Revel with a Cause

Liberal Satire in Postwar America

Stephen E. Kercher

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Hardback

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English

Chicago University Press
15 September 2006

Variety shows, music hall, cabaret; History; History of the Americas; Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000

Series: Emersion: Emergent Village resources for communities of faith

We live in a time much like the postwar era. A time of arch political conservatism and vast social conformity. A time in which our nation’s leaders question and challenge the patriotism of those who oppose their policies. But before there was Jon Stewart, Al Franken, or Bill Maher, there were Mort Sahl, Stan Freberg, and Lenny Bruce—liberal satirists who, through their wry and scabrous comedic routines, waged war against the political ironies, contradictions, and hypocrisies of their times.

Revel with a Cause is their story. Stephen Kercher here provides the first comprehensive look at the satiric humor that flourished in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. Focusing on an impressive range of comedy—not just standup comedians of the day but also satirical publications like MAD magazine, improvisational theater groups such asSecond City, the motion picture Dr. Strangelove, and TV shows like That Was the Week That Was—Kercher reminds us that the postwar era saw varieties of comic expression that were more challenging and nonconformist than we commonly remember. His history of these comedic luminaries shows that for a sizeable audience of educated, middle-class Americans who shared such liberal views, the period’s satire was a crucial mode of cultural dissent. For such individuals, satire was a vehicle through which concerns over the suppression of civil liberties, Cold War foreign policies, blind social conformity, and our heated racial crisis could be productively addressed.

A vibrant and probing look at some of the most influential comedy of mid-twentieth-century America, Revel with a Cause belongs on the short list of essential books for anyone interested in the relationship between American politics and popular culture.

By: Stephen E. Kercher
Imprint: Chicago University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 23mm, Width: 16mm, Spine: 4mm
Weight: 1.021kg
ISBN: 9780226431642
ISBN 10: 0226431649
Series: Emersion: Emergent Village resources for communities of faith
Pages: 544
Publication Date: 15 September 2006
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Stephen E. Kercher is assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.

Reviews for Revel with a Cause: Liberal Satire in Postwar America

Stephen Kercher's evocative survey of postwar political satire is almost encyclopedic in its range and impeccable for its clear writing and sound scholarship. Many still think of the 1950s as an era of monolithic conformity, yet this irresistible vein of black humor, from Sid Caesar to Lenny Bruce, offered a tremendous outlet for wildly inventive parody and social criticism. This book should delight those who remember the period and enlarge the understanding of those who don't. - Morris Dickstein