Movie Comedians of the 1950s : Defining a New Era of Big Screen Comedy

The 1950s were a transitional period for film comedians. The artistic suppression of the McCarthy era and the advent of television often resulted in a dumbing down of motion pictures. Cartoonist-turned-director Frank Tashlin contributed a funny but cartoonish effect through his work with comedians like Jerry Lewis and Bob Hope. A new vanguard of comedians appeared without stock comic garb or make-up--fresh faces not easily pigeonholed as merely comedians, such as Tony Randall, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. Some traditional comedians, like Charlie Chaplin, Red Skelton and Danny Kaye, continued their shtick, though with some evident tweaking. This book provides insight into a misunderstood decade of film history with an examination of the "personality comedians." The talents of Dean Martin and Bob Hope are reappraised and the "dumb blonde" stereotype, as applied to Judy Holliday and Marilyn Monroe, is deconstructed. Dedication Table of Contents Preface and Acknowledgments Prologue, with Notes on Abbott & Costello 1. Judy Holliday: Born Yesterday (December 27, 1950) 2. Martin & Lewis: Sailor Beware (February 1, 1952) 3. Bob Hope: Son of Paleface (October 2, 1952) 4. Charlie Chaplin: Limelight (October 24, 1952) 5. Red Skelton: The Clown (January 29, 1953) 6. Hope & Crosby: Road to Bali (January 30, 1953) 7. Tom Ewell/Marilyn Monroe: The Seven Year Itch (June 4, 1955) 8. Jack Lemmon: Mister Roberts (July 15, 1955) 9. Martin & Lewis: Artists and Models (December 22, 1955) 10. Danny Kaye: The Court Jester (February 2, 1956) 11. Tony Randall: Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (September 12, 1957) 12. Lemmon & Curtis/Monroe/Joe E. Brown: Some Like It Hot (March 30, 1959) Epilogue: The Question of Quality 1950s Film Clowns Filmography Chapter Notes Bibliography Index "The 1950s were a transitional period for film comedians. The artistic suppression of the McCarthy era resulted in a dumbing-down of motion pictures. This book examines the era of "personality comedy," with a reappraisal of talents like Martin and Hope, and a deconstruction of the "dumb blonde" comedienne stereotype as applied to Holliday and Marilyn"-- Provided by publisher This examination of 1950s film clowns suggests the decade was the 20th century's most volatile for the genre. Besides McCarthyism and TV and their potential for the dumbing down of pictures, this was the first decade when all major screen clowns were not so easily pigeonholed as comedians. This text is a decoder ring to a misunderstood decade.