3.0
The Last Laugh
ByPublisher Description
The Last Laugh is the first and only book to take readers deep into the bizarre universe of the standup comic, from the classic years of Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, and Shecky Greene, to today's comedy superstars. Phil Berger shows how styles and trends in standup have changed over the past fifty years, but how taking the stage in a comedy club is as tough as it's always been. Performers profiled in the book include Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Elaine Boosler, Robert Klein, Bill Cosby, Billy Crystal, Dick Gregory, Andy Kaufman, Steve Martin, Cheech and Chong, Eddie Murphy, and a host of others. Filled with comics' hilarious routines and anecdotes, this substantially updated edition also chronicles the lives and careers of more recent artists, including Richard Lewis and Jay Leno.
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3.0
“Interesting, but...
This book was originally written in the mid-1970s so it originally heavy with long-dead comics (e.g. Rodney Dangerfield, Jack E. Leonard, Vaughn Meader, etc.) It eventually got to names "I grew up with" like Robert Klein, David Steinberg, David Brenner, but I still felt left out in the cold. Women were basically mentioned but not explored.
The writing skill of the author is questionable.”
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