Comedy is a Man in Trouble: Slapstick in American Movies [Hardcover]

Alan Dale (Author)

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Product details

Hardcover: 270 pages
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press (20 Sep 2000)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0816636575
ISBN-13: 978-0816636570
Product Dimensions: 2.4 x 1.6 x 0.2 cm
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,237,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Book Description

Legendary screen comedian Jerry Lewis once said, "The premise of all comedy is a man in trouble." The films that endeared Lewis and others to us hinged on the physical assault of their hero, the pie in the face or slip on the banana peel that reduced the movie star to the level of the audience. Alan Dale presents a lively and accessible look at slapstick, a form of comedy with roots in the circus and vaudeville that has been refashioned by actors ranging from Buster Keaton to the Marx Brothers, from Katharine Hepburn to Jim Carrey.

Alan Dale worked at a Los Angeles talent agency before earning a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Princeton University. He is currently working toward a J.D. at Yale Law School.

Winner of the Theater Library Association's Special Jury Prize for Distinguished Achievement --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Amazon.com: 2 reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Bringing slapstick into the 21st Century 7 Nov 2000

By Ben J Model - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Hardcover

Dale's book is an entertaining and academic look not only at the medium of slapstick itself but also at our need to be entertained by it. The book's examination of silent slapstick includes not only the major players (Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd) but also covers women in silent comedy. What's also respectable is that Dale discusses Jerry Lewis's important contribution to slapstick in film without putting him on the pedestal other critics (and often Lewis himself) put him on, as well as Lewis's influence on contemporary visual humorists like Jim Carrey and the Farrelly Bros.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

A surprisingly great find! 11 Oct 2009

By Jeannie - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

While researching different types of humor for my research in (human-centric) computer information systems, I stumbled upon this book. Though I usually read technical article after technical article, I found this book to be a nice break from the usual. It provided me with the information I needed for my research, but with an added surprise. I found myself reading this book for pure enjoyment and entertainment. The subject is fascinating and the Dale does a great job of explaining it in the most interesting of ways. I think this is my next "coffee table book" once I put it down myself!

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