Kvetching and Shpritzing: Jewish Humor in American Popular Culture

Synopsis

Scholars Of Humor Have Studied The Essence Of The Jewish Joke, At Once A Defense Mechanism Against A Hostile World And A Means Of Cultural Affirmation. Citing Examples From Prominent Humorists And Stand-up Comics, This Book Examines The Phenomenon Of Jewish Humor From Its Biblical Origins To Its Prevalence In The Modern Diaspora-- Introduction. Jewish Humor : Mechanism For Defense, Weapon For Cultural Affirmation -- God, Jokes And Money : A Subversive Look At Jewish Humor -- Jewish Men And Women In Vaudeville -- Yiddish -- Funny Jews : Up From The Catskills-danny Kaye And Sid Caesar -- Catskill Alumni From Brooklyn -- A Sacred Monster In Lamb's Clothing : Jerry Lewis -- Comedy's Changing Landscape : Two Jews And A Black Crossover Artist -- Jewish Humor In Literature -- Dialectical Jewish Humor : Mickey Katz, Sam Levenson And Jackie Mason -- Up From The Bronx : Red Buttons, Billy Crystal And Robert Klein -- Sitcoms From Benny To Seinfeld -- Shpritzing And Jiving : Jews And Blacks -- Yip's Rainbow : Songs Of Social Significance -- Coda : Around The World In Eighty Jokes Plus. Joseph Dorinson ; Foreword By Joseph Boskin. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.