[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-38427-en":3,"doc-seo-38427-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":90},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},38427,1099514067438,"River Wang","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/100002539ee87300030?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1780474512215547542",2,"Literature","Jewish Comedy Stars: Classic to Cutting Edge","Jewish Comedy Stars: Classic to Cutting Edge traces how Jewish humor shaped American entertainment across stage, radio, television, film, and writing. The introduction links humor to Jewish tradition and holidays, then explains how immigrant Yiddish comedy evolved in the United States amid hardship and anti-Semitism. The book surveys major performers in a structured progression from “On Stage” to “On Air” and “On Fire,” including biographies and discussions that set comedy’s development limits and “Comedy 2.0” innovators.","THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK  \nBy norman h. finkelstein  \nFor Tova and Joseph, who wonder where Saba’s corny jokes come from.–N. H. F.  \nCopyright © 2010 by Norman H. Finkelstein  \nAll rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.  \nKar-Ben Publishing  \nA division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.  \n241 First Avenue North  \nMinneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.  \nWebsite [address: www.karben.com](address: www.karben.com)  \nLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data]  \nFinkelstein, Norman H.  \nJewish comedy stars : classic to cutting edge / by Norman H. Finkelstein. [p. cm](p. cm).  \nIncludes bibliographical references and index.  \nISBN 978–0–8225–9942–5 (pbk. : alk. paper)  \n1. Jews in the performing arts—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature.  \n2. Jewish entertainers—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature. 3. Jewish comedians—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature. I. Title.  \nPN1590.J48F56 2010  \n792. 702'80923924073—dc22 2008033478  \nManufactured in the United States of America  \n1 – VI – 12/15/09  \neISBN: 978-0-7613-5918-0  \nTable of ConTenTs  \nIntroduction 4  \nact I: On Stage 5  \nBiographies 12  \nMorey Amsterdam 12  \nFanny Brice 13  \nGeorge Jessel 14  \nMolly Picon 15  \nSmith and Dale 17  \nWeber and Fields 18  \nHenny Youngman 19  \nact II: On Air 22  \nBiographies 30  \nWoody Allen 30  \nJack Benny 31  \nMilton Berle 33  \nJoey Bishop 35  \nMel Brooks 36  \nGeorge Burns 38  \nSid Caesar 40  \nEddie Cantor 42  \nRodney Dangerfield 44  \nDanny Kaye 45  \nJerry Lewis 46  \nThe Marx Brothers 48  \nJackie Mason 51  \nDon Rickles 52  \nAllan Sherman 53  \nPhil Silvers 54  \nThe Three Stooges 56  \nEd Wynn 58  \nact III: On Fire 60  \nBiographies: Testing the limits 66  \nRoseanne Barr 66  \nLenny Bruce 67  \nAndrew Dice Clay 68  \nBilly Crystal 69  \nAndy Kaufman 70  \nJon Lovitz 72  \nGilda Radner 73  \nJoan Rivers 74  \nRita Rudner 75  \nMort Sahl 76  \nGene Wilder 77  \nBiographies:  \nComedy 2.0 78  \nLewis Black 78  \nSacha Baron Cohen 79  \nLarry David 80  \nAl Franken 81  \nJudy Gold 82  \nAdam Sandler 83  \nJerry Seinfeld 84  \nSarah Silverman 86  \nJon Stewart 87  \nBen Stiller 88  \nSource Notes 90  \nSelected Bibliography 93  \nIndex 94  \nintroDUCtion  \nHumor has been an integral part of Jewish tradition since biblical times. When Isaac was born to aging parents—his father was more than one hundred years old and his mother in her nineties—he was named Yitzhak, the Hebrew word for “laughter.” “God has brought me laughter; everyone who hears will laugh with me!” his mother, Sarah, exclaimed. Since then humor has sustained Jews by helping them cope with times of joy or adversity.  \nThe joyous holiday of Purim celebrates the saving of the Jewish population in ancient Persia. It is observed with shpiels—humorous plays based on the biblical book of Esther. In eastern Europe, a tradition of humorous selfmocking folktales developed.  \nWhen Jews in large numbers began coming to the United States in the last part of the nineteenth century, they brought not only the Chelm stories with them but also a rich legacy of humor that became the foundation of American popular comedy. They also brought a rich tradition of using humorous language to express their feelings as well as self-mocking jokes to deflect the anti-Semitism they frequently experienced. The comedian Lenny Bruce once said that being Jewish is not only a religion but “a state of mind, a condition, a way of looking at the world.” It is this humor, some say, that helped Jews survive years of suffering.  \nWhy so many Jewish men and women have played important roles in the world of American comedy has been debated for years. Whether on the stage, on the radio and television, in film, o","cbCaiczNrHy0dbUs","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiczNrHy0dbUs","pdf",3485742,3,1,100,"English","en",105,"# Introduction\n# Act I: On Stage\n## Biographies\n# Act II: On Air\n## Biographies\n# Act III: On Fire\n## Biographies: Testing the limits\n## Source Notes\n# Selected Bibliography\n# Index","[{\"question\":\"How does the book explain the origins of Jewish humor?\",\"answer\":\"It presents humor as integral to Jewish tradition, including biblical-era associations with laughter and later cultural practices such as Purim shpiels and self-mocking folktales.\"},{\"question\":\"Why did Jewish comedians become prominent in American comedy, according to the introduction?\",\"answer\":\"The text attributes influence to immigrant experiences in the late nineteenth century, the reworking of Yiddish humor for American life, and humor as a way to cope with poverty and anti-Semitism.\"},{\"question\":\"What structure does the book use to cover Jewish comedy over time?\",\"answer\":\"It organizes content into acts focused on different performance media: “Act I: On Stage,” “Act II: On Air,” and “Act III: On Fire,” with separate biography sections within each 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