. Performers like Carol Burnett, Joan Rivers, and their more recent counterparts, comediennes Brett Butler and Roseanne, have helped to sift women's roles in comedy from object to subject. This book maps out this shift, providing an often brutally honest picture of women's lives in both the spotlight of comedy and this modern world.

First Published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

“A sensitive and vivid study of early female stand-ups… [Levy is a] painstaking, knowledgeable guide.” —New York Times Book Review A hilarious and moving account of the trailblazing women of stand-up comedy who broke down walls so they could stand before the mic—perfect for fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Hacks Today, women are ascendant in stand-up 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 punch line. 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 stand-up 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 1950s and '60s, to Elaine May's co-invention of improv comedy, to Joan Rivers's 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.

They are comedy legends: Lucille Ball, Phyllis Diller, Carol Burnett, and Joan Rivers! Cinderella had a glass slipper, but comics have clown shoes that leave footprints on our fannies and handprints on our hearts. Queens of Comedy includes Dr. Sue's personal interviews with great stars, show business advice, comedy secrets, and insights into humor and gender.Dr. Sue Horowitz asks pertinent questions, receives candid answers, and offers a banquet of food for thought. What can these great ladies of laughs teach us about how to be funny, appeal to audiences, look fabulous (yes, they do, despite the self-deprecating jokes), overcome obstacles, and make a success in show business - or any business? How do they connect (they must - or they wouldn't be so popular) with the lives and fantasies of people all over the world? Do they simply reflect gender roles (with a girlish giggle)? Or do their imaginative schemes, clever remarks, and the fact that they are outrageously funny women challenge and undermine those roles?Dr. Sue shows how gifted performers turn their lives into laughs and indelible stage and screen personalities. These show business icons share their secrets of comic delivery, writing, and connecting to audiences. They also share details about their personal lives - often a triumph of sheer determination over harsh adversity. They made hard choices, honed their talents, and turned private pain into public success - and laughed all the way to the bank!Dr. Sue also places her four queens in context in the grand tradition of female comedy, present and past - Ellen DeGeneres, Tina Fey, Goldie Hawn, Joy Behar, Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Lily Tomlin, Elayne Boosler, Mae West, Sophie Tucker, Moms Mabley, Fanny Brice, Totie Fields Gracie Allen and other talented but less-known performers. These great ladies of laughs stormed the barricades (or charmed the guards) to gain admittance to the "all-boys club" of traditional comedy. They challenged stereotypes and stigmas that limit all of us. They know the difference between being the butt of a sexist joke and the self-defined subject of a laugh-line and - and so should we.Queens of Comedy is a fun, thoughtful glimpse into the private lives, public personae, and comic craft of these great ladies of laughs. Anthologies of comedians often ignore or minimize the talents of funny women - despite their powerful presence in media that reach millions of people all over the world.Dr. Sue's engaging book makes a lively, original, cogent argument that it's all about sex appeal, comic appeal and power - and that show business is everybody's business. Queens of Comedy shows that, like the queens on a chess board, women comics can be powerful, make the last move, and have the last word!Endorsements:"Susan Horowitz has analyzed female comedy and dissected it clear to the bone. She's used a fine-tooth-comb to find motivation, why and how. Queens of Comedy is truly a textbook worthy of study." - Phyllis Diller, Comedienne"The subject of women who make people laugh seems an ongoing source of interest. And just when you thought everything had been said, along comes Susan Horowitz with a whole new slant. A must for the student of comedy and anyone else who wants to crack the mystery of estrogen-induced yuks." - Joy Behar, Comedienne"Dr. Sue Horowitz is a wonderful combination of somebody who puts women's comedy in context, and is a funny, effervescent performer!" -- Regina "Gina" Barreca, Ph.D., Author/Editor/ Professor of English Literature and Feminist Theory at the University of Connecticut"Queens of Comedy is informative, original, and vastly entertaining - a must-read for comedy fans and a seriously funny way to look at gender roles."-- Professor...

When is hair "just hair" and when is it not "just hair"? Documenting the politics of African American women's hair, this multi-sited linguistic ethnography explores everyday interaction in beauty parlors, Internet discussions, comedy clubs, and other contexts to illuminate how and why hair matters in African American women's day-to-day experiences.

On This Day in Comedy is not just an encyclopedia, but a celebration of comedy. In humorous prose the book takes readers through the often-neglected subcultures of comedy in America, acknowledging the inclusiveness of the performers as well as shows and films that made this art form so vital to comics of all backgrounds. It's artistically criminal that a search for Native American or Asian comedy information yields a virtually blank slate. Look for Middle Eastern comics and you'll be provided information on the region's comic book revolution, and search results for Latin comedy are confined to a series of outdated articles. This encyclopedia will offer rare and in some cases never-before-seen photos and obscure facts, making it an indispensable comedy essential.