Podcasts about Moms Mabley

From Lucille Ball to Tina Fey, from Joan Rivers to Margaret Cho, women have been rewriting the rules of comedy for decades — and they're not done yet. Host Cynthia Bemis Abrams is joined by Lynn Harris, founder of Gold Comedy, to explore the legacy and future of funny women on TV. Together, they dissect the comedic influence of legends like Mary Tyler Moore, Moms Mabley, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus — and discuss why shows like SNL still present challenges for women today. With a nod to streaming, social media, and evolving industry gatekeepers, this episode dives into how women and non-binary creatives are shaping the next chapter of television comedy. Background & Mentions Gold Comedy – https://goldcomedy.com/ 1.21 – Lucille Ball's Humility & Pride https://traffic.libsyn.com/advancedtvherstory/Lucille_Balls_Humility__Pride.mp3 6.15 – Presenting Margaret Cho https://advancedtvherstory.libsyn.com/presenting-margaret-cho 11.1 – SNL's Gilda Radner: A Life Celebrated in Film https://advancedtvherstory.libsyn.com/snls-gilda-radner-a-life-celebrated-in-film   Book recommendations: Joan Rivers (1986) Enter Talking and Carol Burnett (2011) This Time Together   Learn more about Moms Mabley https://nmaahc.si.edu/moms-mabley   TV series Ellen (1994-98) S.4, e 22 The Puppy Episode https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xnty3f   WI Public Radio interview with Hacks creators https://www.wpr.org/culture/hacks-co-creators-on-their-emmy-winning-comedy-show

Mitch begins his comeback tour by playing the MAXXED ULTRA Testosta-boosted Dude-fuel 2026 Gathering of the Q-uggalos, an off-the-grid militant hillbilly shock comedy festival at Stone Mountain  Park, Georgia, but his set gets interrupted by a mysterious bag-headed interloper and the festival itself erupts in chaos and destruction when mysterious unknown invaders descend over the festival grounds.Endnotes:Phyllis DIller (with Richard Buskin), Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse; My Life in Comedy (New York, Penguin, 2005) p.225-244 (Chapter 10:”A Change of Face”) Capsule Review: Diller forged a career from almost nothing, with arguably less social advantage than her peer-contemporaries such as Joan Rivers or even Moms Mabley. There's plenty of self-deprecation, or perhaps self-loathing, on display throughout, although once her will to self-actualization clicked into place she let no one stand in her way. There is some dated racial humor that doesn't play very well, of course, and times when her ambition eclipses her affection for friends and family, such as the occasion when she ditched her 3rd husband/love-of-her-life on his proverbial death-bed so she could make a gig, that make her less than sympathetic. But she had to be tough to make it in the biz, at least that's how she saw it. Slack Score: -9; Snark Score: 9; Overall FCA ranking: 39Jeff Dunham, All by my Selves; Walter, Peanut, Achmed and me (New York, Penguin, 2010) p5 Capsule Review: pretty innocuous, bordering on vapid, story of an average kid who gets into an unusual hobby early and sticks with it obsessively until he manages to become rich and famous from it. Not much in the way of drama, he really stretches to make his minor “controversies” sound serious. The most unusual/interesting aspect is that he gives his characters little sections to speak for themselves, but as anyone who's seen his act knows, they're not very interesting either, and painfully unfunny. Slack Score: 7.5; Snark Score: 1; Overall FCA ranking: 611Roseanne Barr, Roseannearchy; Dispatches from trhe Nut Farm (New York, Simon & Schuster, 2011) p80 Capsule Review: an all-over-the-place collection of essays and reminiscences, sometimes baffling, sometimes banal. She's still a pretty decent writer, and certain passages are pretty compelling, but the lack of focus and inherent contradictions make it difficult to stay with her. Slack Score: 7; Snark Score: 6; Overall FCA ranking: 185Lewis Black, Me of Little Faith (New York, Penguin, 2008) p.57 Capsule Review: More a series of comedic essays on religion/faith than a memoir, there's enough autobio here for me to rank it as an FCA, but not too highly. Definitely benefits from the audiobook presentation as 90% of Black's humor comes from his quavering, angry inflection. Somewhat inconsistent on where he actually lands on his personal faith. He criticizes atheists as having a worthless, miserable existence but also claims to be the least religious person alive. Likewise he constantly identifies himself as Jewish while also claiming to have no personal connection to the faith or the culture. The arguments shift, in other words, to fit the jokey jag of the passage, which is fine, just not a lot of depth or consistency here. Slack Score: 5; Snark Score: 14; Overall FCA ranking: 413

