The Road to Comedy

The Road to Comedy PDF Author: Donald McCaffrey
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313014744
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Although Bob Hope has been the subject of many biographies, no book yet has fully explored the comic persona he created in vaudeville and radio, brought to fruition in dozens of films from the 1930s through the 1960s, and made a lasting influence on comedians from Woody Allen to Conan O'Brien. Now, in The Road to Comedy: The Films of Bob Hope, noted film comedy authority Donald W. McCaffrey finally places Hope in his well-deserved position among the highest rank of film comedians of his era. Drawing on archival materials and interviews with collaborators, McCaffrey analyzes each major film in depth, with due attention to particular sequences that reveal how Hope created a unique comic personality that lasted over dozens of very popular films, from the Road movies with Bing Crosby through such underrated classics as Son of Paleface, Monsieur Beaucaire, and Casanova's Big Night. In so doing, McCaffrey introduces readers to a Bob Hope now overshadowed by his own reputation. We see here that Hope's significance has been greater than any USO appearance or television special might suggest. Because many of these movies have recently been made available on DVD—the first time in decades that they've been easily available to the general public—the volume will also serve as an excellent introduction for those wanting to see these films for the first time.

The Road to Comedy

The Road to Comedy PDF Author: Donald McCaffrey
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313014744
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Although Bob Hope has been the subject of many biographies, no book yet has fully explored the comic persona he created in vaudeville and radio, brought to fruition in dozens of films from the 1930s through the 1960s, and made a lasting influence on comedians from Woody Allen to Conan O'Brien. Now, in The Road to Comedy: The Films of Bob Hope, noted film comedy authority Donald W. McCaffrey finally places Hope in his well-deserved position among the highest rank of film comedians of his era. Drawing on archival materials and interviews with collaborators, McCaffrey analyzes each major film in depth, with due attention to particular sequences that reveal how Hope created a unique comic personality that lasted over dozens of very popular films, from the Road movies with Bing Crosby through such underrated classics as Son of Paleface, Monsieur Beaucaire, and Casanova's Big Night. In so doing, McCaffrey introduces readers to a Bob Hope now overshadowed by his own reputation. We see here that Hope's significance has been greater than any USO appearance or television special might suggest. Because many of these movies have recently been made available on DVD—the first time in decades that they've been easily available to the general public—the volume will also serve as an excellent introduction for those wanting to see these films for the first time.

Road Comic

Road Comic PDF Author: Barry Friedman
Publisher: Hawk Publishing Group
ISBN: 9781930709362
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Vegas casinos, Bahamian beaches, seedy bars, tattooed, pierced, and dangerous women, unrequited love, unrequited death, cutthroat competition, stolen jokes -- Barry Friedman has seen it all and lived to tell the tale. Road Comic is Barry's no-holds-barred account of life on the comedy circuit. This book is about the comedians whose pictures are on placards outside the Holiday Inn registration desk, and whose acts are more memorable than their names. And first and foremost, it's the story of Barry Friedman, who began doing comedy in the Elks Lodges and topless bars of Oklahoma and worked his way up to being one of the top comics on the circuit. This is the unvarnished, unadulterated story of not just one top comic, but all the rising comics who don't have their own sitcom. But hey -- if Barry had his own sitcom, he wouldn't have written this book. Book jacket.

Tim & Tom

Tim & Tom PDF Author: Tim Reid
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226709027
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
As the heady promise of the 1960s sagged under the weight of widespread violence, rioting, and racial unrest, two young men--one black and one white--took to stages across the nation to help Americans confront their racial divide: by laughing at it. Tim and Tom tells the story of that pioneering duo, the first interracial comedy team in the history of show business--and the last. Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen polished their act in the nightclubs of Chicago, then took it on the road, not only in the North, but in the still-simmering South as well, developing routines that even today remain surprisingly frank--and remarkably funny--about race. Most nights, the shock of seeing an integrated comedy team quickly dissipated in uproarious laughter, but on some occasions the audience’s confusion and discomfort led to racist heckling, threats, and even violence. Though Tim and Tom perpetually seemed on the verge of making it big throughout their five years together, they grudgingly came to realize that they were ahead of their time: America was not yet ready to laugh at its own failed promise. Eventually, the grind of the road took its toll, as bitter arguments led to an acrimonious breakup. But the underlying bond of friendship Reid and Dreesen had forged with each groundbreaking joke has endured for decades, while their solo careers delivered the success that had eluded them as a team. By turns revealing, shocking, and riotously funny, Tim and Tom unearths a largely forgotten chapter in the history of comedy.

Bob Hope

Bob Hope PDF Author: Lawrence J. Quirk
Publisher: Applause Theatre & Cinema
ISBN: 9781557833532
Category : Actors
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
STORY OF BOB HOPE BEGINNING WITH HIS EARLY YEARS OF PRIVATION IN ENGLAND, MOVING ON TO HIS STINTS AS A VAUDEVILLAIN HOOFER AND COMIC. BROADWAY MUSICAL STAR AND RADIO COMEDY PIONEER.

