The New Humor in the Progressive Era

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxi

   PDF

2. Americanization: Progressive-Era Reformers, Cultural Critics, and Popular Comic Entertainments

   • Rick DesRochers

   Pages 1-27

3. Putting It Over in American Vaudeville

   • Rick DesRochers

   Pages 29-52

4. The New Humor: Ethnic Acts and Family Acts

   • Rick DesRochers

   Pages 53-75

5. The Marx Brothers Go to School

   • Rick DesRochers

   Pages 77-108

6. The New Woman and the Female Comedian as Social Insurgent

   • Rick DesRochers

   Pages 109-137

7. Epilogue

   • Rick DesRochers

   Pages 139-142

8. Back Matter

   Pages 143-187

   PDF

By tracing the effects of unprecedented immigration, the advent of the new woman, and the little-known vaudeville careers of performers like the Elinore Sisters, Buster Keaton, and the Marx Brothers, DesRochers examines the relation between comedic vaudeville acts and progressive reformers as they fought over the new definition of "Americanness."

• America
• humour
• Karl Marx
• Marx
• media
• migration
• progressive
• reform
• Vaudeville

Finalist for the 2014 George Freedley Memorial Award

“The New Humor in the Progressive Era vividly illuminates a critical era in America’s social and cultural history that might also shed light on our own. DesRochers writes in clear, accessible prose, and this book will be of interest to those interested in America’s social and cultural history, as well as specialists in theatre history and popular entertainment.” (Cheryl Black, The Journal of American Drama and Theatre, jadtjournal.org, Vol. 28 (2), June, 2016)

“DesRochers’s work in The New Humor in the Progressive Era excites conversation and inquiry, and it invites us to reconsider vaudeville as an important site for studies of American identity. … In this smart and informed analysis, Rick DesRochers turns a spotlight on the vaudeville stage and invites us to listen to the rebellious voices of its clowns and comics and to trace its lasting legacy in American culture.” (Ann M. Ryan, Studies in American Humor, Spring, 2016)

"First and foremost, The New Humor in the Progressive Era is marvelously entertaining and honors the riotous spirit of some of the greatest performers of the early twentieth century. At the same time, Rick DesRochers makes an important contribution to theatre and performance scholarship, American cultural studies, and histories of comedy and clowning. Thoroughly researched and compellingly written, this book is a seriously good read." - James F. Wilson, City University of New York, USA

Rick DesRochers is Associate Professor and Director of Theatre and Multi-Media Performance at Lehman College, City University of New York, USA.

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