- American humor
American humor refers collectively to the conventions and common threads that tie together humor in America. It is often defined in comparison to the humor of another country - for example, how it is different from
British humour orCanadian humour . It is difficult to say what makes a particular type or subject of humor particularly American.Humor usually concerns aspects of American
culture , and depends on the historical and current development of the country's culture. The extent to which an individual will personally find something humorous obviously depends on a host of absolute and relativevariables , including, but not limited togeographical location ,culture ,maturity , level ofeducation , and context. People of different countries will therefore find different situations funny. Just as American culture has many aspects which differ from other nations [Kohut, Andrew (2006) [http://pewglobal.org/americaagainsttheworld/ "America Against the World"] , Times Books, ISBN-10: 0805077219 (288 pages).] , these cultural differences may be a barrier to how humor translates to other countries.General features
Themes
One leading analysis of American humor, the 1931 book "" by
Constance Rourke , identified the character of the “Yankee ” as that first Americancomic figure, the first widely accepted American character that the nation could find funny, make fun of and even export for the amusement of the world - a gangly traveler who told stories, played elaboratepractical jokes , was ingenuous, sly, perhaps uneducated. She reports that American comedy sprang forth after theAmerican Revolution , when the country was “freed from the worry of self preservation” and its citizens began to regard themselves as “works of art." Rourke, Constance, (1959 ed.) [http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/rourke/contents.html American Humor: A Study of the National Character on the American Studies at Univ. of Virginia website] , (324 pp.), chapter 1; retrieved on 2007-06-20.]Types of humor
American humor might also be distinguished by its most common type of
humor , for example, moreslapstick andphysical comedy . There is less emphasis onunderstatement , and so the humor tends to be a little more open; rather than satirizing the social system through exaggeration, American humor prefers more observational techniques.ources
The United States has many diverse groups from which to draw on for humorous material. The strongest of these influences, during the 20th century at least, has been the influx of
Jew ish comedians and their correspondingJewish humor , including some of the most influential:The Three Stooges ,The Marx Brothers ,Rodney Dangerfield ,Jackie Mason ,Woody Allen ,Mel Brooks ,Jerry Seinfeld ,Jon Stewart , andLewis Black , just to name a few. Also significant isAfrican American humor, as it has some differences fromBlack British humor, developing as it did out of the rather more painful history of blacks in the United States. These differences are likely due to the individual histories and origins of the two communities.Development of humor in the United States
Humor began to emerge in the United States soon after the
American Revolution in written and spoken form , and delivery methods have continued to evolve since then. This article is not strictly chronological in nature, but the mediums are arranged by the approximate date each one began to grow in importance.Literature appears beforecartoons althoughnewspaper cartoons in the modern sense began in the 1840s.Radio andfilm came out roughly at the same time. Film is covered after radio because it led more directly to thetelevision section.Stand-up comedy began to receive renewed attention in the 1970s which is the reason why it was placed directly after television.Literature
A candidate for the 'founding father' of American humor is
Mark Twain , the manErnest Hemingway credits with the invention ofAmerican Literature . It should be stated that humorists existed in the United States before Twain, for exampleAugustus Baldwin Longstreet collection of Southern humor came out when Twain was 5 years old, but Twain is seen as a founding figure in creating an "American voice" to humor. That stated, Twain remained conscious of his humor's relationship with European counterparts, commenting in [http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/mtwain/bl-mtwain-howto.htm "How to Tell a Story"] that, "The humorous story is American, the comic story is English, the witty story is French. The humorous story depends for its effect upon the manner of the telling; the comic story and the witty story upon the matter."This early definition puts emphasis on the performance oriention of American humor, and thereby necessarily the performer her/himself. Indeed, in his time on the
lecture circuit Twain essentially 'performed' many of his works, most notably "The American Vandal Abroad" lecture he gave via theLyceum Movement before the publication of his breakthrough workThe Innocents Abroad . Thus, at the root of American humor is the very concept ofstand-up comedy itself, and the shift from textual means of conveying humor to that of performance and performer.His value notwithstanding, Twain represents only one strain of humor in the United States. Another famous American humorist of the nineteenth century was
Ambrose Bierce , whose most famous work is the cynicalDevil's Dictionary . Popular humorists who spanned the late 1800’s and early 1900’s included Samuel Minturn Peck (1854-1938) , who wrote My Sweetheart, and Hayden Carruth (1862-1932), who wrote Uncle Bentley and the Roosters. Early twentieth-century American humorists included members of theAlgonquin Round Table (named for theAlgonquin Hotel ), such asDorothy Parker ,SJ Perelman andRobert Benchley . In more recent times popular writers of American humor includeP. J. O'Rourke ,Louis (L)Harding,Erma Bombeck , andDave Barry .There has also been a history of using humor in Children's Books, sometimes using Rhymed Text. Popular choices include:
Dr. Seuss andOgden Nash Cartoons, Magazines and Animation
American
cartoons andcomics have commented, humorously or scathingly, on American life sinceThomas Nast or earlier. Humorous print cartoonists of note includeCharles Schulz ,Scott Adams ,Jim Davis ,Gary Larson ,Walt Kelly ,Johnny Hart ,Bill Watterson , and others."
