Comedy is a Man in Trouble: Slapstick in American Movies

By Alan Dale and Alan S. Dale

Book Overview

An enthusiast's look at the art of physical comedy--now in paperback! Legendary screen comedian Jerry Lewis once said, "The premise of all comedy is a man in trouble." The films that endeared Lewis and others to us hinged on the physical assault of their hero, the pie in the face or slip on the banana peel that reduced the movie star to the level of the audience. Alan Dale presents a lively and accessible look at slapstick, a form of comedy with roots in the circus and vaudeville that has been refashioned by actors ranging from Buster Keaton to the Marx Brothers, from Katharine Hepburn to Jim Carrey. Winner of the Theater Library Association's Special Jury Prize for Distinguished Achievement

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0816636575
• ISBN13: 9780816636570
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
• Length: 270 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A surprisingly great find!

While researching different types of humor for my research in (human-centric) computer information systems, I stumbled upon this book. Though I usually read technical article after technical article, I found this book to be a nice break from the usual. It provided me with the information I needed for my research, but with an added surprise. I found myself reading this book for pure enjoyment and entertainment. The subject is fascinating and the Dale does a great job of explaining it in the most interesting of ways. I think this is my next "coffee table book" once I put it down myself!

Bringing slapstick into the 21st Century

Dale's book is an entertaining and academic look not only at the medium of slapstick itself but also at our need to be entertained by it. The book's examination of silent slapstick includes not only the major players (Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd) but also covers women in silent comedy. What's also respectable is that Dale discusses Jerry Lewis's important contribution to slapstick in film without putting him on the pedestal other critics (and often Lewis himself) put him on, as well as Lewis's influence on contemporary visual humorists like Jim Carrey and the Farrelly Bros.