The Art of Seduction through Black Comedy: Black Oral Heritage by storytellers (Griots). Black Story tellers are those persons who have mastered the spoken word by forming and adapting stories that reach hearts and minds of listeners in many ways. The Black storyteller will sometimes create new words and phrases to get a point across - for example Martin Lawrence: “Get to Steppin” “You Go Girl” “You So Crazy” Kevin Hart: “Alright, Alright, Alright” “Mitch”... Many times, the Black storyteller will use dialect to preserve the authenticity of a particular story. Black Comedians do it best. It is a way to emphasize serious topics in a non-offensive manner that does not scare white folk and/or blacks who are afraid of white folk. I call it “The Art of Seduction through Black Comedy.” Historically, as prominent members of the black community, comedians such as Pigmeat Markham, Moms Mabley, Redd Foxx, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dick Gregory and Godfrey Cambridge had access to large, and often multi-racial, audiences - and they used comedy through various forms and mediums, including vaudeville, burlesque, nightclub routines, comedy albums, motion pictures and television. Over the course of this development, black comedians effectively used their privileged positions to engage their audiences in racism dialogue that challenged mainstream assumptions on racial issues. Comics also directly participated in the civil rights movement by integrating entertainment venues. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, when Black comedy flourished in Northern theaters, black comedian Willie “Ashcan” Jones delighted black audiences with a standup routine that blended with social commentary. Using humor to attack segregation and Jim Crow, Jones told the following joke: “When I was down South, I went into a restaurant. The waiter came over and said, “We don’t serve coloreds.” I said, “Sir, I don’t eat coloreds. I would like a hamburger with onions.” By identifying a shared enemy, Jones and other comedians of the era helped unite audiences that included blacks and sympathetic whites into a common group identity, at a time when the modern civil rights movement was just getting underway, one of those comedians was Jackie Moms Mabley. Jackie Moms Mabley (March 19, 1894 – May 23, 1975), born Loretta Mary Aiken, was an Black standup comedian. A veteran of the Chitlin circuit of Black vaudeville, she later appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and the The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Mabley was one of the most successful entertainers of the Chitlin circuit, earning US$10,000 a week at Harlems Apollo Theater at the height of her career. Mabley was billed as The Funniest Woman in the World. She tackled topics too edgy for many other comics of the time, including Rracism...She appeared as a toothless, bedraggled woman in a house dress and floppy hat. She also added the occasional satirical song to her jokes, and her cover version of Abraham, Martin and John hit #35 on the Hot 100 on 19 July 1969. At 75 years old, Moms Mabley became the oldest person ever to have a US Top 40 hit. [Notice her Pic at the bottom far left, does that look like Madea? Did Tyler steal the concept of Medea from Moms Mabley?? Thats for another topic, another day lol!] Salute to all our Conscious Comedians who did What they could for Black Folk, When they could, and How they could and Still make a decent living in a very tough racial environment. Comedians Pigmeat Markham, Moms Mabley, Redd Foxx, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dick Gregory, Godfrey Cambridge, Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Katt Williams, etc. thanks for Seducing Us and Them, with Comedy, by keeping Us all Laughing while at the same time addressing important black issues of monumental importance. This is Adrian X, and this is Just My 2 Cents. References: 1. yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1990/4/90.04.05.x.html 2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moms_Mabley Pics (L-R) Moms Mabley, Madea, Redd Foxx Samantha Battle Omari Gardner MykEl Djedi Bakarii Lisa Carter Chris Morris Netta Harper Donna Smith Willie Edwards Mike Smith Tanja L. May Lydia Bueno
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 03:07:43 +0000
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