T.O.B.A. Time
Title | T.O.B.A. Time PDF eBook |
Author | Michelle R. Scott |
Publisher | University of Illinois Press |
Pages | 207 |
Release | 2023-02-28 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 0252054032 |
Black vaudevillians and entertainers joked that T.O.B.A. stood for “tough on black artists.” But the Theater Owner’s Booking Association (T.O.B.A.) played a foundational role in the African American entertainment industry and provided a training ground for icons like Cab Calloway, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Sammy Davis Jr., the Nicholas Brothers, Count Basie, and Butterbeans and Susie. Michelle R. Scott’s institutional history details T.O.B.A.’s origins and practices while telling the little-known stories of the managers, producers, performers, and audience members involved in the circuit. Looking at the organization over its eleven-year existence (1920–1931), Scott places T.O.B.A. against the backdrop of what entrepreneurship and business development meant in black America at the time. Scott also highlights how intellectuals debated the social, economic, and political significance of black entertainment from the early 1900s through T.O.B.A.’s decline during the Great Depression. Clear-eyed and comprehensive, T.O.B.A. Time is a fascinating account of black entertainment and black business during a formative era.
A Grammar of Toba-Batak
Title | A Grammar of Toba-Batak PDF eBook |
Author | H N Van Der Tuuk |
Publisher | BRILL |
Pages | 457 |
Release | 1971 |
Genre | Language Arts & Disciplines |
ISBN | 9004656952 |
In On the Joke
Title | In On the Joke PDF eBook |
Author | Shawn Levy |
Publisher | Doubleday |
Pages | 378 |
Release | 2022-04-05 |
Genre | Performing Arts |
ISBN | 0385545797 |
“A sensitive and vivid study of early female stand-ups… [Levy is a] painstaking, knowledgeable guide.” —New York Times Book Review A hilarious and moving account of the trailblazing women of stand-up comedy who broke down walls so they could stand before the mic—perfect for fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Hacks Today, women are ascendant in stand-up comedy, even preeminent. They make headlines, fill arenas, spawn blockbuster movies. But before Amy Schumer slayed, Tiffany Haddish killed, and Ali Wong drew roars, the very idea of a female comedian seemed, to most of America, like a punch line. And it took a special sort of woman—indeed, a parade of them—to break and remake the mold. In on the Joke is 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. These women refused to be defined by type and tradition, facing down indifference, puzzlement, nay-saying, and unvarnished hostility. They were discouraged by agents, managers, audiences, critics, fellow performers—even their families. And yet they persevered against the tired notion that women couldn’t be funny, making space not only for themselves, but for the women who followed them. Meticulously researched and irresistibly drawn, Shawn Levy's group portrait forms a new pantheon of comedy excellence. In on the Joke shows how women broke into the boys’ club, offered new ideas of womanhood, and had some laughs along the way.
The Civilization of the South Indian Americans
Title | The Civilization of the South Indian Americans PDF eBook |
Author | Rafael Karsten |
Publisher | Routledge |
Pages | 553 |
Release | 2013-08-06 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 1136217592 |
First published in 2007. Deemed as an important contribution to the study of certain aspects of South American native civilisation, collated over five years, and includes personal observations as well as literature relating to the customs and beliefs of the native Indians in this vast area.
Vaudeville and the Making of Modern Entertainment, 1890–1925
Title | Vaudeville and the Making of Modern Entertainment, 1890–1925 PDF eBook |
Author | David Monod |
Publisher | UNC Press Books |
Pages | 286 |
Release | 2020-09-28 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1469660563 |
Today, vaudeville is imagined as a parade of slapstick comedians, blackface shouters, coyly revealed knees, and second-rate acrobats. But vaudeville was also America's most popular commercial amusement from the mid-1890s to the First World War; at its peak, 5 million Americans attended vaudeville shows every week. Telling the story of this pioneering art form's rise and decline, David Monod looks through the apparent carnival of vaudeville performance and asks: what made the theater so popular and transformative? Although he acknowledges its quirkiness, Monod makes the case that vaudeville became so popular because it offered audiences a guide to a modern urban lifestyle. Vaudeville acts celebrated sharp city styles and denigrated old-fashioned habits, showcased new music and dance moves, and promulgated a deeply influential vernacular modernism. The variety show's off-the-rack trendiness perfectly suited an era when goods and services were becoming more affordable and the mass market promised to democratize style, offering a clear vision of how the quintessential twentieth-century citizen should look, talk, move, feel, and act.
The Evolution and History of Human Populations in South Asia
Title | The Evolution and History of Human Populations in South Asia PDF eBook |
Author | Michael D. Petraglia |
Publisher | Springer Science & Business Media |
Pages | 463 |
Release | 2007-05-22 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 1402055625 |
This is the first volume of its kind on prehistoric cultures of South Asia. The book brings together archaeologists, biological anthropologists, geneticists and linguists in order to provide a comprehensive account of the history and evolution of human populations residing in the subcontinent. New theories and methodologies presented provide new interpretations about the cultural history and evolution of populations in South Asia.
A History of China
Title | A History of China PDF eBook |
Author | Wolfram Eberhard |
Publisher | Good Press |
Pages | 434 |
Release | 2019-11-20 |
Genre | History |
ISBN |
Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of Chinese history in 'A History of China' by Francis Sherman, which offers an exploration of the nation's social and cultural evolution spanning centuries. Delving into the origins of the present regime and tracing the remarkable changes that have shaped China's destiny, this comprehensive volume unveils the intricate web of political, social, and economic dynamics. Drawing from extensive research of Chinese, Japanese, and Western sources, Sherman illuminates the pivotal moments and influential figures that have defined China's path.