The Comedians by Kliph Nesteroff

The Comedians by Kliph Nesteroff

In The Comedians, comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff brings to life a century of American comedy with real-life characters, forgotten stars, mainstream heroes and counterculture iconoclasts. Based on over two hundred original interviews and extensive archival research, Nesteroff's groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past one hundred years.

Starting with the vaudeville circuit at the turn of the last century, Nesteroff introduces the first stand-up comedian--an emcee who abandoned physical shtick for straight jokes. After the repeal of Prohibition, Mafia-run supper clubs replaced speakeasies, and mobsters replaced vaudeville impresarios as the comedian's primary employer. In the 1950s, the late-night talk show brought stand-up to a wide public, while Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, and Jonathan Winters attacked conformity and staged a comedy rebellion in coffeehouses. From comedy's part in the Civil Rights movement and the social upheaval of the late 1960s, to the first comedy clubs of the 1970s and the cocaine-fueled comedy boom of the 1980s, The Comedians culminates with a new era of media-driven celebrity in the twenty-first century.

Kliph Nesteroff is a writer who used to be a stand-up comedian. Nesteroff's latest effort is hosting the Vintage Showbiz Talk Show, a live series in Los Angeles that has attracted comic heavyweights including Mel Brooks, Fred Willard, and Laugh-In creator George Schlatter. Nesteroff has been a longtime contributor to WFMU, writing about the history of humor.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780802123985
ISBN 10	0802123988
Title	The Comedians
Author	Kliph Nesteroff
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press
Year published	2015-11-03
Number of pages	432
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.