Mixed Nuts: America's Love Affair with Comedy Teams From Burns and Allen to Belushi and Aykroyd

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Nothing is needed more in troubled times than a friend to laugh with - or two friends to laugh at. As Lawrence J. Epstein shows us in Mixed Nuts, the great American comedy teams were there for all of us during the rough years of the twentieth century and, as we head into a turbulent new era, they've made a surprising resurgence. Here, for the first time, Epstein presents the complete story of America's comedy teams, revisiting some of their best-loved routines, revealing the personal stories that lay behind them, and showing how the comedians shaped and were shaped by their eras. From the rollicking twenties, to the threadbare thirties, on into the war years, and all the way through the social turmoil of the latter half of the century, Americans counted on the great comedy teams to respond to events, to make them laugh, and to show that though times might get tough, friendships and humor could always help you through.

SYNOPSIS

The author of The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America (2001) presents a social history of the rise and fall of comedy teams, though he maintains that they live on in re-runs and situation comedies. Drawing on new interviews and classic routines as well as published, video, and Web material, he offers photos and insights into teams "from Burns and Allen to Belushi and Aykroyd" (as the subtitle reads); their predecessors (e.g., minstrel shows, vaudeville); and how they impacted, and were influenced by, changing norms. Epstein is an English professor in New York. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Organizing this work chronologically, Epstein (The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America) provides a lively history of entertainment from early vaudeville through radio, film and television. He's especially good at viewing humor through a sociological prism, showing, for example, how the cynicism of the early Marx Brothers needed to be reworked to accommodate a Depression-era mentality. With FDR's New Deal, Epstein explains, Groucho's character was made more likable. In fact, comedy teams were most popular during America's tough times, such as WWII, when Abbott and Costello delivered much-needed relief. In contrast, the '50s antics of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin unleashed inner hysteria (repressed during the war). Epstein deftly notes comedy's evolution, explaining how Jack Benny's radio show, which created multiple comedy teams, gave rise to sitcoms from I Love Lucy to Seinfeld. For readers who until now haven't understood the prolonged allure of the Three Stooges, Epstein's chapter on the trio is particularly enlightening: "The teams that created worlds capable of relieving the existential anxieties embedded in the human condition lasted beyond the moment." At its best, this history demonstrates how comedy reveals a nation's true mindset: if you want to know how society ticks, check out its comedians. B&w photos. Agent, Don Gastwirth. (Oct.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Entertainment enthusiast Epstein (The Haunted Smile, not reviewed) plays straight man to the comics who didn't work alone. Like the best straight men, he has a ready knowledge of what gets laughs. Since the first tambourine was slapped in a minstrel show, comedy has been delivered by teams. In vaudeville and burlesque a century ago, new Americans had the "Dutch" (German dialect) pairing of Weber and Fields, the baggy-pants repartee of Gallagher and Shean, the shtick of Smith and Dale, and the schoolroom sketches that nurtured, among others, the anarchic Brothers Marx. Rising from among the acrobats, dog, seal, and dance acts to headline at the Palace was a boy-girl act that became emblematic of the best, hardest-working, and most enduring teams: Burns and Allen. They conquered radio along with Lum and Abner, Fibber and Molly, Amos and Andy. The movies boasted Laurel and Hardy (of whose contribution Epstein offers a tidy analysis), Abbott and Costello (with the full text of "Who's on First"), and the overwhelming Stooges. Postwar favorites included Martin and Lewis and the pick-up team of Hope and Crosby. Television brought pseudo teams like the Kramdens, Lucy and Ethel, and the Smothers Brothers. We are left, in the twilight of funny teamwork, with SNL and little more. The tradition seems displaced by stand-up and troupes that certainly aren't inclined to spend their professional lives together. Where are Bob and Ray when we need them? Where is Harry Ritz yelling "don't holler" at his brothers? Alas, they are gone. Not even the echo of a rim shot remains, though Epstein recalls enough hoary stories, burnished to a vaudeville shine, to satisfy most assiduous buffs. More importantly, heoffers sharp appreciation of the work, the timing, the language, and the carefully created characters: the actual craft of those who practiced comedy in tandem. Seriously, folks, here's a kindly appraisal of the slapstick, sight gags, and banter-in short, the artistry-of some lively two- and three-acts of yesteryear. (b&w illustrations)Agent: Don Gastwirth/Don Gastwirth & Associates

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Richard Lewis

the likes of the Marx Brothers and Laurel and Hardy! Mr. Epstein brilliantly documents in his new book. — comedian

Epstein�s book is hot, sweet, meaty, salty, crispy, chewy, and .. nutty. You�ll learn a lot and laugh a lot! — Charles Osgood

Tom Smothers