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The Funny Pages: 1,473 Jokes From Today's Funniest Comedians by Judy Brown
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Judy Brown Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2002-09-02 ISBN: 0740726862 Number of pages: 288 Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Book Reviews of The Funny Pages: 1,473 Jokes From Today's Funniest ComediansBook Review: Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Summary: 5 Stars
There are Joke Books,and there are Joke Books.All in all this one is pretty good.It is, however, somewhat different in a few ways.It has 1,473 jokes by 330 different comedians.One thing good about the book is that the author has included a brief note about each comedian at the end of the book.This is good,since many of the names were obscure or unknown to me.The jokes are arranged by subject,which is good and common in most joke books.It does not,however, give an index by comedian.This is not so good;and would be a good idea to note beside the comedians name in the appendix,the pages on which their jokes appear;this is normally provided.
The jokes selected seem to come mainly from recent TV shows and Sitcoms;though not exclusively.They are almost all one-line statement jokes as opposed to story jokes like,"Did you hear the one about..?"
I get the impression that most of the jokes are written by writers and there is little or no personality associated with the comedian who tells it.Roger Dangerfield's are an exception as his material "belongs"to him.This is also true of Twain and Skelton.It seems that today ,most entertainment is written by someone for someone else and thus lacks the personal touch or individuality that you get when material is self-created.
Bunker,Gleason Myron Cohen,Lewis and Martin were not included;but Fields,Paulson,Skelton ,Twain and Hope were;I wonder why.
At least the author ignored the foul-mouthed stuff that is so common with stand-up comics today on the Comedy Networks ,and the book is better for it.It doesn't take bad language to make good humor;Twain,Gleason,Skelton,Dangerfield,Bunker and Mark Russell are proof of that.
Like I said,the jokes chosen seem to be mainly West Coast, Late Night Show ,TV Sitcom type and little or no Hillbilly,Country Bumpkin,Irish or Jewish Humor,Military,Insults,Dumb Blondes,etc.
I sure hope this is not an indication of how far wacky ideas of Political Correctness has gone.
I doubt that Mark Twain,Hal Roach,Myron Cohen ever told tales to hurt anyone.They put forth humor ;not agendas.
Summary of The Funny Pages: 1,473 Jokes From Today's Funniest ComediansThe search for the perfect funny tidbit on virtually any topic can start and finish by letting your fingers do the walking through a copy of The Funny Pages. This fresh 304-page collection assembles quips from the country's top comedians of the last three decades. Cataloged and alphabetized by subject, it puts the well-timed joke or zinger just a flip of a page away. George Carlin on the Death Penalty: "You know the good part about all those executions in Texas? Fewer Texans." Jay Leno on Politics: "The reason there are two senators for each state is so that one can be the designated driver." Rita Rudner on Shopping: "Some women hold up dresses that are so ugly, and they always say the same thing: "This looks much better on." On what? On fire?" Dennis Leary on Geography: "I think we should take Iraq and Iran and combine them into one country and call it Irate. All the pissed-off people can live in one place and get it over with." When it comes to identifying good jokes and funny observations, few are more qualified than author Judy Brown. There's plenty to laugh at and reflect on in The Funny Pages. Whether you're a speechwriter, student, businessperson, or someone who just appreciates great humor, you're sure to find what you're looking for in this humor-reference book and joke collection rolled into one.
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