Mad " is an Americanhumor magazine founded in 1952 which offeredsatire on all aspects of American life andpop culture . With its first issue (October-November, 1952), "Mad" was acomic book , and part of the line ofEC Comics . It became a slick magazine in 1954. Throughout the 1950s and continuing until today "Mad" featured parodies focusing on the familiar staples of American culture, exposing the fakery behind the image. The magazine has lent its name to the current television program MadTV.Other U.S. humor magazines of note include "
Humbug ", "Trump " and "Help!", as well as the "National Lampoon", and "Spy Magazine "."National Lampoon" began in 1970 as an offshoot of the "
Harvard Lampoon ". The magazine regularly skeweredpop culture , thecounterculture andpolitics . The magazine was at its height in the 1970s, and its influence spread to films and comedy programs. In the mid 1970s, some of the magazine's contributors left to join the NBC comedy showSaturday Night Live (SNL). The magazine stopped publication in 1998, but films and other programs attributed to "National Lampoon" continue.In the twentieth-century film allowed for animated cartoons of a humorous nature. The most notable of these perhaps being "
Looney Tunes " and "Tom and Jerry".Chuck Jones ,Tex Avery ,Mel Blanc (as a voice) andFriz Freleng playing critical roles in this. Humorous animated shorts like "What's Opera, Doc? ", "Duck Amuck ", and "One Froggy Evening " garnered critical enough appeal to be inducted into theNational Film Registry . The Warner Brothers cartoons often dealt with themes beyond US culture or society, but did involve a great deal of commentary on American life. Although many of the American winners of theAcademy Award for Animated Short Film are not examples of American humor a significant percentage would qualify as such. On television, noteworthy American cartoons include "The Flintstones ", "The Simpsons ", "Futurama ", "Beavis and Butthead ", "King of the Hill ", "Ren and Stimpy ", "Family Guy ", and "South Park ".Theater and Vaudeville
A popular form of
theater during the 19th century was theminstrel sy show, arguably the first uniquely American style of performance. These shows featured white actors dressed inblackface and playing upracial stereotypes .Burlesque became a popular form of entertainment in the middle of the 19th century. Originally a form offarce in which females in male roles mocked thepolitics andculture of the day, burlesque was condemned by opinion makers for its sexuality and outspokenness. The form was hounded off the "legitimate stage" and found itself relegated to saloons and barrooms, and its content mostly raunchy jokes.Vaudeville is a style of variety entertainment predominant in America in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. Developing from many sources including shows in saloons,minstrelsy , Britishpantomimes , and other popular entertainments, vaudeville became one of the most popular types of entertainment in America. Part of this entertainment was usually one or more comedians. Vaudeville provided generations of American entertainers includingGeorge M. Cohan ,George Burns andGracie Allen ,Mae West ,Fanny Brice , andW.C. Fields , among others. Vaudeville grew less popular as movies replaced live entertainment, but vaudeville performers were able to move into those other fields. Former vaudeville performers who were successful in film, radio and television include:Buster Keaton ,Marx Brothers ,Edgar Bergen ,Three Stooges , andAbbott & Costello .Radio and recorded
Early radio shows include what is labeled as the first situation comedy, "
Sam and Henry ", which debuted on WGN radio in 1926. It was partially inspired by Sidney Smith's popular comic strip "The Gumps ". "Amos & Andy " began as one of the first radio comedy serials which debuted on CBS in 1928. This was a show written and performed by white actors about black farmhands moving to the big city. The show was successful enough that in 1930 a film was made with the characters and in 1951 it became a television sitcom. The film starred the white actors in blackface. The television show starred African American actors.Radio in its early years was a showcase for comedy stars from the
vaudeville circuit.Jack Benny being among the early comedy stars in this medium. When Jack moved to television in the 1950s, his time slot was filled byStan Freberg avoice actor , andcomedian . Stan began in 1950 to produce records of his comedy routines which involved parodies of popular tunes and spoofs of modern entertainment personalities and on political topics. He was also on radio from 1954-1957.Bob Elliott and
Ray Goulding were an American comedy team who began in radio in 1946 with a daily 15-minute show titled "Matinee WithBob and Ray ". Their format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, such as conducting interviews, with off-the-wall dialogue presented in a generally deadpan style as though it were a serious interview. They continued on the air for over four decades on radio and television, ending in 1987.In more recent times the medium fell out of favor as a source of humor with
