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On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy
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On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy Paperback - 1999

by Mel Watkins


From the publisher

This comprehensive history of black humor sets it in the context of American popular culture. Blackface minstrelsy, Stepin Fetchit, and the Amos 'n' Andy show presented a distorted picture of African Americans; this book contrasts this image with the authentic underground humor of African Americans found in folktales, race records, and all-black shows and films. After generations of stereotypes, the underground humor finally emerged before the American public with Richard Pryor in the 1970s. But Pryor was not the first popular comic to present authentically black humor. Watkins offers surprising reassessments of such seminal figures as Fetchit, Bert Williams, Moms Mabley, and Redd Foxx, looking at how they paved the way for contemporary comics such as Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy, and Bill Cosby.

Details

  • Title On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy
  • Author Mel Watkins
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: secon
  • Pages 672
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Chicago Review Press, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
  • Date 1999-05-01
  • ISBN 9781556523519 / 1556523513
  • Weight 1.92 lbs (0.87 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.9 x 5.99 x 1.34 in (22.61 x 15.21 x 3.40 cm)
  • Themes
    • Ethnic Orientation: African American
  • Library of Congress subjects African American wit and humor - History and
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 98052336
  • Dewey Decimal Code 791.089

About the author

Mel Watkins is a former editor at The New York Times Book Review. He is the author of Dancing with Strangers: A Memoir. He lives in New York City.
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On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy
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On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy

by Watkins, Mel

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Lawrence Hill Books, 1999. Paperback. New. New softcover in printed wraps. Text is clean and free of marks or underlining. Includes bibliography, index, and photos. 664 pp. Fast shipping in a secure book box mailer with tracking. This comprehensive history of black humor sets it in the context of American popular culture. Blackface minstrelsy, Stepin Fetchit, and the Amos 'n' Andy show presented a distorted picture of African Americans; this book contrasts this image with the authentic underground humor of African Americans found in folktales, race records, and all-black shows and films. After generations of stereotypes, the underground humor finally emerged before the American public with Richard Pryor in the 1970s. But Pryor was not the first popular comic to present authentically black humor. Watkins offers surprising reassessments of such seminal figures as Fetchit, Bert Williams, Moms Mabley, and Redd Foxx, looking at how they paved the way for contemporary comics such as Whoopi Goldberg,… Read More
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On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy
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On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy

by Watkins, Mel

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by Watkins, Mel

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On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy
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by Watkins, Mel

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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