Go to Hachette Book Group home

Search

Site Preferences

Show prices in:

By clicking “Accept,” you agree to the use of cookies and similar technologies on your device as set forth in our Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy. Please note that certain cookies are essential for this website to function properly and do not require user consent to be deployed.

The Haunted Smile

The Story Of Jewish Comedians In America

The Haunted Smile Open the full-size image

Contributors

By Lawrence J. Epstein

Formats and Prices

Price

$12.99

Price

$16.99 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. ebook $12.99 $16.99 CAD
  2. Trade Paperback $24.99 $31.99 CAD

Also available from:

Lawrence 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. 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, Alan King, Mort Sahl, Buddy Hackett, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Andy Kaufman, Richard Belzer, Jerry Seinfeld. These men and women, among others, form the canon of Jewish-American comedy.

In the words of the Detroit Jewish News, The Haunted Smile “offers us a deep and subtle understanding of how Jewish culture and American openness gave birth to a new style of entertainment.” Often the best way to illuminate a point is to recount some of these comedians’ own brilliant routines, and Epstein uses the comedian’s work to great effect, making for a book that is both a thoughtful work of history and a great deal of fun.

Genre:

On Sale
Aug 5, 2008
Page Count
384 pages
Publisher
PublicAffairs
ISBN-13
9780786724925

You May Also Like

Gilmore Girls: Stars Hollow Light-Up Sign
Gilmore Girls: Stars Hollow Light-Up Sign $12.95 $16.50 CAD
The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women
The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women $20.00 $26.00 CAD
I'm Dying Up Here
I'm Dying Up Here $18.99 $23.99 CAD
Mr. Funny Pants
Mr. Funny Pants $14.99 $16.50 CAD
Make 'Em Laugh
Make 'Em Laugh $22.99 $29.99 CAD

Lawrence J. Epstein

About the Author

Lawrence J. Epstein is an English professor and the author of The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America. He frequently lectures on American popular culture and lives with his wife and family on Long Island, New York.

Learn more about this author