Groucho and W. C. Fields: Huckster Comedians

by Wes D. Gehring

Overview

Before Groucho Marx and W. C. Fields American comedy was innocent. After they left their hilarious smudges on the genre, comedy was anything but.

Here in a captivating book comparing and contrasting these two premier American comics is the history of how flimflam came to prevail as a major comic form. These two comic geniuses excelled at a new brand of shtick, antiheroic humor that killed off the tame demeanor of their many predecessors in show business.

By derailing the comedy oof innocence, Groucho and Fields brought film comedy to its Golden Age.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934110959
Publisher:	University Press of Mississippi
Publication date:	11/26/2007
Series:	Studies in Popular Culture
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

Editorial Reviews

Compares and contrasts the two American comics who led comedy out of the age of innocence. Presents a dual biography, and discussion of the con artist, the antihero, and antiheroes and absurdity as defined by Fields' and Marx's films. Includes a filmography, and b&w photos. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews