Humorinamerica

LATEST ARTICLES ( 325 )

• Nanu Nanu: Mork & Mindy & Robin Williams, 35 Years Later

  

  Alex SmithHe’s either one of your favorite actor-comedians or one of your least favorite. Polarizing funnyman Robin Williams turned 62 on July 21, which is... Read more

  Posted on 23 July 2013 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Culture Shock

  I have just returned to the South, after two months in the West helping my mom in the wake of my dad’s death.  Getting home is bittersweet and exciting, but als... Read more

  Posted on 18 July 2013 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Spectaculum Horribilis

  

  Vacations are meant to be relaxing. Swim, sun, cook, drink, rinse, repeat. Due to personal and professional deadlines my vacation went more like: clean, trash,... Read more

  Posted on 15 July 2013 HUMOR, SELF EXPRESSION

• Send in the Clowns: A Note on Fear, Humor, and Painted Faces

  

  Clowns are terrifying.I am convinced that the very concept, while on the surface seeming to be an innocuous effort to play on simply comedic principles of... Read more

  Posted on 11 July 2013 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Wendy Davis: Humorous Responses in a Time of Passionate Political Debate

  

  Tracy WusterOver the past few weeks here in Austin, Texas, the issue of women’s health and abortion restrictions has been front and center, becoming a national... Read more

  Posted on 08 July 2013 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Going to Town on Yankee Doodle

  

  Independence Day posed a question:Q.) What does a poetry blogger give an internet audience who has everything?A.) Thirty stanzas of Yankee Doodle, of course! Read more

  Posted on 04 July 2013 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Mort Sahl: Conspiracy Theorist

  

  In 1960, Time magazine placed Mort Sahl on its cover, declaring him, “the patriarch of a new school of comedians” that included Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Lenny... Read more

  Posted on 01 July 2013 SATIRE, SOCIETY

• Yo’ Mama Don’t Wear No Drawers: Singing the Dozens

  

  The art of the “yo’ mama” joke is a sociological phenomenon dating back centuries. According to The Dozens: A History of Rap’s Mama by Elijah Wald, the traditio... Read more

  Posted on 27 June 2013 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Staging Shakespeare in Santa Monica: Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing

  

  Humor doesn’t always travel well, in part because humor tends to be topical and rely on local language. What was humorous to a previous century or to a foreign... Read more

  Posted on 24 June 2013 MOVIES

• In the Archives: Mark Twain, “[Date, 1601.] CONVERSATION, AS IT WAS BY THE SOCIA...

  

  Tracy Wuster“[Date, 1601.] ‘Conversation, as it was by the Social Fireside, in the Time of the Tudors” or “1601″ is one of the most fascinating works in all of... Read more

  Posted on 20 June 2013 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• All Things with Humor

  Richard Talbot Fathers can show sons lots of things: how to buy your first house, how to replace a broken pane of glass, how to cut your meat when you are out i... Read more

  Posted on 16 June 2013 HUMOR

• Into the (Personal) Archives: How to Manage a Husband (1919)

  

  My mom once told me that the secret to a happy marriage is to do all of your construction projects while your husband is at work. Read more

  Posted on 13 June 2013 HUMOR

• In the Archives: Mr. Dooley in Peace and War, “On the Indian War”

  

  Luke DietrichFinley Peter Dunne was a second-generation Irish American, born in 1867 and schooled in Chicago journalism alongside such late-nineteenth century... Read more

  Posted on 11 June 2013 SOCIETY

• Soul Searching on Demand

  

  “Which is more ethical: sticking to one’s principles or being willing to compromise?” Saturday, June 8th at 7:00 p.m., I’ll be onstage at the Regional Cultural... Read more

  Posted on 06 June 2013 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• The Funny Ritual of the American Family Vacation

  A Celebration of thirty years of National Lampoon’s Vacation.National Lampoon’s Vacation promotional posterIn the summer of 1983, Americans were treated to one... Read more

  Posted on 03 June 2013 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Thanks For the Melodies

  

  Yesterday marked the 110th anniversary of the birth of Bob Hope. He was as deeply rooted in the public consciousness as he was difficult to classify. Read more

  Posted on 30 May 2013 CELEB, ENTERTAINMENT

• A Blanc Slate

  

  God, The FatherLast week I took a class called Getting Paid to Talk: Making Money with Your Voice. I had never seen this class in our local Parks and... Read more

  Posted on 27 May 2013 SOCIETY

• Editor’s Chair: Carol Burnett Wins Mark Twain Prize & Other News

  

  Tracy WusterCongratulations to Carol Burnett for winning the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. According to the Kennedy Center:The Mark Twain Prize recognize... Read more

  Posted on 22 May 2013 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Watching TV Scramble: Editing Jokes After the Fact

  

  As I watched last night’s Family Guy, my local Chicago station’s news teaser informed me of an unfolding tragedy to our West. Tornadoes were hitting parts of th... Read more

  Posted on 20 May 2013 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Finding the Flow: Mark Twain, the River, and Me

  

  While writing Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain had some trouble finding his flow. The manuscript was clearly important to him, and clearly troubling. Read more

  Posted on 17 May 2013 HUMOR, SOCIETY