Comic Venus
Subtitle: women and comedy in American silent film
By: Kristen Anderson Wagner
Series: Contemporary approaches to film and media series; Contemporary approaches to film and media series
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 303
ISBN-13: 9780814341025; 9780814345290
Copyright date: 2018
Subjects: Silent films; History and criticism; Comedy films; Women comedians; Motion picture actors and actresses
Description: "For many people the term 'silent comedy' conjures up images of Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp, Buster Keaton's Stoneface, or Harold Lloyd hanging precariously from the side of a skyscraper. Even people who have never seen a silent film can recognize these comedians at a glance. But what about the female comedians? Gale Henry, Louise Fazenda, Colleen Moore, Constance Talmadge-these and numerous others were wildly popular during the silent film era, appearing in countless motion pictures and earning top salaries, and yet, their names have been almost entirely forgotten. As a consequence, recovering their history is all the more compelling given that they laid the foundation for generations of funny women, from Lucille Ball to Carol Burnett to Tina Fey. These women constitute an essential and neglected sector of film history, reflecting a turning point in women's social and political history. Their talent and brave spirit continues to be felt today, and Comic Venus: Women and Comedy in American Silent Film seeks to provide a better understanding of women's experiences in the early twentieth century, and to better understand and appreciate the unruly and boundary-breaking women who have followed. "--Publisher's description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-290) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: "Have women a sense of humor?"; title: "An inferiority complex in a one-piece bathing suit": beauty, femininity, and comedy; title: "Cupid lips and an ungodly appetite": sensuality, sexuality, and desire; title: "Ever on the move": modernity and the new woman; title: Conclusion.