VIRTUAL: The Marx Brothers and America: Where Film, Comedy History Collide by Robert E. Weir
- schiffnerhs
- Mar 20, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 17
ZOOM Webinar with Robert E. Weir: The Marx Brothers and America: Where Film, Comedy & History Collide
Time: Mar 29, 2023 10:30 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Description
Author Robert E. Weir will deliver a presentation based on his new book, “The Marx Brothers and America: Where Film, Comedy and History Collide,” in this ZOOM webinar of the Tewksbury Library.
About The Book: The ground has shifted from the days in which “serious history” and “boring” went hand in glove. Textbooks and lectures have their place, but less traditional classrooms can be powerfully immersive and insightful. Take the 1929 Marx Brothers film “The Cocoanuts” and what it teaches about both the Great Depression and early sound films. The Marx Brothers are among the funniest comedy teams of all time. Four of their 13 films are on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 greatest American comedies ever made. For many contemporary viewers, though, “getting” the jokes is not always easy because the humor can be subjective and timebound. This work looks at the American past through the lens of the Marx Brothers’ films and other projects. Each of the chapters focuses on a specific film, contextualizing the world at the time and how the Marx Brothers lampooned those subjects. Along the way, the book demonstrates what the Marx Brothers revealed about weighty topics like gambling, gender relations, immigration, medical care, Prohibition, race and war, all leavened with offbeat humor.
About The Author: Robert E. Weir is a retired history professor who has authored or edited ten previous books and countless articles, book chapters, and reviews. He is a former senior Fulbright scholar and has taught at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Smith College, and Bay Path University.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Public Library.
NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 24 hours of the program.
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