Queens of Comedy: Lucille Ball, Phyllis Diller, Carol Burnett, Joan Rivers, and the New Generation of Funny Women [Paperback]

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.

Introduction to the Series; Preface; Acknowledgments; Section 01 COMIC APPEAL, SEX APPEAL, and POWER; Section 02 LUCILLE BALL; Section 03 PHYLLIS DILLER; Section 04 CAROL BURNETT; Section 05 JOAN RIVERS; Section 06 DUMB DORAS and GAWKY GERTRUDES; Section 07 WITS and WISECRACKERS; Bibliography;USCopyright ?1997 by OPA (Overseas Publishers Association) Amsterdam B.V. Published in The Netherlands under license by Routledge