Ain't That a Knee-Slapper

Rural Comedy in the Twentieth Century

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Performing Arts, Radio, Film, History & Criticism
Cover of the book Ain't That a Knee-Slapper by Tim Hollis, University Press of Mississippi
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Tim Hollis ISBN: 9781628467260
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi Publication: July 27, 2010
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi Language: English
Author: Tim Hollis
ISBN: 9781628467260
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Publication: July 27, 2010
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi
Language: English

There was a time when rural comedians drew most of their humor from tales of farmers' daughters, hogs, hens, and hill country high jinks. Lum and Abner and Ma and Pa Kettle might not have toured happily under the "Redneck" marquee, but they were its precursors.

In Ain't That a Knee-Slapper: Rural Comedy in the Twentieth Century, author Tim Hollis traces the evolution of this classic American form of humor in the mass media, beginning with the golden age of radio, when such comedians as Bob Burns, Judy Canova, and Lum and Abner kept listeners laughing. The book then moves into the motion pictures of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, when the established radio stars enjoyed second careers on the silver screen and were joined by live-action renditions of the comic strip characters Li'l Abner and Snuffy Smith, along with the much-loved Ma and Pa Kettle series of films. Hollis explores such rural sitcoms as The Real McCoys in the late 1950s and from the 1960s, The Andy Griffith Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Hee Haw, and many others. Along the way, readers are taken on side trips into the world of animated cartoons and television commercials that succeeded through a distinctly rural sense of fun.

While rural comedy fell out of vogue and networks sacked shows in the early 1970s, the emergence of such hits as The Dukes of Hazzard brought the genre whooping back to the mainstream. Hollis concludes with a brief look at the current state of rural humor, which manifests itself in a more suburban, redneck brand of standup comedy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

There was a time when rural comedians drew most of their humor from tales of farmers' daughters, hogs, hens, and hill country high jinks. Lum and Abner and Ma and Pa Kettle might not have toured happily under the "Redneck" marquee, but they were its precursors.

In Ain't That a Knee-Slapper: Rural Comedy in the Twentieth Century, author Tim Hollis traces the evolution of this classic American form of humor in the mass media, beginning with the golden age of radio, when such comedians as Bob Burns, Judy Canova, and Lum and Abner kept listeners laughing. The book then moves into the motion pictures of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, when the established radio stars enjoyed second careers on the silver screen and were joined by live-action renditions of the comic strip characters Li'l Abner and Snuffy Smith, along with the much-loved Ma and Pa Kettle series of films. Hollis explores such rural sitcoms as The Real McCoys in the late 1950s and from the 1960s, The Andy Griffith Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Hee Haw, and many others. Along the way, readers are taken on side trips into the world of animated cartoons and television commercials that succeeded through a distinctly rural sense of fun.

While rural comedy fell out of vogue and networks sacked shows in the early 1970s, the emergence of such hits as The Dukes of Hazzard brought the genre whooping back to the mainstream. Hollis concludes with a brief look at the current state of rural humor, which manifests itself in a more suburban, redneck brand of standup comedy.

More books from University Press of Mississippi

Cover of the book Autobiographical Comics by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book Conversations with Ken Kesey by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book Fear and What Follows by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book Chester Brown by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book The Jim Dilemma by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book Bloody Mary in the Mirror by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book The Comics of Julie Doucet and Gabrielle Bell by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book Hollywood Unknowns by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book George A. Romero by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book Invisible Ball of Dreams by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book Bertrand Tavernier by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book Woody Allen by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book No Small Thing by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book Tell about Night Flowers by Tim Hollis
Cover of the book Confederates in the Tropics by Tim Hollis
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy