The Comedians of the King
The Comedians of the King

Author: Julia Doe

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2021-03-21

Total Pages: 327

ISBN-13: 022674339X

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Lyric theater in ancien régime France was an eminently political art, tied to the demands of court spectacle. This was true not only of tragic opera (tragédie lyrique) but also its comic counterpart, opéra comique, a form tracing its roots to the seasonal trade fairs of Paris. While historians have long privileged the genre’s popular origins, opéra comique was brought under the protection of the French crown in 1762, thus consolidating a new venue where national music might be debated and defined. In The Comedians of the King, Julia Doe traces the impact of Bourbon patronage on the development of opéra comique in the turbulent prerevolutionary years. Drawing on both musical and archival evidence, the book presents the history of this understudied genre and unpacks the material structures that supported its rapid evolution at the royally sponsored Comédie-Italienne. Doe demonstrates how comic theater was exploited in, and worked against, the monarchy’s carefully cultivated public image—a negotiation that became especially fraught after the accession of the music-loving queen, Marie Antoinette. The Comedians of the King examines the aesthetic and political tensions that arose when a genre with popular foundations was folded into the Bourbon propaganda machine, and when a group of actors trained at the Parisian fairs became official representatives of the sovereign, or comédiens ordinaires du roi.

King of Comedy
King of Comedy

Author: Shawn Levy

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 564

ISBN-13: 0312132484

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A biography of Jerry Lewis, discussing his varied career as a performer, director, fundraiser, and standard-setting comedian, and looking at the private man and the forces that drive him.

The Comedians
The Comedians

Author: Kliph Nesteroff

Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic

Published: 2015-11-03

Total Pages: 460

ISBN-13: 0802190863

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“Funny [and] fascinating . . . If you’re a comedy nerd you’ll love this book.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, National Post, and Splitsider Based on over two hundred original interviews and extensive archival research, this groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past one hundred years. Starting with the vaudeville circuit at the turn of the last century, the book introduces the first stand-up comedian—an emcee who abandoned physical shtick for straight jokes. After the repeal of Prohibition, Mafia-run supper clubs replaced speakeasies, and mobsters replaced vaudeville impresarios as the comedian’s primary employer. In the 1950s, the late-night talk show brought stand-up to a wide public, while Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, and Jonathan Winters attacked conformity and staged a comedy rebellion in coffeehouses. From comedy’s part in the civil rights movement and the social upheaval of the late 1960s, to the first comedy clubs of the 1970s and the cocaine-fueled comedy boom of the 1980s, The Comedians culminates with a new era of media-driven celebrity in the twenty-first century. “Entertaining and carefully documented . . . jaw-dropping anecdotes . . . This book is a real treat.” —Merrill Markoe, TheWall Street Journal

Hokum!
Hokum!

Author: Rob King

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2017-04-07

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 0520288114

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A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. Hokum! is the first book to take a comprehensive view of short-subject slapstick comedy in the early sound era. Challenging the received wisdom that sound destroyed the slapstick tradition, author Rob King explores the slapstick short’s Depression-era development against a backdrop of changes in film industry practice, comedic tastes, and moviegoing culture. Each chapter is grounded in case studies of comedians and comic teams, including the Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and Robert Benchley. The book also examines how the past legacy of silent-era slapstick was subsequently reimagined as part of a nostalgic mythology of Hollywood’s youth.

Inside Comedy
Inside Comedy

Author: David Steinberg

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky

Published: 2023-06-06

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 0813197570

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David Steinberg's name has been synonymous with comedy for decades. The Canadian-born comedian, producer, writer, director, and author has been called "a comic institution himself" by the New York Times. He appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 140 times (second only to Bob Hope), and directed episodes of popular television sitcoms, including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, Friends, Mad About You, The Golden Girls, and Designing Women. From 2012–2015, Steinberg hosted the comedy documentary series Inside Comedy, which featured such comedy greats as Billy Crystal, Chris Rock, and Gary Shandling. In this entertaining history of comedy, Steinberg shares insightful memories of his journey through his career and takes the reader behind the curtain of the comedy scene of the last half-century. Steinberg shares amusing and often hilarious stories and anecdotes from some of the most legendary comedians in the industry—from Groucho Marx, Carol Burnett, Mel Brooks, and Richard Pryor to Lily Tomlin, Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Tina Fey. Inside Comedy presents in-depth portraits of some of the most talented and revered comedians in the world of comedy today.

