Scarecrow Press
Pages: 228
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-0-8108-8367-3 • Hardback • May 2012 • $98.00 • (£75.00)
978-1-4422-4364-4 • Paperback • October 2014 • $40.00 • (£30.00)
978-0-8108-8368-0 • eBook • May 2012 • $38.00 • (£30.00)
Michael V. Tueth, SJ, teaches film and television studies in the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University. He is the author of Laughter in the Living Room: Television Comedy and the American Home Audience (2005).
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter One: Anarchic Comedy: Duck Soup
Chapter Two: Romantic Comedy: It Happened One Night
Chapter Three: Screwball Comedy: Bringing Up Baby and What's Up, Doc?
Chapter Four: Musical Comedy: Singin' in the Rain
Chapter Five: Sex Farce: Some Like It Hot
Chapter Six: Satire: Dr. Strangelove
Chapter Seven: Parody: Young Frankenstein
Chapter Eight: Neurotic Comedy: Annie Hall
Chapter Nine: Dionysian Comedy: Animal House
Chapter Ten: Mockumentary: Waiting for Guffman
Chapter Eleven: Animated: South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Tueth (communication and media studies, Fordham Univ.) analyzes 12 US comedies as representative of 11 genres. Duck Soup is clearly anarchic comedy; It Happened One Night, romantic; Singin' in the Rain, musical; Some Like It Hot, sex farce; Dr. Strangelove, satire; Young Frankenstein, parody; Annie Hall, neurotic; Animal House, Dionysian; Waiting for Guffman, mockumentary; and South Park, feature animation. For screwball, Bringing Up Baby is joined by its undervalued remake, What's Up, Doc?. Each chapter provides an excellent introduction to its film(s). The author nods to the literary antecedents, chats about production details, cites other critics effectively, and moves easily between the film's general significance and close readings of important scenes. With all the quoted jokes and recollections, this makes for a delightful read, especially as Tueth prefers the subject texts over any imported theory. This excellent book would be valuable as a textbook and a solid basis for more extensive explorations of less examined genres (neurotic, Dionysian, mockumentary, and animation). Summing Up: Highly recommended.
— Choice Reviews
This is an important work for film buffs that will probably be most used in the circulating collection.
— American Reference Books Annual