Overview

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection The National Comedy Center and Smithsonian Institution hold unparalleled collections of artifacts that illustrate the vitality and importance of comedy in American life, from vaudeville, silent films, and TV sitcoms to stand-up, sketch, and cartoons. Now, for the first time, these collections are brought together in vibrant photographs and illuminating essays that tell the story of how comedy shaped American history. Written by historians responsible for safeguarding these cultural treasures, the book takes readers behind the scenes to uncover the stories behind American heirlooms like Groucho Marx's tailcoat, George Carlin's joke files, Carol Burnett's ""Went with the Wind"" dress, Johnny Carson's monologues, and the very first Saturday Night Live script, alongside materials from cultural touchstones like The Simpsons, The Muppet Show, In Living Color, All In the Family, and I Love Lucy. With a foreword by comedy legend Mel Brooks, this dynamic work offers pop culture aficionados, history lovers, and comedy nerds alike a new perspective on America's past and who we are as a nation through our comedy.

Full Product Details

Author:   Laura LaPlaca ,  Ryan Lintelman ,  Mel Brooks ,  Laura LaPlaca
Publisher:   Rutgers University Press
Imprint:   Rutgers University Press
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9781978837966

ISBN 10:   1978837968
Pages:   358
Publication Date:   12 May 2026
Recommended Age:   From 16 to 99 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Contents Foreword by Mel Brooks Director’s Note by Journey Gunderson, National Comedy Center Director’s Note by Anthea Hartig, National Museum of American History   Introduction   Chapter 1: Comedy Shapes How We See Each Other Petroleum Vesuvius Nasby Pipps Among the Wide Awakes Bret Harte Hari Kondabolu Vaudeville Andy Bumatai Marx Brothers Blackface minstrelsy Brownface/brownvoice Amos ‘n’ Andy Comedy albums The Beverly Hillbillies Phyllis Diller Bob Hope Martha Raye Tootsie and 9 to 5 Ellen and Will & Grace   Chapter 2: Comedy Creates American Identity Mark Twain Will Rogers W. C. Fields Charlie Chaplin Buster Keaton Harold Lloyd Bert Williams Cartoon Comedy Comedy Duos Burns & Allen Nichols & May Butterbeans & Susie Bob & Ray Stiller & Meara Martin & Lewis Patsy Kelly & Thelma Todd Laurel & Hardy Abbott & Costello Smith & Dale Bert & Ernie Minnie Pearl Bob Newhart Saturday Night Live In Living Color Happy Days Cheech & Chong The Tonight Show The Muppets Carol Burnett Comedy Films Seinfeld   Chapter 3: Comedy Provokes Conversations Mae West Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Lenny Bruce Rusty Warren Moms Mabley Joan Rivers The Smothers Brothers and Laugh-In Lily Tomlin Pat Paulsen Dick Gregory Richard Pryor Charlie Hill All in the Family George Carlin M*A*S*H Chico and the Man The Daily Show Sex in the City, Mary Tyler Moore, and That Girl   Chapter 4: Comedy Breaks the Mold Broadway comedy Avenue Q Kinky Boots Abie’s Irish Rose Neil Simon Harvey Fierstein Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Jack Benny Allan Sherman Lyrical Laughter – Comedy songs Stand-up/comedy clubs Ernie Kovacs Your Show of Shows The Dick Van Dyke Show Improv The Harlem Globetrotters Andy Kaufman America’s Funniest Home Videos to YouTube Margaret Cho The Big Bang Theory and The Guild Latinx comedy Traumedy and folk humor   Chapter 5: Comedy Brings Family Together American Dream Supernatural Sitcoms Blended Families Good Times and The Jeffersons Latinx Family Sitcoms The Simpsons Ali Wong   Conclusion, Laura LaPlaca, National Comedy Center Conclusion, Ryan Lintelman, National Museum of American History Acknowledgments Notes Notes on Contributors Index

Reviews

""A one-of-a-kind trip through the archives of the National Comedy Center and Smithsonian Institution that shines a new light on America's funniest moments."" --Carol Burnett

Author Information

Laura LaPlaca is the founding director of the National Comedy Center's archive in Jamestown, New York, the United States' congressionally designated home for the preservation of comedy history. She holds a PhD from Northwestern University and has published, taught, and presented about American popular culture for over fifteen years. Ryan Lintelman is the curator of entertainment at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and is one of the curators of the landmark exhibition Entertainment Nation. He contributed essays to Smithsonian Books' Entertainment Nation (2022) and Smithsonian Civil War: Inside the National Collection (2013).

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