African American comedy

African American comedy has had a substantial role in American culture from minstrel shows, vaudeville, blackface,[1] and coon songs to some of the world's most popular comedians, shows and filmmakers.

Darryl Littleton[2][3] and Mel Watkins have written about the subject.[4][5][6] Paul Beatty edited Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor (2006).[7] So Why We Laugh; Black Comedians in Black Comedy is a documentary film.[8] Dexter G. Gordon wrote about humor in African American discourse.[9]

## History

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Bob Cole worked on theatrical shows. George Walker was a performer. Ernest Hogan was a performer in shows. Ebony Film Corporation's short comedies drew controversy. Peter P. Jones' film company in Chicago filmed various subjects including vaudeville acts. Will Marion Cook, J. Rosamond Johnson, and James Weldon Johnson were also involved in musical theater.[10]

## Television shows

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See also: Black sitcom

* Amos 'n' Andy
* The Beulah Show
* Good Times
* Sanford and Son
* What's Happening!!
* The Jeffersons
* Def Comedy Jam
* In Living Color
* The Steve Harvey Show
* Kenan & Kel
* The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
* The Boondocks[11]

## Comedians

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* Bert Williams
* Stepin Fetchit[12]
* Moms Mabley[1]
* Spencer Williams Jr.
* Flip Wilson
* Mantan Moreland
* Redd Foxx
* Eddie Murphy
* Richard Pryor
* Bill Cosby
* Jimmie Walker
* Dick Gregory
* LaWanda Page
* Arsenio Hall
* Paul Mooney
* Leslie Jones
* Dave Chappelle
* Kevin Hart
* Chris Rock
* Chris Tucker
* Steve Harvey
* Wanda Sykes
* Rickey Smiley
* D. L. Hughley
* Tracy Morgan
* Whoopi Goldberg
* Bernie Mac
* Cedric the Entertainer

## Filmmakers

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* Spike Lee
* Tyler Perry

## See also

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* African-American musical theater
* Ragtime
* African American cinema
* Ethnic humor
* Ethnic stereotypes

## References

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1. ^ a b Macke, Matthew (7 September 2016). "Seeds on rocky soil: A history of African-American comedy". The Observer.
2. ^ "A Short History of Black Comedy". NPR. 26 February 2007.
3. ^ Littleton, Darryl (2006). Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-1-55783-730-1.
4. ^ Watkins, Mel (1999). On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy. Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN 978-1-55652-351-9.
5. ^ Watkins, Mel (2002). African American Humor: The Best Black Comedy from Slavery to Today. Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN 978-1-55652-430-1.
6. ^ Watkins, Mel (1994). On the Real Side: Laughing, Lying, and Signifying: the Underground Tradition of African-American Humor that Transformed American Culture, from Slavery to Richard Pryor. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-68982-7.
7. ^ Beatty, Paul (2008). Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-59691-716-3.
8. ^ Czajkowski, Elise (15 May 2012). "Inside the History of Black Comedy in 'Why We Laugh'". Vulture.
9. ^ Gordon, Dexter B. (1998). "Humor in African American Discourse: Speaking of Oppression". Journal of Black Studies. 29 (2): 254–276. doi:10.1177/002193479802900207. JSTOR 2668092. S2CID 144388475.
10. '^ Berlin, Edward A (1983). "Cole and Johnson Brothers' The Evolution of 'Ragtime". Current Musicology. No. 36\. pp. 21–39. ProQuest 1297273957.
11. ^ Lewis, Julian Kimble, Alyson. "The 30 Best Black Sitcoms of All Time". Complex.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
12. ^ Watkins, Mel (2010). Stepin Fetchit: The Life & Times of Lincoln Perry. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-54750-7.[page needed]