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Comments and Reviews From vaudeville
to the movies to television: The complete (and often hilarious) history
of how Jewish comedians transformed American entertainment. Lawrence J.
Epstein's The Haunted Smile tackles a subject both poignant and delightful:
the story of Jewish comedians in America. For the past century and more,
American comedy has drawn its strength and soul from the comic genius
of Jewish performers and writers. Even an incomplete listing of names
makes the point: the Marx Brothers, Jack Benny, Fanny Brice, George Burns,
Milton Berle, Jackie Mason, Joan Rivers, Rodney Dangerfield, Mel Brooks,
Mort Sahl, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Andy Kaufman, Richard Belzer, Jerry
Seinfeld. These men and women, among others, form the canon of American
Jewish comedy, and in The Haunted Smile Epstein offers us a deep and subtle
understanding of how Jewish culture and American openness gave birth to
a new style of entertainment. Epstein writes, "Jewish comedians in
each generation were able to find in Jewish tradition, culture, and history
a way to express the feelings of the wider American culture in which they
lived. They drew on their heritage in ways they themselves didn't always
understand. As they used that heritage to find ways to express truths
about America, they transformed American culture, making Jews and Jewishness
acceptable, even enviable." And what kind of book about comedy would
be complete without a few laughs? Epstein frequently uses the comedians'
own routines to illustrate his points, making this thoughtful work of
history a great deal of fun to read. The book also includes material from the more than 70 interviews Epstein conducted with such people as Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Al Franken, Estelle Getty, David Brenner, Shelley Berman, Norm Crosby, the late Steve Allen, Soupy Sales, Tommy Smothers, and many others. What a story! The history of Jewish comedians in America is chock full of humor, pathos, and memory. You will laugh, cry, and learn. We knew that Jews were funny, but The Haunted Smile tells us why this small group has so dominated comedy. Enjoy. It can't hurt you!" -Alan Dershowitz, Author of "Supreme Injustice" and "Chutzpah" This beautifully written book is rich with extraordinary insights about what it means to be a Jewish comedian. If you love to laugh, if you cherish our comedic heritage, read The Haunted Smile. -Shelley Berman, Famed Comedian Lawrence Epstein, in his book, The Haunted Smile, quotes Vivian Gornick on Woody Allen's humor: "It made Jews of gentiles." (God forbid the opposite doesn't hold true!) Anyway, Mr. Epstein's book is a treasure, full of wisdom and insight -- and deep scholarship. Because it's about humor it has to be taken seriously and, don't worry, when it comes to Jewish humor, Mr. Epstein will prove you don't have to be Jewish to be Jewish. -Frank McCourt, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Angela's Ashes" and "'Tis" A discerning and, better still, hilarious, examination of humor in America. The insecure but unstoppable vigor of Jewish comedians erupted from the teeming ghetto of the Lower East Side, overflowed to the vaudeville stage and kept going -- to radio, the theater, film, and television. It remains with us today; animating every aspect of show business from the latest standup comics to the Broadway explosion called The Producers to Woody Allen's most recent efforts. Lawrence Epstein has the whole story in The Haunted Smile, and he tells it with flair, wit, and seichel. -Stefan Kanfer, author of "Groucho" and "A Summer World" [Main]
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