The Road to Wellville

The Road to Wellville PDF Author: T.C. Boyle
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0140167188
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 497

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Book Description
Will Lightbody is a man with a stomach ailment whose only sin is loving his wife, Eleanor, too much. Eleanor is a health nut of the first stripe, and when in 1907 she journeys to Dr. John Harvey Kellogg's infamous Battle Creek Spa to live out the vegetarian ethos, poor Will goes too. So begins T. Coraghessan Boyle's wickedly comic look at turn-of-the-century fanatics in search of the magic pill to prolong their lives--or the profit to be had from manufacturing it. Brimming with a Dickensian cast of characters and laced with wildly wonderful plot twists, Jane Smiley in the New York Times Book Review called The Road to Wellville "A marvel, enjoyable from beginning to end."

Hope

Hope PDF Author: Richard Zoglin
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439140278
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 576

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Book Description
Draws on exclusive reporting to honor Bob Hope's top-rated successes while discussing such topics as his secret first marriage, stint in reform school and ambivalent relationships with fellow stars.

The Road Trip: A Feel-Good Romantic Comedy That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud!

The Road Trip: A Feel-Good Romantic Comedy That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud! PDF Author: Susanne O'Leary
Publisher: Bookouture
ISBN: 9781786815071
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
An absolutely HILARIOUS, unputdownable summer read about two best friends who pack their bags for the trip of a lifetime, and promise to start living life to the fullest. Maddy and Leanne are in need of a miracle. Maddy can't bear to wash another pair of her husband's Y-fronts and if he continues to drone on about golf she might just scream. Leanne can't stand living with her overbearing mother for a second longer and she's one disapproving eye roll away from a nervous breakdown. But their luck changes when they win the lottery. Setting off from Dublin, Maddy and Leanne lease a red convertible, winding through Europe and heading for the sun-drenched French Riviera. But the pair have their own reasons for their adventure. Maddy has never forgotten her summer romance of twenty years ago with a gorgeous Frenchman and Leanne plans to track down the father who abandoned her as a child. Amongst glorious sunsets and buckets of bubbly, Leanne and Maddy are searching for answers after years of wondering 'what if?'. But there might just be some surprises in store along the way... A hilarious and heartwarming story about friendship, living life to the full and making the most of every moment. Fans of Fiona Gibson, Carole Matthews and Lucy Diamond will adore this uplifting, fun-filled read. Readers are totally loving The Road Trip: 'Charming and uplifting... I absolutely loved this novel... so funny and moving. It's a great read that'll leave you wanting an adventure.' Goodreads Reviewer 'It's all about friendship, romance and living life to the full... very heartwarming and funny... has you hooked. Would highly recommend... amazing.' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars 'An adventure every woman would love to go on. I wanted to be Maddy and Leanne... Loved it, so real, so entertaining and exhilarating... a fab read.' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars 'Totally fun... Just what I needed... Made me chuckle.' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

Comedy at the Edge

Comedy at the Edge PDF Author: Richard Zoglin
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1582346259
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
Surveys the stand-up comedy of the 1970s, citing the contributions of celebrity comics, from George Carlin and Richard Pryor to Robin Williams and Andy Kaufman, in an account that also evaluates the roles played by such clubs as Catch a Rising Star, the Improv, and the Comedy Store.

The Coloring Book

The Coloring Book PDF Author: Colin Quinn
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 1455507601
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 150

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Book Description
From former SNL "Weekend Update" host and legendary stand-up Colin Quinn comes a controversial and laugh-out-loud investigation into cultural and ethnic stereotypes. Colin Quinn has noticed a trend during his decades on the road-that Americans' increasing political correctness and sensitivity have forced us to tiptoe around the subjects of race and ethnicity altogether. Colin wants to know: What are we all so afraid of? Every ethnic group has differences, everyone brings something different to the table, and this diversity should be celebrated, not denied. So why has acknowledging these cultural differences become so taboo? In The Coloring Book, Colin, a native New Yorker, tackles this issue head-on while taking us on a trip through the insane melting pot of 1970s Brooklyn, the many, many dive bars of 1980s Manhattan, the comedy scene of the 1990s, and post-9/11 America. He mixes his incredibly candid and hilarious personal experiences with no-holds-barred observations to definitively decide, at least in his own mind, which stereotypes are funny, which stereotypes are based on truths, which have become totally distorted over time, and which are actually offensive to each group, and why. As it pokes holes in the tapestry of fear that has overtaken discussions about race, The Coloring Book serves as an antidote to our paralysis when it comes to laughing at ourselves . . . and others.

Writing the Comedy Movie

Writing the Comedy Movie PDF Author: Marc Blake
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1628925957
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
"A practical guide to creating the comedy movie, referencing its subgenres, history, and tropes, along with exclusive interviews with craft practitioners"--