Parody is the least appreciated of all film comedy genres and receives little serious attention, even among film fans. This study elevates parody to mainstream significance. A historical overview places the genre in context, and a number of basic parody components, which better define the genre and celebrate its value, are examined. Parody is differentiated from satire, and the two parody types, traditional and reaffirmation, are explained. Chapters study the most spoofed genre in American parody history, the Western; pantheon members of American Film Comedy such as The Marx Brothers, W. C. Fields, Mae West, and Laurel and Hardy; pivotal parody artists, Bob Hope and Woody Allen; Mel Brooks, whose name is often synonymous with parody; and finally, parody in the 1990s. Films discussed include Destry Rides Again (1939), The Road to Utopia (1945), My Favorite Brunette (1947), The Paleface (1948), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993) and Scream (1996). This examination of parody will appeal to scholars and students of American film and film comedy, as well as those interested in the specific comedians discussed and the Western genre. Gehring's work will also find a place in American pop culture studies and sociological studies of the period from the 1920s to the 1990s. The book is carefully documented and includes a selected bibliography and filmography.

Using our favourite Springfield family as a case study, Watching with The Simpsons examines the textual and social role of parody in offering critical commentary on other television programs and genres. Jonathan Gray brings together textual theory, discussions of television and the public sphere, and ideas of parody and comedy. Including primary audience research, it focuses on how The Simpsons has been able to talk back to three of television’s key genres - the sitcom, adverts and the news - and on how it holds the potential to short-circuit these genre’s meanings, power, and effects by provoking reinterpretations and offering more media literate recontextualizations. Examining television and media studies theory, the text of The Simpsons, and the show’s audience, Gray attempts to fully situate the show’s parody and humour within the lived realities of its audiences. In doing so, he further explores the possibilities for popular entertainment television to discuss issues of political and social importance. A must read for any student of media studies.

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This is a concise evaluation of film genre, discussing genre theory and sample analyses of the western, science fiction, the musical, horror, comedy, and the thriller. It introduces the topic in an accessible way and includes sections on the principles of studying and understanding "the idea of genre"; genre and popular culture; the narrative and stylistic conventions of specific genres; the relations of genres to culture and history, race, gender, sexuality, class and national identity; and the complex relations between genre and authorship. Case studies include: 42nd Street, Pennies from Heaven, Red River, All That Heaven Allows, Night of the Living Dead, Die Hard, Little Big Man, Blue Steel, and Posse.

Handbook of American Film Genres provides scholarly introductory overviews of various types of films, lists significant examples of each genre, and recommends sources to consult for additional information. Eighteen genres are covered divided into five different categories: action/adventure, comedy, the fantastic, songs and soaps, and nontraditional. Each category is then divided into more diverse sections such as comedy: screwball, parody, clown etc. ... Each chapter includes a historical/analytical overview, a bibliographic overview, and then concludes with a chronologically arranged, highly selective filmography, citing from 10 to 15 major examples of the genre with brief lists of credits. ... One of the strengths of this guide is its coverage of more genres than other standard studies. ... Handbook of American Film Genres covers foreign films as well, it makes a valuable contribution to film scholarship, and it will be a useful acquisition for libraries that support serious film study.

This is a laugh-out-loud funny and devilish send-up of Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline for little monsters everywhere. Frankenstein is the scariest of all the monsters in Miss Devel's castle. He can frighten anything—animals, parents, even rocks. Until one night, Miss Devel wakes up and runs downstairs to find that Frankenstein has lost his head! Frankenstein by Rick Walton and illustrated by Nathan Hale is a delightful twist on a classic story that parents and kids can both enjoy together. This is the perfect funny picture book read for Halloween or the fall season. Praise for Frankenstein: “Walton twists the classic rhymes of the original with glee ('In two crooked lines, they bonked their heads / pulled out their teeth / and wet their beds') while Hale reenacts each scene with devilish mayhem.” -Booklist “The illustrations have traded sunny yellow for pumpkin orange backgrounds and make comically sly allusions to the original title.” -Kirkus Reviews

Comedy is one of the most popular forms in film. But what exactly is film comedy and what might be the basis of its widespread appeal? This book takes a multi-perspective approach to answering these questions.

In the years since Georges Méliès’s Le voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon) was released in 1902, more than 1000 science fiction films have been made by filmmakers around the world. The versatility of science fiction cinema has allowed it to expand into a variety of different markets, appealing to age groups from small children to adults. The technical advances in filmmaking technology have enabled a new sophistication in visual effects. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction Cinema contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 400 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, films, companies, techniques, themes, and subgenres. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about science fiction cinema.

This volume covers all aspects of sound (including dialogue) and music as they have been utilised in comedy film.

Style and Form in the Hollywood Slasher Film fills a broad scholastic gap by analysing the elements of narrative and stylistic construction of films in the slasher subgenre of horror that have been produced and/or distributed in the Hollywood studio system from its initial boom in the late 1970s to the present.