Forgotten Heroes of Comedy

Forgotten Heroes of Comedy
Author: Robert Ross
Publisher: Unbound Publishing
Total Pages: 684
Release: 2021-09-30
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1783529199

In this long overdue and affectionate salute, celebrated comedy historian Robert Ross pays tribute to some of the finest, funniest and most fascinating names in comedy from both sides of the Atlantic. Monty Python’s Terry Jones wrote the foreword. With the passionate input of such comics as Tim Brooke-Taylor, Hattie Hayridge, Roy Hudd, Michael Palin, Ross Noble, Chris Addison and Bernard Cribbins, Ross honours these legends of humor who, for a variety of reasons, didn't quite reach the heady heights of stardom or, once they had, couldn't cope with the pressures. Whether it is a favorite from the distant smoke- and ale-stained world of the Music Hall like the great George Robey, or the downbeat poetry of Hovis Presley, who dropped disenchanted bombs on the late 1990s, Forgotten Heroes of Comedy will finally elevate them to the Hall of Fame where they belong. Forgotten, no longer. UK Joe Baker UK Eric Barker UK Alfie Bass UK Michael Bates India (to English parents) David Battley UK Michael Bentine UK Harold Berens UK Wilie Best USA Alec Bregonzi UK Michael Ward UK Douglas Byng UK Marti Caine UK Esma Cannon Australia (but moved to UK) Patrick Cargill UK Jimmy Clitheroe UK Danny Ross UK Billy Dainty UK Janet Davies UK Florence Desmond UK Jerry Desmonde UK Eddie Leslie UK Maidie Dickson UK Charlie Drake UK Jimmy Edwards UK Gus Elen UK Ray Ellington UK Dick Emery UK Pierre Etaix France Barry Evans UK Mario Fabrizi UK Doug Fisher UK Ronald Frankau UK Leslie Fuller UK Dustin Gee UK Peter Glaze UK Tommy Godfrey UK Harry Locke UK Ken Goodwin UK Bernard Gorcey Russia (died USA) Bert Gordon USA Monsewer' Eddie Gray UK Raymond Griffith USA Deryck Guyler UK Brian Hall UK Lloyd Hamilton USA Arthur Haynes UK Richard Hearne UK Dickie Henderson UK Gerard Hoffnung Germany (died UK) Shemp Howard USA Nat Jackley UK Rex Jameson UK Spike Jones USA John Junkin UK Dave King UK Roy Kinnear UK Dennis Kirkland UK Patsy Knox USA Debbie Linden UK Hugh Lloyd UK Malcolm McFee UK Moore Marriott UK Graham Moffatt UK Ray Martine UK Zeppo Marx USA Glenn Melvyn UK Eric Merriman UK Christopher Mitchell UK Albert Modley UK Robert Moreton UK Gladys Morgan UK Lily Morris UK Richard Murdoch UK Tom E. Murray USA David Nixon UK Larry Noble UK Ole Olsen USA Chic Johnson USA Ken Platt UK Sandy Powell UK Vince Powell UK Hovis Presley UK Cardew Robinson UK Joe E. Ross USA Patsy Rowlands UK Derek Roy UK Derek Royle UK Leslie Sarony UK Larry Semon USA Ronald Shiner UK Johnnie Silver USA Dennis Spicer UK Larry Stephens UK Jake Thackray UK Thelma Todd USA Jack Train UK Karl Valentin Germany Liesl Karlstadt Germany Norman Vaughan UK Tom Walls UK Ralph Lynn UK Elsie and Doris Waters UK Rita Webb UK John Wells UK George and Kenneth Western UK Gordon Wharmby UK Bert Wheeler USA Robert Woolsey USA Albert Whelan Australia (died UK) Robb Wilton UK Mike and Bernie Winters UK Georgie Wood UK Dolly Harmer UK Harry Worth UK Mario Zampi Italy (died UK)

The Comedians

The Comedians
Author: Kliph Nesteroff
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
Total Pages: 460
Release: 2015-11-03
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0802190863

“Funny [and] fascinating . . . If you’re a comedy nerd you’ll love this book.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, National Post, and Splitsider Based on over two hundred original interviews and extensive archival research, this groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past one hundred years. Starting with the vaudeville circuit at the turn of the last century, the book introduces the first stand-up comedian—an emcee who abandoned physical shtick for straight jokes. After the repeal of Prohibition, Mafia-run supper clubs replaced speakeasies, and mobsters replaced vaudeville impresarios as the comedian’s primary employer. In the 1950s, the late-night talk show brought stand-up to a wide public, while Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, and Jonathan Winters attacked conformity and staged a comedy rebellion in coffeehouses. From comedy’s part in the civil rights movement and the social upheaval of the late 1960s, to the first comedy clubs of the 1970s and the cocaine-fueled comedy boom of the 1980s, The Comedians culminates with a new era of media-driven celebrity in the twenty-first century. “Entertaining and carefully documented . . . jaw-dropping anecdotes . . . This book is a real treat.” —Merrill Markoe, TheWall Street Journal

Monty Python Encyclopedia

Monty Python Encyclopedia
Author: Robert Ross
Publisher:
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2001
Genre: Comedians
ISBN: 9780713486230

This guide includes everything you ever wanted to know about the history and stars of the Python comedy team from And Now For Something Completely Different to The Wind In The Willows via Dead Parrots, Twelve Monkeys and Basil the Rat.