Comedy History 101 wraps up the year with our best interviews from 2024. Featuring episode excerpts from Arrested Development's Emmy-winning writer Jim Vallely, Paul Bellini from Kids in the Hall, Joel Thurm – casting director Airplane and Grease, plus histories of The Comedy Cellar, Yuk-Yuks, Moms Mabley with Rhonda Hansome, Sean Cullens, Susan Silver, Stan Zimmerman, directors Brent Hodge, Josh Forbes, Alan Bernstein, and more… Also, our friend Jean-François Brisson gives a recap of all our Canadian comedy episodes from the year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to The Singers Talk Podcast based on my book of the same name. This week you'll hear my conversation with the legendary Sam Moore.   Sam Moore and the late Dave Prater came together in 1961 and formed one of the greatest vocal duos of all time: Sam & Dave. “Soul man,” Hold On! I'm Comin',” Wrap it Up,” “I Thank you.” Just listen to their catalog and you'll know exactly why they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.   In this episode you're gonna hear us talk about how Sam and Dave became Sam and Dave, the nerves he struggles with before he goes onstage, the sage advice he received from Moms Mabley, the sneaky thing his manager wife started doing behind his back. You're gonna hear some stories about his various vocal collaborations with Bruce Springsteen, and something he does with a penny that I will never, ever get over… all that and so much Moore.   All my writer's royalties from sales of the book benefit the kids and families at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through our Music Gives to St. Jude Kids campaign. So I'd love for you to grab yourself a copy. And be sure to check out every episode of the podcast, our livestreams, and more at Volume.com/thesingers talk. And if you like the show, please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite streaming platforms to make sure you hear every new episode. Volume.com is the destination for live music fans, where you can watch live and on-demand performances, see exclusive artist content, listen to music podcasts, and check out live music streams from your favorite artists, venues, and hosts.   Get The Singers Talk book at: Thesingerstalk.com   Donate to St. Jude at: Musicgives.org   You can find JTG @Kingsizetheband Kingsizetheband.com Jason Thomas Gordon is the lead singer/drummer of the Los Angeles rock band Kingsize, a screenwriter, author, and creator of Music Gives to St. Jude Kids, a campaign that raises money and awareness for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through music-based initiatives. St. Jude was founded by Jason's grandfather, entertainer, Danny Thomas, in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1962. Jason also serves as a National Committee member of the hospital's board.              

Moms Mabley bridged the gap between vaudeville and modern standup comedy. She was the first successful female standup comedian who had a career that spanned over 50 years. Our guest Rhonda Hansome, who has appeared on SNL, The Arsenio Hall Show, and has performed with Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, recently portrayed Moms on stage, and we do a deep dive into the history of this iconic comedian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marjorie & Bronco are finally moving next door to the Great Gildersleeve into the house they've been building. Sounds Like Radio Volume 173 celebrates the great move with some mighty fine music including our own Doris Day (as seen in our summertime picture with this show) & a very funny lady, Moms Mabley is here! It's the last show of our 4th season and that means our Gildy shows will return in September along with that mahvelous music and mirth from Your Humble Host. But not to worry, Your Humble Host will be bringing you new Library of Sound shows all thru the summer!  Get set for a fun summer each week with the Library of Sound and Your Humble type Host.

It's Moving Day finally for Marjorie & Bronco on today's Great Gildersleeve on Sounds Like Radio Volume 173. And it's the end of Season 4 of our Gildy & Music shows & we are celebrating with some great guests and a truly funny stand-up comedienne. To help out Marjorie & Bronco & to celebrate the end of our 4th season here we have: Patsy Cline, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney, Doris Day, Hank Snow, Dinah Washington, and Moms Mabley to have us all laughing. But not to worry, Your Humble Host will be bringing you new Library of Sound shows all thru the summer! Our Gildersleeve & Fab music shows will return in the fall!

