Parody as Film Genre: Never Give a Saga an Even Break

by Wes D. Gehring

Overview

Parody is the least appreciated of all film comedy genres and receives little serious attention, even among film fans. This study elevates parody to mainstream significance. A historical overview places the genre in context, and a number of basic parody components, which better define the genre and celebrate its value, are examined. Parody is differentiated from satire, and the two parody types, traditional and reaffirmation, are explained. Chapters study the most spoofed genre in American parody history, the Western; pantheon members of American Film Comedy such as The Marx Brothers, W. C. Fields, Mae West, and Laurel and Hardy; pivotal parody artists, Bob Hope and Woody Allen; Mel Brooks, whose name is often synonymous with parody; and finally, parody in the 1990s. Films discussed include Destry Rides Again (1939), The Road to Utopia (1945), My Favorite Brunette (1947), The Paleface (1948), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993) and Scream (1996).

This examination of parody will appeal to scholars and students of American film and film comedy, as well as those interested in the specific comedians discussed and the Western genre. Gehring's work will also find a place in American pop culture studies and sociological studies of the period from the 1920s to the 1990s. The book is carefully documented and includes a selected bibliography and filmography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313261862
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/30/1999
Series:	Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture , #69
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.62(d)
Lexile:	1430L (what's this?)

About the Author

WES D. GEHRING is Professor of Film at Ball State University and Associate Media Editor at USA Today magazine. He is the author of a dozen books, including Screwball Comedy: A Genre of Madcap Romance (Greenwood, 1986), Personality Comedians as Genre (Greenwood, 1997), American Dark Comedy (Greenwood, 1996), Populism and the Capra Legacy (Greenwood, 1995), and Handbook of American Film Genres (Greenwood, 1988) He has also written biographies of W. C. Fields, Charlie Chaplin, The Marx Brothers, and Laurel and Hardy.

Table of Contents

Illustrations
Foreword by Scott R. Olson
Preface
Parody Overview
Everyone's Going West
The Pre-Brooks King of Parody: Bob Hope…And Disciple Woody Allen
Mel Brooks
Two For The Road
Epilogue
Appendix: Selected Filmography
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Focusing more closely on one of the five comedy film genres he identified in his 1988 , Gehring (film, Ball State U.) begins by reviewing the overall components and history of the spoofing tradition in US film. Then he looks at western parodies by several pivotal comedians, a trilogy of Bob Hope spoofs, the burlesque misadventures of Mel Brooks, and films in the 1990s. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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