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Examines the social and historical significance of women's
contributions to American silent Film comedy. For many people the
term ""silent comedy"" conjures up images of Charlie Chaplin's
Little Tramp, Buster Keaton's Stoneface, or Harold Lloyd hanging
precariously from the side of a skyscraper. Even people who have
never seen a silent film can recognize these comedians at a glance.
But what about the female comedians? Gale Henry, Louise Fazenda,
Colleen Moore, Constance Talmadge-these and numerous others were
wildly popular during the silent fi lm era, appearing in countless
motion pictures and earning top salaries, and yet their names have
been almost entirely forgotten. As a consequence, recovering their
history is all the more compelling given that they laid the
foundation for generations of funny women, from Lucille Ball to
Carol Burnett to Tina Fey. These women constitute an essential and
neglected sector of film history, reflecting a turning point in
women's social and political history. Their talent and brave spirit
continues to be felt today, and Comic Venus: Women and Comedy in
American Silent Film seeks to provide a better understanding of
women's experiences in the early twentieth century and to better
understand and appreciate the unruly and boundary-breaking women
who have followed. The diversity and breadth of archival materials
explored in Comic Venus illuminate the social and historical period
of comediennes and silent film. It is the first book to explore the
overlooked contributions made by comediennes in American silent fi
lm. Those with an interest in fi lm and representations of
femininity in comedy will be fascinated by the analytical
connections and thoroughly researched histories of these women and
their groundbreaking movements in comedy and stage.
Examines the social and historical significance of women's
contributions to American silent film comedy. For many people the
term "silent comedy" conjures up images of Charlie Chaplin's Little
Tramp, Buster Keaton's Stoneface, or Harold Lloyd hanging
precariously from the side of a skyscraper. Even people who have
never seen a silent film can recognize these comedians at a glance.
But what about the female comedians? Gale Henry, Louise Fazenda,
Constance Talmadge-these and numerous others were wildly popular
during the silent film era, appearing in countless motion pictures
and earning top salaries, and yet, their names have been almost
entirely forgotten. As a consequence, recovering their history is
all the more compelling given that they laid the foundation for
generations of funny women, from Lucille Ball to Tina Fey. These
women constitute an essential and neglected sector of film history,
reflecting a turning point in women's social and political history.
Their talent and brave spirit continues to be felt today, and Comic
Venus: Women and Comedy in American Silent Film seeks to provide a
better understanding of women's experiences in the early twentieth
century, and an appreciation of the unruly and boundary-breaking
women who have followed. Kristen Anderson Wagner begins with the
question of why historically women weren't seen as funny in the
public and male eye, a question that persists even today. Wagner
delves into the idea of women's "delicate sensibilities," which
presumably prevented them from being funny, and traces ideas about
feminine beauty and what a woman should express versus what these
comedic women did express. Comic Venus brings readers to understand
comediennes and their impact on silent-era cinema, as well as their
lasting influence on later generations of funny women.
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