In the early days of the twentieth century when vaudeville was the most popular theatrical entertainment in America, there were a number of female singers who became its star performers. In the process of conducting preliminary research for a dissertation topic on female singers of this era, it quickly became evident that while much has been written about opera singers of that era, only limited material was available on female vaudeville singers. Furthermore, the small amount of information which was available was so randomly scattered among various sources that it was difficult to perceive a composite picture of these performers.The purpose of this investigation into the musical styles and repertoire of three great female singer-comediennes of early vaudeville--Eva Tanguay, Nora Bayes and Sophie Tucker--is to determine what the reasons were for their tremendous popularity. Because vaudeville was the prime source of entertainment before the days of mass media, the American public was quick to make stars of many of its performers. This study seeks to ascertain what it was about thesewomen's particular musical styles, repertoire and personalities which made them so interesting and caused the public to make them vaudeville stars. Though there are certainly other female singers of this period which are also of interest:, these three were chosen because they were unique.This study is presented as a series of articles with separate chapters devoted to Eva Tanguay, Nora Bayes and Sophie Tucker as individuals. These chapters include biographical material, especially from books about vaudeville performers, and also explore critical reviews and other reports on their work from such sources as "Variety," "Theatre Magazine," and various newspaper accounts. Analysis of these sources on each individual within the chapters is included as well. The final chapter contains a summary of the research and a discussion of what conclusions were reached about the musical styles and repertoire of Eva Tanguay, Nora Bayes and Sophie Tucker as a result of this investigation.In addition to discovering the reasons for these performers' popularity and appeal, it is hoped that a viable by-product of this research has been to arouse renewed public interest in these three fascinating ladies of early vaudeville.

The Best Medicine is an animated documentary that explores the true stories behind the live performances of stand-up comedians. The film juxtaposes live stand-up performances with candid interview footage combined with animation and illustration. Three subjects– Michael Burd, Casey Stoddard, and Jacob Kubon– discuss alcoholism, childhood abuse, and sexual anxiety, respectively. Their candid, intimate interviews reveal personal information, creating a new context with which to understand live stand-up comedy performance. This illustrates themes of finding humor in dark or painful circumstances and the cathartic nature writing and performance.

Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2010. / Title from screen (viewed on February 26, 2010). Department of History, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Jason M. Kelly, Annie Gilbert Coleman, Monroe H. Little. Includes vitae. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-125).

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Before the “sick” comedians arrived onto the comedy landscape political and culturally based humor was considered taboo, but the 1950s witnessed a dramatic transformation to the art of stand-up comedy. The young comedians, including Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl, became critical of American Cold War policies and the McCarthyistic culture that loomed over the nation’s society. The new stand-up comics tapped into a growing subculture of beatniks and the younger generation at large that rebelled against the conservative ideals that dominated the early post-war decade by performing politically and socially laced commentary on stage in venues that these groups frequented. The two comedians that best represent this comedic era are Jewish comics Mort Sahl and Lenny Bruce. Their comedy was more politically oriented than the other “sick” comics, and they started an entertainment revolution with their new style. They became legendary by challenging the status quo during a historically conservative time, and inspired numerous comics to take the stage and question basic Cold War assumptions about race, gender, and communism.