African American comedy

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African American comedy has had a substantial role in American culture from minstrel shows, vaudeville, blackface, [1] and coon songs to some of the world's most popular comedians, shows and filmmakers.

Contents

Darryl Littleton [2] [3] and Mel Watkins have written about the subject. [4] [5] [6] Paul Beatty edited Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor (2006). [7] So Why We Laugh; Black Comedians in Black Comedy is a documentary film. [8] Dexter G. Gordon wrote about humor in African American discourse. [9]

History

Bob Cole worked on theatrical shows. George Walker was a performer. Ernest Hogan was a performer in shows. Ebony Film Corporation's short comedies drew controversy. Peter P. Jones' film company in Chicago filmed various subjects including vaudeville acts. Will Marion Cook, J. Rosamond Johnson, and James Weldon Johnson were also involved in musical theater. [10]

Television shows

Comedians

Filmmakers

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Macke, Matthew (7 September 2016). "Seeds on rocky soil: A history of African-American comedy". The Observer.
  2. "A Short History of Black Comedy". NPR. 26 February 2007.
  3. Littleton, Darryl (2006). Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   978-1-55783-730-1.
  4. Watkins, Mel (1999). On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy. Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN   978-1-55652-351-9.
  5. Watkins, Mel (2002). African American Humor: The Best Black Comedy from Slavery to Today. Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN   978-1-55652-430-1.
  6. Watkins, Mel (1994). On the Real Side: Laughing, Lying, and Signifying: the Underground Tradition of African-American Humor that Transformed American Culture, from Slavery to Richard Pryor. Simon & Schuster. ISBN   978-0-671-68982-7.
  7. Beatty, Paul (2008). Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN   978-1-59691-716-3.
  8. Czajkowski, Elise (15 May 2012). "Inside the History of Black Comedy in 'Why We Laugh'". Vulture.
  9. Gordon, Dexter B. (1998). "Humor in African American Discourse: Speaking of Oppression". Journal of Black Studies. 29 (2): 254–276. doi:10.1177/002193479802900207. JSTOR   2668092. S2CID   144388475.
  10. Berlin, Edward A (1983). "Cole and Johnson Brothers' The Evolution of 'Ragtime'". Current Musicology. No. 36. pp. 21–39. ProQuest   1297273957.
  11. Lewis, Julian Kimble, Alyson. "The 30 Best Black Sitcoms of All Time". Complex.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. Watkins, Mel (2010). Stepin Fetchit: The Life & Times of Lincoln Perry. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN   978-0-307-54750-7.[ page needed ]