Classic comedy routines and individual gags have been around for many hundreds of years, probably thousands; the best of these ribticklers make their merry way through theater, circus, film and television. The challenge to comedians has always been to adapt familiar material in a way that emphasizes their personal style and outlook. The many routines and gags cited in this illustrated history are lovingly deconstructed to show how they have been shaped to suit different eras and performers. These tried and true laugh-provokers are indestructible. Through all the remakes, revivals, recycles and revamps, they have survived robustly to the present day. As these timeless comedy gems are traced to their beginnings and followed through the years, readers are taken on a mirthful journey from Keystone to Zombieland.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
1. And Then There Were Pies
2. Mannequins and Other Dummies
3. Animals
4. Adventures in Eating
5. Attack of the Vamps
6. Indecent Exposure
7. Spooky Apparitions
8. Bombs and Burglars
9. How to Disguise Yourself as Furniture and Fool Your Friends
10. The Amazing Trapdoor Chase
11. Science and Magic
12. Tooth Extraction and Laughing Gas
13. Into the Looking Glass
14. Sleepless Nights
15. Fathers to Sons of the Desert
16. The Big Jangly Box, the Sliding Ladder and Other Comic Props
17. The Buster Keaton Variations
18. The Harold Lloyd Variations
19. Hysterical History
20. Bugs
21. Scared Black Servants, Dice-Playing African Cannibals, and the Most Racist Comedy in Silent Cinema History
22. Other Variations
Chapter Notes
Bibliography