It wasn't that long ago that successful female comedians were forced to stifle themselves to be funny. But it was the obstacle that all of the first women in comedy had in common on their journey to fame. For Joan Rivers, Moms Mabley, Minnie Pearl, Phyllis Diller and many others, masking their femininity, sexuality and intellect added extra layers to showbiz's glass ceiling. It was only through their determination and undeniable talent that they managed to redefine the boundaries of their craft. In the pages of the just-released "In On the Joke," bestselling author Shawn Levy ("The Castle on Sunset") unearths a lost history in stand-up that gives jaw-dropping insight into the barriers that the first female comics broke with laughter.
Q: How did the research for this book on pioneering comedians compare with previous books you've done on male figures in classic Hollywood?
A: I had to start from almost zero. I'm 60 years old, so I have memories of seeing many of these women perform. And of course, Joan Rivers was with us until about a decade ago — still vital and active. I knew Phyllis Diller's work, I remember Totie Fields and Moms Mabley performing before their deaths. But I only knew them as someone who consumed the entertainment. I really didn't have the ability to write about them or tell their stories. I wasn't originally intending to write a chapter on Moms Mabley or Minnie Pearl because I thought all I had to do was write about traditional, white, mainstream showbiz. Then I realized, "Oh, you can't ignore these women at all — and by the way, they are killers and heroes who absolutely deserve their place." A whole chunk of this history was new to me … so I learned along with the reader.
