Funny Stuff: How Comedy Shaped American History - Hardcover

$39.95

Funny Stuff: How Comedy Shaped American History - Hardcover

Name: Funny Stuff: How Comedy Shaped American History - Hardcover
Brand: BooksCloud
SKU: 9781978837966
Price: 39.95 USD
Availability: InStock

$39.95

Book Overview

by Laura Laplaca (Editor), Ryan Lintelman (Editor), Mel Brooks (Foreword by)

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

The National Comedy Center and Smithsonian Institution hold unparalleled collections of artifacts that illustrate the vitality and importance of comedy in American life, from vaudeville, silent films, and TV sitcoms to stand-up, sketch, and cartoons. Now, for the first time, these collections are brought together in vibrant photographs and illuminating essays that tell the story of how comedy shaped American history.

Written by historians responsible for safeguarding these cultural treasures, the book takes readers behind the scenes to uncover the stories behind American heirlooms like Groucho Marx's tailcoat, George Carlin's joke files, Carol Burnett's "Went with the Wind" dress, Johnny Carson's monologues, and the very first Saturday Night Live script, alongside materials from cultural touchstones like The Simpsons, The Muppet Show, In Living Color, All In the Family, and I Love Lucy.

With a foreword by comedy legend Mel Brooks, this dynamic work offers pop culture aficionados, history lovers, and comedy nerds alike a new perspective on America's past and who we are as a nation through our comedy.

ISBN	9781978837966
Publisher	Rutgers University Press
Genre	History, Education, and Arts
Format	Hardcover
Published	May 2026
Language	ENG- English
Pages	358
Weight	1.0 lb
Target Audience	Adults
Print Size	Standard Print