In On the Joke
The Original Queens of Standup Comedy
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4.2 • 5 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
“A sensitive and vivid study of early female stand-ups… [Levy is a] painstaking, knowledgeable guide.” —New York Times Book Review
A hilarious and moving account of the trailblazing women of stand-up comedy who broke down walls so they could stand before the mic—perfect for fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Hacks
Today, women are ascendant in stand-up comedy, even preeminent. They make headlines, fill arenas, spawn blockbuster movies. But before Amy Schumer slayed, Tiffany Haddish killed, and Ali Wong drew roars, the very idea of a female comedian seemed, to most of America, like a punch line. And it took a special sort of woman—indeed, a parade of them—to break and remake the mold.
In on the Joke is the story of a group of unforgettable women who knocked down the doors of stand-up comedy so other women could get a shot. It spans decades, from Moms Mabley’s rise in Black vaudeville between the world wars, to the roadhouse ribaldry of Belle Barth and Rusty Warren in the 1950s and '60s, to Elaine May's co-invention of improv comedy, to Joan Rivers's and Phyllis Diller’s ferocious ascent to mainstream stardom. These women refused to be defined by type and tradition, facing down indifference, puzzlement, nay-saying, and unvarnished hostility. They were discouraged by agents, managers, audiences, critics, fellow performers—even their families. And yet they persevered against the tired notion that women couldn’t be funny, making space not only for themselves, but for the women who followed them.
Meticulously researched and irresistibly drawn, Shawn Levy's group portrait forms a new pantheon of comedy excellence. In on the Joke shows how women broke into the boys’ club, offered new ideas of womanhood, and had some laughs along the way.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"The women in these pages are heroes," writes film critic Levy (King of Comedy) in this riveting cultural history of women's stand-up comedy between WWII and the 1970s. Revisiting a dispiriting time when "a funny woman who wanted to tell jokes was faced with a brick wall," Levy spotlights the women who made it their mission to dismantle those barriers. He covers the era's trailblazers, including Jackie "Moms" Mabley, a Black vaudeville entertainer who, in the face of "racism, misogyny... and doubt," broke nearly every comedic convention, using humor on stage as a way to discuss social and race relations. In the 1960s, Elaine May, alongside her costar Mike Nichols, introduced sketch comedy to mainstream audiences, and Phyllis Diller "became a household name across America" by embracing "garish stagewear" and a manic demeanor to parody femininity and critique the cultural limitations around it. While in the 1970s, Joan Rivers's choice to play "a thinly disguised version of herself—a neurotic who could never get the man, the job, the spotlight" cemented her worldwide fame. Written with a vibrance that excellently captures the larger-than-life personalities of Levy's subjects, these stories coalesce to reveal the resilience and chutzpah that went into shaping stand-up as it's known today. Comedy fans would do well to snatch this one up.
