Buffoon Men

Classic Hollywood Comedians and Queered Masculinity

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Film, History & Criticism, Performing Arts
Cover of the book Buffoon Men by Scott Balcerzak, Wayne State University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Scott Balcerzak ISBN: 9780814339664
Publisher: Wayne State University Press Publication: October 15, 2013
Imprint: Wayne State University Press Language: English
Author: Scott Balcerzak
ISBN: 9780814339664
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Publication: October 15, 2013
Imprint: Wayne State University Press
Language: English
Film scholars and fans have used distinctive terms to describe the Classic Hollywood comedian: He is a "trickster," a "rebel," or a "buffoon." Yet the performer is almost always described as a "he." In Buffoon Men: Classic Hollywood Comedians and Queered Masculinity, Scott Balcerzak reads the performances of notable comedians such as W. C. Fields, Eddie Cantor, Jack Benny, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, and Bud Abbott and Lou Costello through humor and queer theory to expose a problematic history of maleness in their personas. He argues that contrary to popular notions of Classic Hollywood history, these male comedians rearranged or, at times, rejected heteronormative protocols. Balcerzak begins by defining the particular buffoonish masculinity portrayed by early film comedians, a gender and genre construct influenced by the cultural anxieties of the 1930s and '40s. In chapter 1, he considers the onscreen pairing of W. C. Fields and Mae West to identify a queered sexuality and drag persona in Fields's performance, while in chapter 2 he examines the two major constructions of Fields's film persona-the confidence man and the husband-to show Fields to be a conflicted and subversive figure. In chapter 3, Balcerzak considers the assimilation and influence of Eddie Cantor as a Jewish celebrity, while he turns to the cross-media influence of Jack Benny's radio persona in chapter 4. In Chapters 5 and 6, he moves beyond the individual performer to examine the complex masculine brotherhood of comedy duos Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, and Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey. Buffoon Men shows that the complicated history of the male comedian during the early sound era has much to tell us about multimedia comedic stars today. Fans and scholars of film history, gender studies, and broadcast studies will appreciate Balcerzak's thorough exploration of the era's fascinating gender constructs.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Film scholars and fans have used distinctive terms to describe the Classic Hollywood comedian: He is a "trickster," a "rebel," or a "buffoon." Yet the performer is almost always described as a "he." In Buffoon Men: Classic Hollywood Comedians and Queered Masculinity, Scott Balcerzak reads the performances of notable comedians such as W. C. Fields, Eddie Cantor, Jack Benny, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, and Bud Abbott and Lou Costello through humor and queer theory to expose a problematic history of maleness in their personas. He argues that contrary to popular notions of Classic Hollywood history, these male comedians rearranged or, at times, rejected heteronormative protocols. Balcerzak begins by defining the particular buffoonish masculinity portrayed by early film comedians, a gender and genre construct influenced by the cultural anxieties of the 1930s and '40s. In chapter 1, he considers the onscreen pairing of W. C. Fields and Mae West to identify a queered sexuality and drag persona in Fields's performance, while in chapter 2 he examines the two major constructions of Fields's film persona-the confidence man and the husband-to show Fields to be a conflicted and subversive figure. In chapter 3, Balcerzak considers the assimilation and influence of Eddie Cantor as a Jewish celebrity, while he turns to the cross-media influence of Jack Benny's radio persona in chapter 4. In Chapters 5 and 6, he moves beyond the individual performer to examine the complex masculine brotherhood of comedy duos Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, and Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey. Buffoon Men shows that the complicated history of the male comedian during the early sound era has much to tell us about multimedia comedic stars today. Fans and scholars of film history, gender studies, and broadcast studies will appreciate Balcerzak's thorough exploration of the era's fascinating gender constructs.

More books from Wayne State University Press

Cover of the book allegiance by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book Folk Music in the United States by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book When You Come Home by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book Voices of the Self by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book Eco-dementia by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book The Dick Van Dyke Show by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book Asian Americans in Michigan by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book Virgin Territory by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book The Films of Hal Ashby by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book I Want to Be Once by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book Where the Boys Are: Cinemas of Masculinity and Youth by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book The Detroit Symphony Orchestra by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book Fairy Tales Transformed? by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book Appel Is Forever by Scott Balcerzak
Cover of the book A Narrative Community: Voices of Israeli Backpackers by Scott Balcerzak
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy