Drama Essays Women in Comedy

Drama Essays Wo manpower in waggeryThe Changing Role of Women in japery.How has comedy in the midst of 1950 to 2000 been used by effeminate performers to highlight the oppression and objectification of women in society? What impact has this had on the contemporary female comedian of straight off?Introduction OverviewChapter One A Sense of the Times fifties sixties1970s-1980sChapter Two Womens Sense of piqueChapter Three Issues in Stand-up Comedy macrocosm a WomanTraditional G fireer ExpectationsAggressivenessSexuality and FemininityIssues of Power and ControlModes of Stand-up ComedySelf-Deprecation in Womens liquid body substanceSelf-deprecation in the work of Phyllis Diller and Joan RiversThe national goddess Conclusion The 1990s and Beyond The Future of Women in Stand-up ComedyReference ListIntroductionComedy is a form of expression which stretches and just sometimes breaks boundaries. It crosses all var.s of boundaries, including those of gender. It can be risky becau se it often ridicules social and moral conventions in a government agency that challenges and threatens accepted norms, backbreaking the status quo. This is particularly uncoiled of womens comedy.This paper will examine the way that comedy has been used by female performers during the period from 1950 to 2000, focusing on the themes of oppression and objectification of women in society. It will to a fault analyze the ways in which the experiences of these five hug drugs maintain affected contemporary female suspiciouss.Chapter One gives a commonplace overview of each decade, to explain the political and social climates of that time as a framework for examining the changes in womens roles. Included will be examples of diametrical women comics whose experiences best represent selected aspects of that time frame.This will be followed by an analysis of what people mean when they talk of a sense of pique what, exactly, is a sense of modality? Do women gather in a different s ense of humour than men? Most of the literature ab egress women comics touches on this question on some direct some of the literature goes into a great deal of depth. This is frequently d atomic number 53 to do to the assertion that has been made, repeatedly over the years, that women dont have a sense of humour. This statement has been made virtually frequently by men. However, this same assertion has at times been leveled (often in an accusatory dash) by women toward former(a) women.Chapter One A Sense of the TimesA. The Decade of the 1950sThe decade of the 1950s was a time of great change. Britain was entering a period of change magnitude affluence and freedom, and many of the old social and cultural structures began to be challenged, particularly by the young. In Hollywood, as well as through off the get together States and pairing America, post-war sentiment lingered on and mingled with the confusion that accompanies times of great change.In some places, such as Britain, this turmoil was exemplified by a tendency to pull outside(a) from formal religion. In the United States, this period was an era of economic growth mixed with a sense of conservation. At the same time, there seemed to be a professed be duplicityf in the old determine however, this belief was tinged with doubt. According to one scholar, the professed belief was mixed with a sense of unease that maybe the old values no longer held all the answers (Sova, 1998, 106).According to critics Linda Martin and Kerry Segrave, the portrayal of women during the 1950s was generally considered to be negative. Women actors and performers were roughlyly typecast as dumb, ugly man-chasers or some make sense thereof (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 203).Some non equal to(p) performers of comedy of this period include Judy Holliday, Lucille Ball, Phyllis Diller, and Joan Rivers. Blond comedian Judy Holliday, who had been appearing in films as early as the 1940s, continued to so do in the 1950s. She ev en managed to become a film comedy star in the 1950s, a feat that even Lucille Ball did not manage. Sova asserts that Holliday went for the laughs in an innocent manner, something which worked well for her in the 1950s, but which did not work for Ball either then or later (Sova, 1998, 120121).Holliday and Ball were ilk in that they both played both straight drama, and then switched over later on to a comedic format. Ball, however, was not a larger-than-life presence on the silver screen, and she failed to attract the kind of interest that Holliday did. Hence, she never reached stardom on a cinematic level. Still, Ball is perhaps a more than familiar name, even to this day. She went on to revolutionize television with her comedy partner and husband Desi Arnaz. In so doing, it may be said that Lucille Ball passel the standard for what was then a fairly new genre, the situational comedy.Phyllis Diller is anformer(a) comedian who became known during this period, and has remained kno wn to this day. Diller transcended comediennes of the day, if not femaleness itself, by announcing her arrival in the mid-1950s in the around outlandish manner imaginable, asserts a contemporary of hers. He goes on to describe her entrance onto the stage She landed onstage like a flightless goony bird wielding her behind holder, piercing the nightclub air with her manic squawk, all beak and beady chicken eyes, and dressed in a deliberately garish getup (Nachman, 2003, 216).Susan Horowitz points out that Diller came out of the 1950s, a period which stressed and exaggerated sexrole differences (Horowitz, 1997, 50). In addition, it is significant to business that at the time Diller entered the profession of comedy in the mid 1950s female comics were practically non-existent. Commenting on her c beer as a whole, Horowitz asserts that both Dillers subject matter sex appeal and domestic competence and the manner in which she handles it self-deprecation argon Dillers comedic take on the stereo exemplary 1950s woman (Horowitz, 1987, 62).This decade also ushered in Joan Rivers, who is described by a buster as arriving upon the scene with forked tongue and sharpened talons. . . she bit and clawed her way to comic success and has clung to it for dear life (Nachman, 2003, 592). Rivers comedic attempt has been described as a jolt of contrasts her rapid-fire manner of talking, combined with her wide variation of topics, kept her audition members on their toes.Her comedic style is often attributed to background she drifted between social classes, never feeling truly comfortable in any one category. Horowitz has described her as both an insider and an outsider, classy and dclass the individual(a) school student whose family cannot pay the bills the wealthy celebrity whose act mocks the elite the elegant lady who talks close to remotets and pooping (Horowitz, 1997, 93).Yet not even the most outrageous comedy act could compete with television. The growth of t his televisions popularity had a strong impact on e precise aspect of society. Television had very quickly become more popular than radio, replacing it as the pet form of entertainment in the home. In addition, more and more people began to have television sets in their homes. The proliferation of television brought with it a change in style. Martin and Segrave explain that where radio relied on women mangling the language, television, in keeping with its visual nature, relied more on physiological sight gags to convey dumbness. Thus, this period hall seagulled the combination of the dumb, blonde, buxom stereotype. At least on television, as opposed to radio, women were able to articulate clearly (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 204).B. The 1960sThe movement away from the conservative fifties began and continued throughout the turbulent 60s in America. Revolutionary ways of thinking spread rapidly, and real change transform the cultural fabric of American life.During this decade, consu mption continued in Britain, but had become less connected with utilitarian needs, and more to do with status and comfort. For women comics, however, the firstly half of the 1960s was one of the least productive in their history. Although in Hollywood the film industry was opening up more for women, the field of comic abound seemed to be at a standstill. Martin and Segrave do point out that there was at least one positive examine in American mental capacity to welcome the new decade. This one exception was Elaine May.Elaine May was an example, and she represented what women could accomplish when prone a fair and equal opportunity. May, according to Martin and Segrave, provided a examine of what was to follow as more and more female comics cast off the old images and stereotypes and broadened and extended their place in the field of humor (1986, 206). What was noteworthy intimately Mays performance is that she did not try to look ugly, the way so many women comics of this per iod seemed to do. In addition, she did not rely on self-deprecation the way other female comics did. She and Nichols sh bed an equal partnership another r ar thing at this time. Ordinarily the woman would play a foil to display case the other, male, part of the duo.Among the comics who started to become know during this time, one was Carol Burnett. According to Martin and Segrave, Burnett represented a performer who straddled the line between independence and submissiveness (1986, 308). This was no easy task, given the hostile climate the world of comedy offered women. Horowitz points out that Burnetts style at this time was marked by self-deprecation Burnetts self-deprecating humor was typical of comediennes of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and it served to soften audience resistance to the notion of an assertively dramatic playny woman (Horowitz, 1997, 69).Dave Tebert, the man who ran the talent department at NBC in the early 1960s, asserted that women were given the same oppo rtunities as men, but that they were not aggressive abounding or forceful enough to deal with the drunks and hecklers often name in the audience (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 18).In addition, Bob Shanks, the talent coordinator for the Paar show, made an attempt to mustinesser female comics. Over a three-year period, however, he interviewed 500 women only twenty of them were considered unspoiled enough to pass. He commented that the wit was missing or that the women lacked quickness of response (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 19).Comedy was performance arising from skill and wit, and performance was a male role. Funny girls would not be asked out on dates assert Martin and Segrave (1986, 19). Being popular in school, having a date to the prom, being seen as attractive and compliant these qualities were valued in young women and girls. Being clever and witty key qualities for a comic, were not valued. There, most women of the time felt that given a choice, comedy should be submerged.Wh en men make clever jokes at womens expense, they may be considered great, insightful comics, assert Martin and Segrave. On the other hand, women who do the same at the expense of men may be labeled such derogatory terms as ball-busters or man-haters. In position, women are not even safe poking fun at other women. They are considered anti-female or catty citing Joan Rivers as an example of this (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 20).C. 1970s1980sThe 1970s was a time of gradual change. According to some, the decade of the 1970s was one of slow but steady growth in the number of women entering or reentering facets of the film industry that had been closed to them for decades (Sova, 1998, 153).Laugh-In hadhit the airwaves at the end of the 1960s, and once it was firmly entrenched, it showcased a variety of women comics. In fact, it was the first time that so many comedians had so much exposure since the days of vaudeville. Laugh-in helped a number of comics to get exposure and start careers. A mong these were Goldie Hawn, Ruth Buzzi, JoAnne Worley, Lily Tomlin.Lily Tomlin brought some unique skills to the industry through her intelligence and creativity. She did this through the creation of new comic characters. In addition, she was able to perform several well-received stage concerts. Her film career has been less successful this may be partly due to the poor selection of roles she has been given.The beginning of the Womens Movement in America in the late 1960s and early 1970s of course had an effect on women in comedy throughout the United States and Britain. Comedians who began to appear during this time include Bette Midler, Sandra Bernhard, Madeleine Kahn, and Marilyn Sokol. Laugh-In continued to display women comics. In addition, shows like Shows like Saturday Night Live and SCTV helped start the careers of such comedians as Gilda Radner and Andrea Martin.The 1980s did not see much improvement. Comediennes with anything to say were being labeled hostile or too mascu line (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 312).The most phenomenal rise, however, was the unprecedented number of women who had begun to appear in comedy clubs as stand-up comics. These new women comics dealt with womens anesthetises, such as fashion, menstruation, weight, hygiene, being single, sex and relationships. These topics were often part of the self-deprecating humor that continued to mark womens humor through the remainder of the century.During this time, it should be noted that very few nonage women appeared in this profession. The great exception was Moms Mabley, who managed to overcome exceptional obstacles in gaining acceptance in the world of primarily white male entertainers.Chapter 2Womens Sense of Humour In their 1986 volume Women in Comedy, Linda Martin and Kerry Segrave assert that female comics are a rare commodity. The definition for this, they assert, lies in the commonly held belief that women are just not funny they dont laugh at jokes, nor do they create them.To su pport their assertion, Martin and Segrave describe a magazine article written in 1951. A writer named Robert Allen wrote an article about women and humor for Macleans. Allen bemoaned the fact that women never seemed to know when to laugh at a joke, or they often failed to laugh at all. He claimed he had experimented at home, and that he used different kinds and different styles of humor, but that his subjects never seemed to get the jokes. To be fair, he said he tested people outside his own home, including a variety of other females. Still, he got the same results with that group.After all this, he stated that the only conclusion he could draw was that women have no sense of humor (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 16-17).It is arouse to note that it never occurred to Allen that he might be the one who was