Somebody shared this 1951 Look magazine cover online the other day, and it seemed the perfect touchstone for a new post connecting you with links to my articles on the various comedians profiled.
One especially interesting aspect of this cover: note that it omits the biggest comedy variety tv giants of the day: Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Jackie Gleason, and Red Skelton and the second tier of same: Jack Carter, Jerry Lester, et al. It clarifies the particular angle of the piece. The above-named went without saying back then. Others, like Red Buttons, Steve Allen, and Ernie Kovacs, were still up and comers, and didn't yet rate inclusion.
Whereas this bunch, just as famous or more so, were elder statesmen (and woman), with reputations in vaudeville, radio, Broadway and films. Left to right in the back row we have: Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, and Eddie Cantor. The middle row gives us: Ken Murray (the youngest amongst this crop), Ed Wynn, and Bobby Clark: Bottom row: Burns and Allen and Jimmy Durante.
And if you weren't interested in comedians, you could always read the article about nuclear annihilation. And with Dr. Strangelove in 1964 even that became comedy.
For more on the history of vaudeville, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, for more on classic comedy please check out my book: Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube. And stay tuned for my upcoming Electric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.
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