Garrison Keilor being perhaps a rare modern example.Film
The very first movie to be produced was
Thomas Edison 'skinetoscope of his assistantFred Ott in Record of a Sneeze. This could also be considered the first to show a comedic element.During the era of silent films in the 1920s, comedic films began to appear in significant numbers. These were mainly focused on visual humor, including
slapstick andburlesque . In America, prominent clown-style actors of the silent era includeCharlie Chaplin (although he was born in England),Buster Keaton andHarold Lloyd .Oliver Hardy (ofLaurel and Hardy ) (Stan Laurel being British),Fatty Arbuckle , theMarx Brothers and other names were significant in the first decades of American cinema humor.Many early film directors in the US were born elsewhere. This is true of one of the most noted early comedy directors in Hollywood,
Billy Wilder . That said, American born directors likeHoward Hawks ,Preston Sturges andGeorge Cukor also were major film comedy directors in the 1940s. In the 1960s to 1970sWoody Allen andMel Brooks gained note becoming two of the most appreciated of American film comedy directors. In the 1980sChristopher Guest ,Carl Reiner , and theCoen brothers emerged as significant directors or writers in American film comedy. Added to this several "brother duos" have been of significance in American film like The Zucker brothers, theCoen brothers , and The Farrelly brothers. In the last ten yearsKevin Smith ,Jay Roach ,Tom Shadyac , andAlexander Payne have garnered notice as film directors whose work is often humorous; if at times darkly so in the case of Payne. Although some of the names mentioned above, particularlyWoody Allen and theCoen brothers , also do other genres of film besides comedy.Television
itcoms
The
situation comedy (sitcom) is a format that first developed in radio and later became the primary form of comedy on television. The first sitcom to be number one in US ratings overall was "I Love Lucy ". A typical "I Love Lucy" episode involved one of Lucy's ambitious but hare-brained schemes, whether it be sneaking into Ricky's nightclub act, finding a way to hobnob with celebrities, showing up her fellow women's club members, or simply trying to improve the quality of her life. Usually she ends up in some comedic mess, a form of slapstick comedy. The I Love Lucy show grew out of a radio program in which Lucille Ball was featured. Another popular sitcom of the 50s to cross over from radio was "Amos & Andy ".In the decades since, several sitcoms have been tops in the ratings. In the 1960s "
The Beverly Hillbillies " and "The Andy Griffith Show " show held that distinction. Both of these programs were based on the country bumpkin - the Clampetts bringing their hillbilly ways to Beverly Hills, and the slow talking sheriff in the small rural town. In the 1970s "All in the Family " was the top rated show while dealing with serious issues it was based on the loudmouth bigot usually getting his come-uppance.The most successful sitcoms of the 1980s were "
The Cosby Show ", "Roseanne", and "Cheers ". "The Cosby Show" is noteworth because is was a family comedy about an African American family based on the gentle comedy ofBill Cosby . "Roseanne" was also a family sitcom, but based on loud and largeblue-collar parents. "Cheers" on the other hand was about a neighborhood bar frequented by a mix ofworking-class and professional drinkers.In the 1990s the increasing popularity of cable changed the popularity of the sitcom. Cable provided more viewing options and made it more difficult for any one show to dominate in the manner that The "Cosby Show" or "Cheers" did in their eras. That said, "
Seinfeld " and "Friends " managed to be among the most-watched shows of the decade. The 2000s has seen a further erosion in the sitcom with "Friends " being the only one to be the top watched show in any year of this decade, thus far, and the cancellation of the Emmy winning "Arrested Development". "Arrested Development" had been one of the few critically successful comedies to have started in the 2000s, but recent comedies like "The Office" and "My Name Is Earl " have garnered some praise.While many sitcoms were based on families or family situations, another common thread in sitcoms is "workplace comedies." "
The Andy Griffith Show " and "Arrested Development" had elements of both workplace and family comedy. For more on this see US sitcom.Although often derided by the critics, a few sitcoms have managed to be successful with both critics and audiences alike. Amongst these are "