not getting it. It also interesting to note that Allens article was considered important enough to eventually make it into Readers Digest as a condensed piece but this did not happen u ntil thirteen years later. Considering the fact that most Readers Digest condensed articles appear within months of the original publication, a lag time of thirteen years is rather remarkable. As Martin and Segrave suggest, this illustrated perhaps the timeless existence of the idea and the need to present it again in a different decade, to a new audience just at a period when the image of the female comic was beginning to be liberated (1986, 17).The humorist James Thurber, writing contemporaneously with Allen, wrote a piece in which he addressed an unidentified Miss G.H., who had sent him some unsolicited comedy material. He responded to her material by suggesting that she become a bacteriologist, or a Red-Cross nurse, or a Wave, like all the other girls.The most scathing criticism at the time, however, came from a woman. Sarel Eimerl wrote in a November 1962 issue of Mademoiselle that a woman who really makes one laugh is about as easy to find as a pauper taking his Sunday brunc h in the Edwardian Room (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 17).It appears that in the 1950s and beyond, women were thought mostly by men, but also some women to be lacking a sense of humor. That belief has not been completely eradicated to this day. In her turn out internal urge and Humour, Lizbeth Goodman analyzes the following joke from Banks and Swifts 1987 book on comedyQuestion How many feminists does it take to screw in a light bulb?Answer Thats not funny.Goodman goes on to explain that although the idea of the joke is simple, that there is a great deal more discharge on. This joke is, in fact, an example of an accessible and non-valorized form of social critique, which functions as a mirror of the values of the dominant culture (Goodman, 1992a, 287).It is also interesting to note that this joke is familiar to us. It has been repeated any number of times in recent years, each time with some detail changed. Often the change is in the choice of target. Different minority groups ma y be featured as the target, depending on the context of the telling. Therefore, the teller of the joke is implicitly stating that women, too, are a minority. According to Goodman, that women are singled out as a minority group, despite the majority of women in society, is indicative of the male bias of society and its values (Goodman, 1992a, 288). Horowitz points out that, like other groups that have suffered discrimination, women are classified as a minority group by affirmative action programs however, unlike ethnic minorities, women are a numerical majority (Horowitz, 1997, 8).Goodman also points out that the fact that women are so frequently targeted in jokes in western culture is significant in itself that women are so often the butt of jokes in western culture says a great deal about that culture. It reveals, for example, that the jokers are usually men. It also reveals that the listeners are deeply immersed in the patriarchal culture. In fact, Goodman takes this a step furth er. She points out that the listeners are steeped in the patriarchal culture to the extent that certain types of responses are gendered for instance, loud laughter as opposed to quiet hand-over-the-mouth giggles (Goodman, 1992a, 288).Another way to analyze this joke, Goodman suggests, is to take into consideration the fact that the value of the joke does not lie solely within the joke itself. Rather, its value depends on other factors. One of these factors is the context of the telling the other is the interpretation of the hearer. She cites Adrienne Richs 1979 reinterpretation of the joke, explaining that doing so requires an consciousness of the context of the jokes production and an ability to decontextualize the joke mentally (Goodman, 1992a, 288).By doing this, the joke can be interpreted in such a way that it is not an insult to women, or an insult to feminism. Instead, it becomes a critique of the simplistic notions that are commonly held about women in society and especial ly about women who are feminists.This in the end brings us to the rhetorical question about women and humour do women have a sense of humour? Linda Naranjo-Huebl answers this in the affirmative. She also includes an explanation of how this humor is different. One of the common findings of all the gender and humor studies is that there does in fact exist something that can be identified as womens humor, she asserts. She then explains that it is a distinct form of humor, characteristic of and arising from womens experience that serves distinct communicative functions associated with that experience (Naranjo-Huebl, 2005, web).Linda Naranjo-Huebl asserts that the stereotype of the humorless female has stubbornly persisted, reinforced by studies concluding that women use humor less often than men. She puts forth three theories to explain why this stereotype has persisted for so long.The first explanation has to do with womens use of language. Women are generally brought up to be polite, and the language of humour is often impolite. In addition, humour tends to be aggressive, and women have traditionally been demoralised from expressing any sort of open aggression.The second explanation for the continuation of this stereotype is that much of womens humor has been either censored or misinterpreted (Naranjo-Hueblo, web). That is to say, women do have a sense of humour, but it has largely gone unrecognized a situation which is still being rectified today.Not only have examples of womens humour been censored and misinterpreted, but also the methodology of the studies has frequently been flawed. The methods used, primarily those created by men, tend to favor male forms of humor. The results then falsely prove that women lack a sense of humour.Naranjo-Hueblo explains one such study, in which 250 undergraduate business students from a major university were asked to answer questions regarding a hypothetical situation. The situation consisted of the students pretending th at they were with a colleague the colleague is carrying a briefcase which suddenly becomes open, resulting in papers flying all over the place. The students are then asked how they would respond would they ignore the episode and keep on walking? Would they assist the colleague by stopping to help pick up the papers? Or would they tease the colleague or in some other way express humour? Each student was allowed to choose only one response.As one might expect, the majority of men chose to respond with humour, while the majority of women chose to help. This creators of the study assumed that one couldnt be helpful and humorous at the same time. Furthermore, it led them to conclude that women did not have as great a sense of humour as men. Naranjo-Hueblo points out the choices do not include the possibility that women may be humorous about the situation as they are assisting their colleague. Furthermore, another problem with the study is that it posits humor as a one-line quip in a sla pstick situation, which is not womens preferred form of humor (Naranjo-Huebl, web).The third reason women have been found to lack a sense of humour is that humour has largely been defined by men. Women find humour in different sources, often preferring word jokes and puns as well as stories, whereas men prefer much more derisive forms of humour. It has always been more acceptable for masculine styles to influence fair(prenominal) ones, rather than vice versa. . . The powerless take on the trappings of the powerful (Horowitz, 1997, 9).Chapter Three Issues in Stand-up ComedyBeing a womanTraditional gender expectationsAggressivenessSexuality and FemininityPower and Control IssuesModes of Stand-up ComedySelf-Deprecation in Womens HumourSelf-deprecation in the work of Phyllis Diller and Joan RiversThe domestic goddess A. Being a Woman As stated earlier, comedy is a form of expression which stretches and sometimes breaks boundaries. This is very reliable in the case of stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedy ridicules the norms of society. It challenges convention, and it questions moral views.in particular has a tradition of ridiculing moral, social, and political conventions. The stand-up comedian is frequently considered as existing on the fringes of mainstream society. For any stand-up comedian, male or female, a number of factors come into play when they are in front of an audience. What race are they? What is their ethnic background? What is their sexual orientation, or what does it appear to be? Are they disabled, and is that uncomfortable for the audience member? When you add gender into the mix, it becomes that much more unpredictable. The response the audience gives to a female stand-up is much different to the one they would give to her male counterpart. The audience seems to expect a man to be funny. When confronted with a female stand-up, they suspend judgment until she can prove that she is funny.B. Traditional Gender ExpectationsTraditional gender expecta tions are also a very important issue for women comics. Conventional definitions of lady-like behavior are an obstacle. Conventional definitions of what it means to be feminine or to act lady-like are incongruent with the often-inappropriate behavior of women in comedy. This is particularly true of such forms of comedy as stand-up routines. In stand-up comedy, women comics cannot be passive and demure on stage, for this behavior will not elicit laughter. Instead, they must be aggressive, sometimes loud, and frequently un-ladylike. They must completely break with accepted social conventions.Bucking these conventions is difficult for a number of reasons, not the least of which is economic profit. Gender expectations are reinforced, especially by