The United States is known for many things. It is considered to be the leading economy all over the world for quite some time now and its military resources and technology has reached countless feats through the years. It has also wowed the sporting world and has topped most of the spectacles that you see in many countries fighting for supremacy. But one thing that really lets the Americans stand on top of the world is the fine work people in the entertainment scene execute day in and day out. With this, let’s take time to learn and track a very rich heritage of American stand-up comedy.
The roots of US stand-up can be attributed to the development of popular entertainment schemes in the late 19th century, which included the likes of English Music Hall, Minstrel shows, circus clown antics, vaudeville, and humorist monologues. This comedic era featured individuals that generally carried out routines based on ethnicity and famous stereotypes. The jokes used were quite broad and the materials were mostly shared. Vaudeville boasts of producing the fathers of modern American stand-up comedy such as Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Frank Fay, Jack Benny, and Fred Allen. Their gigs saw the guys performing in a style that came to be known as performing in one.
When the 1950s and 60s came into being, comedians made their way into performing at venues called folk clubs. The batch of stand-ups during this era spiced things up by adding elements of social satire while treading into aspects of race relations, sexual humor, and politics. African-American performers like George Kirby, Dick Gregory, Redd Foxx, and Bill Cosby took their chance and began performing in front of white audiences. Phyllis Diller paved the way for women who wanted the funny tag and was later followed by the likes of Lily Tomlin, Elaine Boosler, Roseanne Barr, and Joan Rivers.
The 80s led to the flooding of comedy clubs which were practically present in every major and minor city. Featured acts included an MC, middle act, and a headliner. Sam Kinison, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld, and Robin Williams walked to the plate as they came up with live stand-up performances.
As the 90s came about the field saw an outburst of comedians with varying levels of talents which consequently led to the decline in the number of comedy clubs. The lesser famous performers has a hard time competing with the ones that were prominent within the circles of stand-up. The 90s can be described as trying times to aspiring comics in the US. It is also associated with the development of alternative comedy specifically in Los Angeles which showcased the talents of Patton Oswalt, David Cross, Paul F. Tompkins, Bob Odenkirk, Beth Lapides, and Janeane Garofalo. These comics deviated from formal comedy and followed the traditional story-telling antics of Lenny Bruce.
The late 90s would saw a rebound of the comic industry. Comedy Central housed shows like Premium Blend and The A-List which featured budding talents and Lounge Lizards as well as Comedy Central Presents aired on half-hour specials. This gave the comedians some sort of mainstream exposure. A number of experts attribute the resurgence of stand-up comedy to Chris Rock’s efforts in his HBO special Bring the Pain.
Appreciation can truly come once people learn about heritage and history. Stand-up comedy thrived through the years because of people who willed their way past adversities in order to constantly provide the audience with mind-blowing spills and laughs.
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