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There has been humor in the United States for as long as it has been a country. After all, life was tough and laughing was one important way to cope and survive. However, standup comedy as an art form took a while to evolve and catch on. The history is rich and whole books have been written on the subject. This article will serve as a very annotated version so that the reader can use it for a "jumping off place" to study more deeply those parts that are of interest.
One of the first types of organized standup comedy in the United States was the minstrel show that came on the scene in the early 1800s. It was sometimes referred to as "black face comedy". Although appalling by 21st century standards, this brand of comedy was widely popular when it started. The all white casts would paint their faces black and begin using the the stereotypical mannerisms of the blacks for their material. It has always been said that comedy reflects the times. And like it or not, this was the state of the country in the 1800s. The minstrel show remained popular through to the mid 19th century and began to loose favor as the United States views on racism and slavery began to change.
As the minstrel show's popularity waned, vaudeville began to be a popular form or standup or pre-standup comedy. In addition to comedy, vaudeville acts included dancers, magicians and actors. Some shows even included clown-like acts. Just a few of the main comedians of this brand of comedy are - Fred DuPres, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Groucho Marx and the Marx Brothers and Ezera kendall. Vaudeville comedians relied less on the spoken word for laughs and instead used, props and physical comedy. This is because they did not have microphones and instead had to rely on the physical type of comedy.
Vaudeville although popular for a long time gave way to comedic performances on the newly invented radio. This was the beginning of "comedy for the masses". But while this was very good news for the general public, it came with a price for the performers. They could no longer rely on the physical aspect of their comedy, they now only had their material and timing to get their audiences to laugh. Some comedians were able to make the transition from Vaudeville to more of a spoken word type of comedy. Some of the notable comedians that made this transition are: Jack Benney, Bob Hope, Milton Berle and George Burns.
The addition of the radio was not the only development that was groundbreaking for standup comedy. The microphone was also available for the comedian to apply their craft. And again, the comedians from Vaudeville had to adjust their shows to more spoken word comedy than physical comedy.
Now, comedians were able to perform standup comedy as we now know it. It is at this point in the history that they changes in standup comedy is more content related instead of the physical way that it is performed. Standup comedy throughout the following decades was a reflection of the what events were happening at the time and also the morality and accepted subjects in the country during those decades.
The decades of the 1950s and 1960s saw the rise of comics such as Don Rickles, Johnny Carson and Phyllis Diller. As the country began breaking down the walls of racism, several notable black comedians began to make audiences laugh. They were Dick Gregory, Bill Cosby and Redd Foxx. As the racial bounds were being pushed, the bounds of acceptable humor began to test the limits. Most notably, the comedy of Lenny Bruce set off what some say is the beginning of an anything subject goes style of comedy. He pushed the envelope so far that he was arrested several times for things that he said on stage. It is at this point that comedians tried to push boundaries to see just how far they could go with their comedy.
Another important development for standup comedy began in the 1950s and 1960s - television. With the advent of the television, comedians could have the best of both worlds: the physical type of comedy found in Vaudeville and also the spoken word. This saw the development of variety shows such as The Tonight Show and the Ed Sullivan show on television.
The 1970s were big for standup comedians! This is when they became superstars. They moved from being seen on television and in small comedy clubs to selling out large arenas. Comedians such as George Carlin, Cheech and Chong and Richard Pryor thrived in the new settings. In addition to their live appearances, they made recordings of their shows and sold them (as LPs) to the public. And of course the topics covered were constantly pushing the boundaries of what society would accept. As the sexual revolution and anything goes mentality became prevalent in society, the comedic topics did also.
The 1980s, 1990s and 2000s mainly followed the patterns in the previous decades, more exposure and pushing the envelops. There were however a few notable developments from these decades. MTV and Comedy Central made comedy more accessible to more people. Not only were the public getting to see the big name comics, they were being exposed to up and coming comics via the new television networks. A recent phenomenon is a comedy based reality show called "Last Comic Standing". This show gives the television viewers exposure to more inexperienced comics that could one day make it to the big leagues.
There is no telling where standup comedy will take us in the future. If the past is any indication, there will be more access by the public to standup comedians and they will always be looking for a way to make them squirm by pushing the limits of what is acceptable in society.
Jeff McKinstry is a computer programmer that is trying to be funny and entertain people. His wife might not think so though. Here is a book that will help you to get started on your stand up journey - Standup Comedy Secrets.
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