Frasier ", "Seinfeld ", "All in the Family ", and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show ".The television sitcom provides an opportunity to compare British and American humor. Many British sitcoms have been re-made for American audiences. For example, "
Till Death Us Do Part " became "All in the Family "; "Man About the House " became "Three's Company "; and, the immensely popular "Steptoe and Son " became "Sanford and Son ". "The Office" was originally a British sitcom that has been successfully remade remade for an American audience using the same title (and in the case of the pilot episode, the same script). However, most British sitcoms usually fare better in their original forms. Re-makes of other British comedies have failed.ketch comedy and Variety shows
A
variety show is a show with a variety of acts, often including music and comedy skits, especially on television. The first successful comedy-variety show might beMilton Berle 's, followed byErnie Kovacs andSid Caesar .Jack Benny moved to television in the mid 1950s.Variety shows also featuredJackie Gleason ,Bob Hope andDean Martin mixingstand-up comedy , sketches and musical numbers for true variety. Later successes includeThe Carol Burnett Show andRowan & Martin's Laugh-In . SeeVariety television series for more examples."
Saturday Night Live " (SNL) first aired on October 11, 1975, withGeorge Carlin as its host. It was created by CanadianLorne Michaels . The original concept was for a comedy-variety show featuring young comedians, live musical performances, and short films. Rather than have one permanent host there was a different guest host each week. The first cast members wereThe Second City alumniDan Aykroyd ,John Belushi , andGilda Radner and "National Lampoon" "Lemmings" alumniChevy Chase (whose trademark became his usual falls and opening spiel that ushered in the show's opening),Jane Curtin ,Laraine Newman , andGarrett Morris . The original head writer wasMichael O'Donoghue , a writer at "National Lampoon" who had worked alongside several cast members while directing "The National Lampoon Radio Hour". The cast has periodically changed over the years, serving as a springboard for many of its performers to success in other television programs or films. SNL continues to air weekly.In the early 1990s there started to be more sketch comedy shows that concerned racial issues or intentionally had a diverse cast. An early example of this being "
In Living Color ", initially produced byKeenen Ivory Wayans . Despite the original cast being majority African American the show is most remembered for introducing the CaucasianJim Carrey and Puerto RicanJennifer Lopez to a wider audience. In the 2000s "Chappelle's Show " began and became a popular, if controversial, variety series. It became noted for dealing with issues like racism, sexual perversity, and drug use.Currently "
The Daily Show ", "Mad TV ", and "Saturday Night Live " are leading comedy-variety shows.tand-up
American stand-up comedians deal with a variety of forms and issues. Among forms popular or popularized in the US is
observational comedy about everyday life andImprovisational comedy . Modern improvisational comedy in general is largely linked toChicago and especiallyThe Second City troupe. The 1950s saw the rise of this troupe's significance in modern improvisational comedy.That decade also witnessed a rise in stand-up comedy dealing with more provocative or politically charged subject matter. Among the best known comedians from the 1950s to the 1980s to work in this fashion are
Lenny Bruce ,Richard Pryor ,George Carlin ,Bill Hicks , andSam Kinnison . They dealt with subject manner like race, religion, and sex in a manner that was generally not allowed on television or film. HenceThe Richard Pryor Show ended after four episodes due in part to controversy, although poor ratings was a strong factor. In other cases the reactions were more severe as both Lenny Bruce and George Carlin were both arrested on obscenity charges.That said, other stand-ups in the US chose an opposite approach that involves avoiding angering or offending elements of the audience. They may also try to work "clean" either because they prefer doing so or because they wish to reach audiences that disdain raunchy material. Amongst those who do so as a preference are
Brian Regan ,Bob Newhart , andBill Cosby .Ray Romano is capable or even willing to work "blue", seeDr. Katz, Professional Therapist and commentary tracks on the DVD, but has tended to avoid doing so out of deference to his current audience.Notable names
*Steve Allen-Lifetime Achievement from the
American Comedy Awards . [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1987]
*James L. Brooks -Academy Award nominee for several comedy films [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000985/awards] and won two Emmies for comedy writing. (also did dramas) [http://www.emmys.org/awards/awardsearch.php]
*Christopher Buckley -Thurber Prize for American Humor .
*Art Buchwald -Pulitzer Prize winning humorist.
*Allan Burns -Three Emmies for Comedy writing. [http://www.emmys.org/awards/awardsearch.php]
*George Burns -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards . [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1988]
*Art Carney -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards . [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1990]
*Johnny Carson -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards . [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1992]
*Imogene Coca -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards . [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1988]
*Rodney Dangerfield -Number 7 on100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time .
*Phyllis Diller -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards . [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1992]
*Diane English -One of the few women to win an unshared Emmy for comedy writing. [http://www.emmys.org/awards/awardsearch.php]
*Tina Fey -First female head-writer forSaturday Night Live .
*Ian Frazier -Thurber Prize for American Humor . [http://www.bookhelpweb.com/awards/thurber/thurber.htm]
*Whoopi Goldberg -2001Mark Twain Prize for American Humor .
*David Javerbaum --EightEmmys , twoPeabody Award s, and only two-time winner ofThurber Prize for American Humor .
*Robert Klein -Number 22 on100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time .
*Norman Lear -Television Hall of Fame , mostly wrote and produced for comedies.
*Jerry Lewis -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards . [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1998]
*Penny Marshall -Director of a comedy film in the top fifty ofAFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs and comedic actress.
*Steve Martin -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/2000] and 2005Mark Twain Prize for American Humor .
*Walter Matthau -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1997]
*Dennis Miller -Number 21 on100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time .
*Lorne Michaels -2004Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
*Eddie Murphy -Number 10 on100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time .
*Carl Reiner -Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
*Debbie Reynolds -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1997]
*Don Rickles -Number 17 on100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time .
*Chris Rock -Number five onComedy Central 's100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time . [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429332/fullcredits]
*David Sedaris -Thurber Prize for American Humor . [http://www.oberlin.edu/wwwcomm/convocation/]
*Neil Simon -2006Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
*Red Skelton -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards . [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1989]
*Lily Tomlin -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1987] and 2003Mark Twain Prize for American Humor .
*Betty White -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards . [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1990]
*Robin Williams -Number 13 on100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time and won aGrammy Award for Best Spoken Comedy Album .
*Jonathan Winters -Lifetime Achievement from theAmerican Comedy Awards [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/American_Comedy_Awards_USA/1987] and 2000Mark Twain Prize for American Humor .
*Steven Wright -Number 23 on100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time .
*"Weird Al" Yankovic -Multiple winner of theGrammy Award for Best Comedy Album .Note: An attempt has been made to avoid repeating names already mentioned, but some repetition might still exist. This list is partial and mostly deals with American comedians or humorists who won Lifetime Achievement awards in their fields or were placed in lists of history's great comedians.ee also
*
List of Comedians
*Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
*American Comedy Awards
*100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time -A list by an American channel so primarily includes Americans.
*The Comedian's Comedian -British list that includes 18 Americans.
*Stand-up comedy
*Canadian humour
*British humour References
External links
* [http://www.americanhumor.org/ American Humor.org]
* [http://www.nybooks.com/shop/product?usca_p=t&product_id=3647 Article on Constance Rourke's book on American humor]
* [http://www.oldfashionedamericanhumor.com/short-stories-to-read-online.html My Sweetheart, Uncle Bentley and the Roosters] – page with both of these short stories.
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