Personality Comedians as Genre: Selected Players

(Hardback)

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The success of clown comedy is dependent on the comic or comics who take centre stage. These comics are usually identified with a specific comedic shtick, physical or visual humour, and their underdog status. This study of film scholar Wes Gehring presents a brief, historical overview of major figures in the genre, including W.C. Fields, Charlie Chaplin, Bob Hope and Woody Allen. The comedians discussed are drawn from four genre periods: the silent era, the depression era, the post-World War II period and the modern era.

Reviews

"A prolific writer on film comedy, Gehring has produced another thoughtful and delightful work.... Brilliantly informed, the author has a knack for connecting comic performers and shticks from one era to another... In the introduction, a quick-cut montage of memories of classic comic bits and characters, ideas and cinematic references march across the page: this reviewer felt like Lucy on the assembly line, stuffing chocolates in her mouth. It is a delicious pell-mell romp. Subsequent chapters offer more leisurely and in-depth discussion... [Gehring] instructs and delights, and his work is consistently enjoyable and highly recommended."-Choice
A prolific writer on film comedy, Gehring has produced another thoughtful and delightful work.... Brilliantly informed, the author has a knack for connecting comic performers and shticks from one era to another... In the introduction, a quick-cut montage of memories of classic comic bits and characters, ideas and cinematic references march across the page: this reviewer felt like Lucy on the assembly line, stuffing chocolates in her mouth. It is a delicious pell-mell romp. Subsequent chapters offer more leisurely and in-depth discussion... [Gehring] instructs and delights, and his work is consistently enjoyable and highly recommended.-Choice

Author Bio

WES D. GEHRING is Professor of Film at Ball State University. He is the author of numerous books, including American Dark Comedy: Beyond Satire (Greenwood, 1996), Screwball Comedy (Greenwood, 1986), Populism and the Capra Legacy (1995), Handbook of American Film Genres (1988), and bio-bibliographies on Laurel & Hardy, W. C. Fields, Charlie Chaplin, and the Marx Brothers.