Eccentrics of Comedy
Eccentrics of Comedy

Author: Anthony Slide

Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 9780810835344

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Eccentrics of Comedy examines the lives and careers of twelve entertainers whose comedic styles were distinctly eccentric: Milton Berle, Ed Brendel, Bobby Clark, Phyllis Diller, the Duncan Sisters, Edward Everett Horton, Alice Howell, Franklin Pangborn, Old Mother Riley, Margaret Rutherford, Colonel Lemuel Q. Stoopnagle, and Ernest Thesiger. For the majority of these performers, Eccentrics of Comedy provides the first serious, detailed discussion of their work. The figures are from all areas of popular entertainment. Milton Berle is "Mr. Television." The Duncan Sisters and Bobby Clark were headliners in vaudeville and musical comedy. Alice Howell was a silent screen comedienne. Colonel Lemuel Q. Stoopnagle was a familiar figure on radio in the 1930s. Edward Everett Horton, Franklin Pangborn, Old Mother Riley, Margaret Rutherford, and Ernest Thesiger are primarily known for their work on screen. The comedic styles vary widely, but Slide highlights similarities between the entertainers. Slide writes with enthusiasm and affection for his subjects. Both Milton Berle and Phyllis Diller offered him first-hand accounts of their careers, and in many cases he quotes from other film celebrities who worked with the comedians. Slide offers a thorough understanding of the media in which his subjects worked and brings their acts to life.

A Comedian and an Activist Walk into a Bar
A Comedian and an Activist Walk into a Bar

Author: Caty Borum Chattoo

Publisher: University of California Press

Published: 2020-03-24

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 0520299760

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Comedy is a powerful contemporary source of influence and information. In the still-evolving digital era, the opportunity to consume and share comedy has never been as available. And yet, despite its vast cultural imprint, comedy is a little-understood vehicle for serious public engagement in urgent social justice issues – even though humor offers frames of hope and optimism that can encourage participation in social problems. Moreover, in the midst of a merger of entertainment and news in the contemporary information ecology, and a decline in perceptions of trust in government and traditional media institutions, comedy may be a unique force for change in pressing social justice challenges. Comedians who say something serious about the world while they make us laugh are capable of mobilizing the masses, focusing a critical lens on injustices, and injecting hope and optimism into seemingly hopeless problems. By combining communication and social justice frameworks with contemporary comedy examples, authors Caty Borum Chattoo and Lauren Feldman show us how comedy can help to serve as a vehicle of change. Through rich case studies, audience research, and interviews with comedians and social justice leaders and strategists, A Comedian and an Activist Walk Into a Bar: The Serious Role of Comedy in Social Justice explains how comedy – both in the entertainment marketplace and as cultural strategy – can engage audiences with issues such as global poverty, climate change, immigration, and sexual assault, and how activists work with comedy to reach and empower publics in the networked, participatory digital media age.

Comedy for Animators
Comedy for Animators

Author: Jonathan Lyons

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2015-11-19

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 1317679555

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While comedy writers are responsible for creating clever scripts, comedic animators have a much more complicated problem to solve: What makes a physical character funny? Comedy for Animators breaks down the answer by exploring the techniques of those who have used their bodies to make others laugh. Drawing from traditions such as commedia dell’arte, pantomime, Vaudeville, the circus, and silent and modern film, animators will learn not only to create funny characters, but also how to execute gags, create a comic climate, and use environment as a character. Whether you’re creating a comic villain or a bumbling sidekick, this is the one and only guide you need to get your audience laughing! Explanation of comedic archetypes and devices will both inspire and inform your creative choices Exploration of various modes of storytelling allows you to give the right context for your story and characters Tips for creating worlds, scenarios, and casts for your characters to flourish in Companion website includes example videos and further resources to expand your skillset--check it out at www.comedyforanimators.com! Jonathan Lyons delivers simple, fun, illustrated lessons that teach readers to apply the principles of history’s greatest physical comedians to their animated characters. This isn’t stand-up comedy—it’s the falling down and jumping around sort!