Legends of Comedy (1992)

Run Time - 60 min.  |   Countries - United States  |  
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Synopsis by Steve Blackburn

The explosion of radio programs and "talkie" films in the 1930s created a bonanza for vaudeville acts and wisecracking types. By the 1940s, the best of them were switching back and forth between the two media. Radio shows helped drive the popularity of comic film stars, and vice versa. This video features excerpts from movies, as well as still photos and audio clips from popular radio shows of the day. Comedians covered in this collection include the unparalleled Marx Brothers; the shrewd, buxom Mae West; banana-nosed Jimmy Durante; and (amazingly for radio) the ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, with his "dummy" Charlie McCarthy.

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Keywords

comedian, film-clips, filmmaker, radio, radio-show, vaudeville