The Comic Offense from Vaudeville to Contemporary Comedy: Larry David, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Dave Chappelle

Description

The Comic Offense from Vaudeville to Contemporary Comedy examines how contemporary writer/performers are influenced by the comedic vaudevillians of the early 20th century. By tracing the history and legacy of the vaudeville era and performance acts, like the Marx Brothers and The Three Keatons, and moving through the silent and early sound films of the early 1930s, the author looks at how comic writer/performers continue to sell a brand of themselves as a form of social commentary in order to confront and dispel stereotypes of race, class, and gender. The first study to explore contemporary popular comic culture and its influence on American society from this unique perspective, Rick DesRochers analyzes stand-up and improvisational comedy writing/performing in the work of Larry David, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Dave Chappelle. He grounds these choices by examining their evolution as they developed signature characters and sketches for their respective shows Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, and Chappelle's Show. Cover page Halftitle page Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents Illustrations Acknowledgments Preface Notes 1 The vaudeville aesthetic and the migration to radio and television Notes 2 “What’s real got to do with what we do?” Groucho Marx to Larry David Notes 3 “The Girlie Show” as the new burlesque Mae West to Tina Fey Notes 4 Truth and truthiness go to Washington Will Rogers to Stephen Colbert Notes 5 The mask of minstrelsy Bert Williams to Dave Chappelle Notes Epilogue Notes Bibliography Videography and CD recordings Manuscripts and archives Primary sources and recordings Secondary sources Index