mainstream corporate media, because they are tied into money. The objectification of women is a central factor in the sale of commodities, another pillar of the competitive clay (Sakeris, 2001, 227). Women comics by definition break barriers and defy convention. By so doing, they present a number of different challenges to mainstream society, and especially to that portion of mainstream society which will ultimately suffer financially.In addition, notes Sakeris, the ghettoization of womens work and the provision of necessary, but unpaid, labor in the home all supported by our processes of gender socialization are central to a capitalist economy as well (Sakeris, 2001, 227).C. AggressivenessAnother aspect that must be considered is the aggressiveness involved in stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedy can be viewed as an aggressive act. In the attempt to elicit laughter, it can be said that the comic is trying to practise control over her audience. Thus, it can be seen as a power struggle. Because of the power associated with the successful use of humor, humor initiation has become associated with other traditionally masculine characteristics, such as aggression, dominance, and assertiveness. For a female to develop into a c lown or joker, then, she must violate the behavioral pattern normally mute for women (Naranjo-Huebl, 2005, web).This is in direct opposition to the passiveness that society traditionally expects of women. To get up on stage and act aggressively is something that goes against traditional norms and is therefore suspect. Being female means acting demurely, being subservient while remaining unobtrusive. When a female gets up on stage and performs as a comic, she is aggressive, actively engaging the participants, and demanding for attention.Womens humour is frequently interpreted as a challenge. This is naturally due to the aggressive nature of stand-up comedy, especially in an audience, which will most probably be comprised primarily of men. Too much aggression can be alienating in the best of situations. When too much aggression is exhibited by a female, the threat is compounded. It can appear to males that this female interloper is trying to seize what they think of as their territor y male territory. This can be mordant for an act, eventually for a career.As several researchers have pointed out, comedy is an aggressive activity, and it requires performers to be hard and women are not supposed to be hard. Being pervasively nice is not conducive to comedy which requires satire and ridicule. Women who do break through into comedy are branded with all sorts of unpleasant labels, such as strident, dyke, or frustrated (Martin and Segrave, 20).D. Sexuality and FemininityAnother issue, and one which is vitally important, is that of sexual practice. Even if she is not talking about sex in her act, this is an issue. The question of a womans sexuality and her sense of femininity are undeniably central issues to the professional woman comic. What is the connection between comic appeal, sex appeal, and our notions of what is feminine? Mother, virgin, prostitute these are the social roles imposed on women. The characteristics of (so-called) feminine sexuality derive from them the valorization of reproduction and nursing faithfulness modesty, ignorance of and even lack of interest in sexual pleasure a passive acceptance of mens activity seductiveness, in order to arouse the consumers desire while offering herself as its material support without getting pleasure herself (Irigary, 1985, 63-4). Some would go as far as to see parallels between the act of standup comedy and the act of sex. For example, Horowitz asserts that sexuality can be loving, mutual vulnerability as can comedy (Horowitz, 1997, 12). Horowitz and others have suggested that there is an intimacy in the relationship between the comic and her audience that is not unlike the intimacy between lovers.There are varying levels of frankness in different stand-up routines. This may be seen as mirroring the sexual frankness of the male stand-up comedian. However, it is accepted less easily. As Horowitz points out, female comics are expected to go far but not too far (Horowitz, 1997, 17).E. Po wer and Control IssuesHumour is often used as a means of controlling social situations. In a highly volatile set of circumstances, humour can often defuse the threat by helping to ease the tension. By using humour this way, dangerous explosions of temper can be averted without forcing confrontations. Yet since the end result is the same the situation is brought to a halt by peaceful means this also means that humour exerts a kind of power. The dynamics of power are complex and can be difficult to negotiate.These dynamics are further complicated when it comes to the case of self-deprecatory humour. The comic may seem to be relinquishing control by taking her own inadequacies and flaws and putting them out there on public display.