Inside Comedy

Inside Comedy
Author: David Steinberg
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 380
Release: 2023-06-06
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0813197570

David Steinberg's name has been synonymous with comedy for decades. The Canadian-born comedian, producer, writer, director, and author has been called "a comic institution himself" by the New York Times. He appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 140 times (second only to Bob Hope), and directed episodes of popular television sitcoms, including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, Friends, Mad About You, The Golden Girls, and Designing Women. From 2012–2015, Steinberg hosted the comedy documentary series Inside Comedy, which featured such comedy greats as Billy Crystal, Chris Rock, and Gary Shandling. In this entertaining history of comedy, Steinberg shares insightful memories of his journey through his career and takes the reader behind the curtain of the comedy scene of the last half-century. Steinberg shares amusing and often hilarious stories and anecdotes from some of the most legendary comedians in the industry—from Groucho Marx, Carol Burnett, Mel Brooks, and Richard Pryor to Lily Tomlin, Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Tina Fey. Inside Comedy presents in-depth portraits of some of the most talented and revered comedians in the world of comedy today.

Overweight Sensation

Overweight Sensation
Author: Mark Cohen
Publisher: UPNE
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2013
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1611682568

Examines the comedian's life, discussing his rapid fame and decline into obscurity.

Out of Control

Out of Control
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2002-05-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0345455088

Bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann knows how to push the limits of romantic suspense to new, breathtaking heights. Potent, gripping, and explosive, OUT OF CONTROL is a roller coaster ride of a novel– as a single act of loyalty becomes a desperate struggle for survival. . . . Savannah von Hopf has no choice. To save her uncle’s life, she goes in search of Ken “WildCard” Karmody, a guy she barely knew in college who is now a military operative. She must convince him to help her deliver a cache of ransom money into the hands of terrorists halfway around the world. What she doesn’t expect is to end up in WildCard’s arms before she can even ask for his help. WildCard has always had a soft spot for beautiful women. But when he discovers Savannah’s hidden agenda, he is determined to end the affair. But Savannah is bound for Indonesia with or without his protection, and he can’t just walk away. When her plan goes horribly wrong, they are trapped in the forsaken jungle of a hostile country, stalked by a lethal enemy. As time is running out, they scramble to escape, risking their lives to stop a nightmare from spinning even further out of control. . . .

Bill, the Galactic Hero

Bill, the Galactic Hero
Author: Harry Harrison
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2012-07-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1466822732

Bill, the Galactic Hero is written by Harry Harrison who is also the author of Deathworld, Make Room! Make Room! (filmed as Soylent Green), the popular Stainless Steel Rat books, and many other famous works of SF. "Simply the funniest science fiction book ever written."--New York Times besteselling author Terry Pratchett At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Goodies Rule OK

The Goodies Rule OK
Author: Robert Ross
Publisher:
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2006
Genre: Goodies (Radio program)
ISBN: 9781844421527

Throughout the 1970s Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie created the most imaginative, inventive and consistently hilarious television show around. They were the undisputed kings of comedy and are remembered today with huge nostalgic affection by a whole generation of 30- to 40-somethings. Fully endorsed by all three Goodies, The Goodies Rule OK recalls their earliest collaborations on stage and radio, then covers in detail their nine series of television classics. Tim, Graeme and Bill offer their own recollections on the creation of each series, providing a real insight into how they conquered the small screen in the 1970s, and why their legacy still stands tall today.

The League of Regrettable Superheroes

The League of Regrettable Superheroes
Author: Jon Morris
Publisher: Quirk Books
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2015-06-02
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1594747830

Meet one hundred of the strangest superheroes ever to see print, complete with backstories, vintage art, and colorful commentary. You know about Batman, Superman, and Spiderman, but have you heard of Doll Man, Doctor Hormone, or Spider Queen? So prepare yourself for such not-ready-for-prime-time heroes as Bee Man (Batman, but with bees), the Clown (circus-themed crimebuster), the Eye (a giant, floating eyeball; just accept it), and many other oddballs and oddities. Drawing on the entire history of the medium, The League of Regrettable Superheroes will appeal to die-hard comics fans, casual comics readers, and anyone who enjoys peering into the stranger corners of pop culture.