In on the Joke : : the Original Queens of Standup Comedy

Locations
Call Number: 792.76 Le, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Performing Arts / General / Levy, Shawn
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	792.76 Le	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Performing Arts / General / Levy, Shawn	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Performing Arts / General / Levy, Shawn	4-week checkout	Due 05-18-2024

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.
"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"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
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Summary / Annotation
Table of Contents
Excerpt
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

A series of biographical essays of female standup comics submitted by GJBarnett2 on April 16, 2022, 9:13pm ... with only occasional samples of their comedic material. Intended to be more educational than entertaining, in which it fully succeeds. It takes great skill to make comedy so boring.