ABSTRACT

Through candid personal interviews with Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, and other visionary performers, Queens of Comedy explores how comediennes have redefined the roles of women in not only the entertainment business, but society as a whole. Detailing both their public and private lives - as well as their many and varied performances - Queen of Comedy examines the impact these women have had on the predominantly male-oriented world of comedy. Performers like Carol Burnett, Joan Rivers, and their more recent counterparts, comediennes Brett Butler and Roseanne, have helped to sift women's roles in comedy from object to subject. This book maps out this shift, providing an often brutally honest picture of women's lives in both the spotlight of comedy and this modern world.

chapter I|19 pages

Comic Appeal, Sex Appeal, and Power

chapter II|23 pages

Lucille Ball

chapter III|19 pages

Phyllis Diller

chapter IV|21 pages

Carol Burnett

chapter V|22 pages

Joan Rivers

chapter VI|23 pages

Dumb Doras and Gawky Gertrudes

chapter VII|32 pages

Wits and Wisecrackers