ABSTRACT
Applies the recent `return to history' in film studies to the genre of classical Hollywood comedy as well as broadening the definition of those works considered central in this field.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part |46 pages
Two Traditions
part |86 pages
Narrative
chapter 4|19 pages
Crazy Machines in the Garden of Forking Paths
Mischief Gags and The Origins of American Film Comedy
part |115 pages
Performance
chapter 12|24 pages
“The Laughingstock of the City”
Performance Anxiety, Male Dread and Unfaithfully Yours
part |85 pages
Ideology
chapter 15|18 pages
Romantic Love and Friendship
The Redefinition of Gender Relations in Screwball Comedy