Git-R-Done
Git-R-Done

Author: Larry the Cable Guy

Publisher: Crown

Published: 2006-06-06

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0307237672

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Chock-Full of Straight Talk About America. . . And Some Jokes, Too! Larry the Cable Guy on . . . NASCAR: It’s a lotta good old-fashioned fun started by a buncha moonshiners. Just seein’ all the ZZ Top–lookin’ folks drinkin’ beer, havin’ a good time, and not givin’ a darn is awesome. And that’s just the women! Dieting: I once went on the “liquid diet.” I was supposed to drink nothin’ but liquids for a week. But I got so drunk and sick of that Jim Beam and Coke, I’ll never drink it again. Why his catchphrase “git-r-done” is better than other catchphrases: Ya can’t be at a ball game with two outs in the ninth inning and yell to the pitcher “Bounty is the quicker picker-upper!!” It makes no sense. But you could yell “Git-r-done” and everyone would know what you meant. The red state–blue state divide: Is Dr. Seuss runnin’ the government? Larry’s mom on Larry’s book: “There’s really not much I can say here except for I apologize to everyone ahead of time for the crap you are about to read.” —Larry’s mom Also available as an eBook.

The Laughing Cure
The Laughing Cure

Author: Brian King

Publisher: Skyhorse

Published: 2016-05-03

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 1510702504

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Dr. Brian King is a psychologist and stand-up comedian whose humor therapy seminars are attended by more than ten thousand people each year. In The Laughing Cure, King combines wit with medical research to reveal the benefits of laughter and humor on physical and emotional health. King’s language is humorous and uplifting, and his advice is backed in science. The Laughing Cure features clinical studies and interviews with some of the nation’s top doctors that prove that laughter lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, boosts immune systems, and triggers endorphins. It’s been shown to relieve depression, to produce a general sense of wellbeing, even to make us more productive, loving, and kind. The Laughing Cure presents step-by-step guidance and proven techniques to embrace laughter as both medicine for current conditions and preventative medicine. This highly unique and enjoyable read explains why much-talked about, but little understood methods of therapy like those embraced by acclaimed humor doctor Patch Adams—played by Robyn Williams in a 1998 film—and laughter yoga actually work. Growing up, King wanted to be a stand-up comic; his PhD. was his backup plan. Little did he know, the impact his unique situation would put him in, the way it would allow him to help others. Very few doctors have the ability to heal the way that King does; his method is cheap, easy, chemical-free—even fun. With The Laughing Cure, readers will learn how—and why—laughter saves lives.

Smells Like Bacon
Smells Like Bacon

Author: Tommy Woodard

Publisher: K-LOVE

Published: 2021-09-07

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 1954201087

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The guys who together form the popular comedy duo The Skit Guys, take their distinct brand of humor and apply it to a guide on how to make and keep friends and why it matters for a life of faith and laughs. Tommy Woodard and Eddie James, the men who form the widely popular comedy duo The Skit Guys, have been best friends since high school. With encouragement and guidance from their youth pastor, the guys started to write and perform skits for their youth group. Since their high-school days, they've been writing and performing hilarious and poignant skits live around the world and on camera, as well as on their site, SkitGuys.com. Everywhere they go, the question people always ask them is, “How did you guys get to be and figure out how to stay friends?” Now, this offbeat duo is coming together to present Smells Like Bacon: The Skit Guys Guide to Lifelong Friendships, a book about the power of friendships and how to build the kind of friendships that last. Written in the signature hilarity of a Skit Guys dialogue—with well-placed banter or two sprinkled in for good measure—Smells Like Bacon explores: - Who needs friends? - Let’s-Dig-in-the-Dirt Friends - Awkward things not to say to potential friends - Crying at the movie Beaches - How to be a good friend; - What to look for in friends—and what to avoid; - How to handle difficult situations in friendship; and - Why God makes a great friend - And fun and random stories, and of course, bacon references Tommy and Eddie have traveled the world performing for families at events, churches, and conferences. Their SkitGuys.com website has grown into a treasured media resource for families, pastors and churches. Their numerous short films, skits, and scripts are used to reach families all over the world. When The Skit Guys aren't performing or shooting new short films, both Tommy and Eddie serve in their local churches, enjoy good food (especially pizza and fries!), and love life with their families.

Matzo Balls for Breakfast and Other Memories of Growing Up Jewish
Matzo Balls for Breakfast and Other Memories of Growing Up Jewish

Author: Alan King

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2007-11-01

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13: 141658546X

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Alan King -- the beloved comic, actor, producer, author, philanthropist, and storyteller extraordinaire -- has compiled a wonderfully readable book about growing up Jewish, with totally original contributions by famous people. Combining warmhearted humor with a prideful nostalgia, these essays discuss life in the Jewish family and neighborhood, being a Jew in a non-Jewish world, Jewish holidays, and discovering the essence of being Jewish.