Hollywood Screwball Comedy, 1934–1945: Sex, Love, and Democratic Ideals by Grégoire Halbout (review)

Abstract

by Colbert’s serious monologue. Indeed, a lot of viewers might have been upset if he made jokes about a hugely serious threat to American democracy. More significantly, I do not think that the authors sufficiently substantiate their concluding argument that right-wing comedy serves as “the blowtorch that welds together contemporary right-wing politics” (187). Lacing right-wing invective with comedic elements may make it more digestible for some individuals and seeing conservative comics and performers may provide audiences with validation of their views, given the paucity of mainstream comic forms with an overtly conservative perspective. Nonetheless, it is a huge leap to say that comedy, rather than racialized grievances, nostalgia, or the increase in economic inequality over the last forty years, is the glue that binds all the different elements of the right. Despite the book’s flaws, That’s Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them could be constructively utilized in graduate courses on media, popular culture, politics, and comedy. It is a timely examination of an important contemporary cultural phenomenon and is certainly likely to encourage class discussion.