The story of a group of unforgettable women who knocked down the doors of stand-up comedy so other women could get a shot. It spans decades, from Moms Mabley's rise in Black vaudeville between the world wars, to the roadhouse ribaldry of Belle Barth and Rusty Warren in the 1950s and '60s, to Elaine May's co-invention of improv comedy, to Joan Rivers's and Phyllis Diller's ferocious ascent to mainstream stardom.
... a breezy tour ... Spanning roughly the decades from the 1930s through the 1980s, Levy touches on the general comedy trends intertwined with several of the women’s careers...But he keeps his focus on the women’s individual stories, dividing the book into eight chapters that serve as mini profiles of each comedian ... Levy doesn’t delve too deeply into any individual story. But the overview serves as a useful starting point for comedy buffs wanting to learn more about each of these trailblazing comedians.
Levy has done a sensitive job telling the stories of the nine pioneering women he has designated as those who cracked the glass ceiling of comedy ... demonstrates how tough the work was — incessant travel, leaving one’s family for weeks at a time just to get heckled onstage or fondled backstage, doesn’t seem so fun. Levy spends too much time calculating what a 1959 paycheck would be today. We get it: inflation.
The book is insightful, moving, and well researched, with humorous anecdotes and fond memories of a group of women Levy clearly admires ... Levy gives these trailblazers their due, and fans of comedy will adore the snippets of classic banter and long-lost one-liners.
