This scholarly work interweaves the issues of Jewish Identity and the immigrant experience. The author targets Jewish Comedians from Vaudeville to the present. Jewish comedians basically follow the grand Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe (1892-1924) to the 21st century. All major Jewish comedians are noticed and analyzed sometimes even psychoanalyzed. The author puts forth a theme of acceptance and shows the varying values and morays during each decade of comedic development as the comedians develop their own response to their surroundings.
I would like to point out some highlights: I never realized how successful Jack Benny was until reading this book. I had always known Benny's character as being 'cheap' but never really understood how wildly successful he was in the business. Experiencing the depression and 'being cheap' in way that was identifiable with the common man of the era coupled with impeccable comedic timing made Jack Benny a household name first on radio and then on Television. His brilliance is marked by the fact that even though "cheap" is Jewish stereotype, Benny never gives away being Jewish in his character! The non Jewish successful comedian, Tom Smothers was surprised to find out that Benny was Jewish! Moreover, being cheap was only a stage persona; Jack Benny was an amazingly kindhearted generous human being.
The Marx Brothers, according to the author, represents the classic outsider trying to fit in. Groucho with his classic critiques and put downs is the classic outsider not interested in fitting in. Chico with his exaggerated Italian accent always hustling something is clearly the immigrant trying to eek out a living and be accepted. Then there is Harpo who does not speak and communicates completely in pantomime with a bicycle horn representing the immigrant that does not speak the language expressing frustration as an outsider.
Mr. Epstein contrasts the humor between Mel Brooks and Woody Allen as being positive vs. negative. Mel Brooks being very positive about being Jewish and puts his humor in a zany environment whereas Woody Allen highlights his Jewish identity in a very dark negative manner and yet both draw huge laughs.
The classic show called "Your Show of Shows" with Sid Caesar is highlighted as a zenith in Comedy writing. Caesar was a brilliant mimic and was able to imitate the rhythms of any language. As a waiter growing up, Caesar would entertain foreigners in their native 'gibberish'!
Milton Berle was a proud Jew not afraid to punch out the anti Semite. He was hugely popular in the early days of television but his popularity waned as more and more households procured tv sets. The theory behind his decline in popularity was the first TV sets were in the urban centers like New York - many immigrants (ie. Jewish) the expanded audiences did not relate to the Yiddishisms.
The cerebral comic, Mort Sahl became popular in 1950's and 60's as a political commentator. Lenny Bruce fed off of Sahl and pushed the envelope in the use of profanity and drug use of the 60's. The author claims that Bruce was more angry than funny.
By the time Jerry Seinfeld comes on the scene, the Jewish community no longer is the immigrant community needing to be accepted. Seinfeld represents complete acceptance where the comedian feels no need to hide his Jewish name on the one hand nor publicize one's Jewish identity. Only once during his long running TV show does Seinfeld come out an mention that he is Jewish which ends up being secondary and incidental to the punchline and theme of the episode about one who converts to Judaism just to tell Jewish jokes.
As history of comedy, this volume shows quite clearly that American humor was dominated by Jewish comics in such an obvious way during the 20th century. The author discusses many more comedians and comediennes. This is also a proof that the Jewish people have been intertwined with American History from way back.
