Title: Kvetching and shpritzing : Jewish humor in American popular culture /
Authors: Dorinson, Joseph, 1936-
Year: 2015
Subjects: Jewish wit and humor History and criticism; Jewish comedians United States Biography.; Jewish entertainers United States Biography.; Jews in popular culture United States.
Abstract: "Scholars of humor have studied the essence of the Jewish joke, at once a defense mechanism against a hostile world and a means of cultural affirmation. Citing examples from prominent humorists and stand-up comics, this book examines the phenomenon of Jewish humor from its Biblical origins to its prevalence in the modern diaspora"--
Contents: Introduction. Jewish humor : mechanism for defense, weapon for cultural affirmation -- God, jokes and money : a subversive look at Jewish humor -- Jewish men and women in Vaudeville -- Yiddish -- Funny Jews : up from the Catskills-Danny Kaye and Sid Caesar -- Catskill alumni from Brooklyn -- A sacred monster in lamb's clothing : Jerry Lewis -- Comedy's changing landscape : two Jews and a Black crossover artist -- Jewish humor in literature -- Dialectical Jewish humor : Mickey Katz, Sam Levenson and Jackie Mason -- Up from the Bronx : Red Buttons, Billy Crystal and Robert Klein -- Sitcoms from Benny to Seinfeld -- Shpritzing and jiving : Jews and Blacks -- Yip's rainbow : songs of social significance -- Coda : around the world in eighty jokes plus.