From vaudeville to the movies to television: The complete (and often hilarious) history of how Jewish comedians transformed American entertainment.
Lawrence J. Epstein's The Haunted Smile tackles a subject both poignant and delightful: the story of Jewish comedians in America. For the past century and more, American comedy has drawn its strength and soul from the comic genius of Jewish performers and writers. Even an incomplete listing of names makes the point: the Marx Brothers, Jack Benny, Fanny Brice, George Burns, Milton Berle, Jackie Mason, Joan Rivers, Rodney Dangerfield, Mel Brooks, Mort Sahl, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Andy Kaufman, Richard Belzer, Jerry Seinfeld.
These men and women, among others, form the canon of American Jewish comedy, and in The Haunted Smile Epstein offers us a deep and subtle understanding of how Jewish culture and American openness gave birth to a new style of entertainment. Epstein writes, "Jewish comedians in each generation were able to find in Jewish tradition, culture, and history a way to express the feelings of the wider American culture in which they lived. They drew on their heritage in ways they themselves didn't always understand. As they used that heritage to find ways to express truths about America, they transformed American culture, making Jews and Jewishness acceptable, even enviable."
And what kind of book about comedy would be complete without a few laughs? Epstein frequently uses the comedians' own routines to illustrate his points, making this thoughtful work of history a great deal of fun to read.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
generic social commentary - few laughs - good history:
I saw the glowing reviews - "funny! piercing commentary!" - and dug in. This book isn't what I was expecting. HUMOR. The humor in the book is entirely due to quoting old gags. The author takes good material, edits it into okay material, and quotes that. An example: "'What does a cat have that you don't?' Groucho would then hint at the answer expected by moving his fingers along his lips, indicating that whiskers was the right answer. Gummo, though, simply said 'Kittens.'" Epstein adds no humor of his... more info
One Blatant Omission:
For those of us born in the 50s, it appears that The Haunted Smile has one blatant omission: Gabe Kaplan. Why was Gabe Kaplan not included in this book? Was he not a pioneer in his own right bringing comedic humor from the club to the small screen? Was Welcome Back Kotter not a ground-breaking sitcom?
Great Historical Prespective about Great Funny People!:
I just finished reading "The Haunted Smile" and I loved it! I thought it was a perfect combination of history, story telling and wonderfully applicable joke excerpts. Not only did I laugh but I learned a great deal about the history of Jewish comedians in America and about the Jews who immigrated here as well. As a 30-year-old Jew living in America, I've never experienced the same issues which my great grandmother experienced upon immigrating to the United States. I remember her speaking Yiddish but I never... more info
It's no joke to be so funny:
On the back of I believe the first paperback edition of Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye' it is written, "It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. And you will never forget it." So I feel about that remarkable list of American Jewish comedians who gave so much pleasure so much joy to millions of people. From the time of vaudeville, the Marx brothers, Gallagher and Shean, Ed Wynn up to the golden age of Television, its real beginning with Uncle Milty and Sid Caesar's 'Show of Shows' with that amazing... more info
