In The Comedians, comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff brings to life a century of American comedy with real-life characters, forgotten stars, mainstream heroes and counterculture iconoclasts. Based on over two hundred original interviews and extensive archival research, Nesteroff’s 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, Nesteroff 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.
The Comedians is an incredibly well researched and sourced history of comedy from vaudeville through today. The comics, the venues, the shady deals, and the meltdowns are all described in fascinating detail. However, this is not a funny book. If you expect this to be a book full of jokes and the best lines from the best comedians, you will be disappointed. While there are some humorous lines cited in the book, it more often delves into the pain and struggles of comedians, club owners, managers, etc. I highly recommend this book as an essential, exhaustive history of the medium.
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The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, and the History of American Comedy Information
- Publisher: Grove Press; Reprint edition (November 3, 2015) ( Download PDF :
) - Language: English
- File Size: 10970 KB
- Print Length: 448 pages
- Author :
- ASIN: B00XAQ1O7Y
- Publication Date: November 3, 2015
About the Author
Kliph Nesteroff is a former stand-up comic turned writer. A longtime contributor to WFMU, writing about the history of comedy, Nesteroff’s latest project is hosting the Classic Showbiz Talk Show, a live series in Los Angeles that has welcomed comedy luminaries like Mel Brooks, Fred Willard and Laugh-In creator George Schlatter.
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