GGACP once again remembers our late, lovable pal Paul "Raybone" Raeburn by revisiting this mini-show from 2018, as Gilbert "reinterprets" compositions by Elton John, Kris Kristofferson, and podcast guests Charles Fox and Paul Williams. Also in this episode: Moms Mabley! The genius of Roger Miller! The Paul Raybone Band! Paging Gordon Lightfoot! And Ed Sullivan blows the joke!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have always said that comedy is group therapy and that comedians serve a purpose much deeper than just making us laugh. There's a blog that goes with this podcast now, so you can read my thoughts and the scoop on these 2 funny ladies here: kellymcclain.blogspot.com Chances are goods that you've heard of Wanda Sykes. But do you know Moms Mabley? I bet you don't. She was a badass woman before badass was even a thing! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanda_Sykes https://thevogue.com/artists/wanda-sykes/ Whoopi's documentary: --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bitchstory/support

Loretta Mary Aiken, better known as Jackie "Moms" Mabley, was born on March 19, 1894, in North Carolina. With her iconic baggy house dress and floppy shoes, she became a pioneer in using humor as a tool to critique social and political realities. Mabley graced the stage of the iconic Apollo Theater numerous times. In a time when opportunities for women in comedy were scarce, she shattered barriers as the first female comedian to perform at the Apollo. Beyond the Apollo, Mabley's talents graced the stages of Harlem Renaissance theaters and the silver screen. Her groundbreaking television appearance came in 1967 when she starred in an all-Black comedy show produced by Harry Belafonte. Moms Mabley died in 1975 due to complications from a heart attack. She was 81 years old. Happy heavenly birthday, Moms Mabley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Gamuary! This year, Chris and Charlotte broaden their scope a little, as Godzilla vs. Megalon finds them roaring about Godzilla, Jet Jaguar, Megalon, Gigan, and Squawkzilla.Show Notes.Godzilla vs. Megalon (Jun Fukuda, 1973): MST3K Wiki. IMDb. Trailer.Our episodes on Crash of Moons and The Sword and the Dragon.Stalag 17 (Billy Wilder, 1953).Gregory Younging: Elements of Indigenous Style.Some more articles on the topic.Adam and Beth and Chris watch Godzilla on The Scene Of The Scene.Godzilla (Ishirō Honda, 1954).Godzilla Minus One (Takashi Yamazaki, 2023).Godzilla vs. Megalon (Takuya Uenishi, 2023).Which is a sequel to Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex (Takuya Uenishi, 2022).Wikizilla pages for Godzilla, Jet Jaguar, Megalon, and Gigan.Ultraman.Chris missed some subtleties in beetle taxonomy.M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens.K00: The Green Slime.Robert Dunham.Our episodes on Time of the Apes, KTMA and Season 3 style.The Chitlin' Circuit.Moms Mabley.Another Mother for Peace.Yusef Lateef: Love Theme from Spartacus.Robert Frost: Acquainted with the Night.Langston Hughes: The Underground.Catching up with Gary Redenbacher.Meet Squawkzilla.Against Bridezilla.Support It's Just A Show on Patreon and you can hear a very, very long bonus bit where Chris and Charlotte talk all about Godzilla Minus One.

This week on Echoes of Indiana Avenue we'll celebrate Christmas at the Pink Poodle, a legendary Avenue nightclub. The Pink Poodle featured the biggest stars in jazz, comedy, and R&B music – including Aretha Franklin, Redd Foxx, Moms Mabley, Max Roach, Etta James, and many others. Join us for classic holiday music from artists who performed at the Pink Poodle.

Have you ever wondered what happened to George Clooney?  Not a lot of people have.  You can't blame them.  I mean...what is he?  An actor?  Are actors even a thing anymore?  I'll have to check it out.   I think they went on strike, or they bowled a strike.  I'll look into that too...later.  I saw one of those CGI movies that was all fake people and it looked pretty good.  How hard would it be to make up some fake writers.  I've met a lot of writers and it shouldn't be hard.  Anyway...where were we?  I did this episode and I talked and I got an old record by Moms Mabley today and played it live on the air.  Anyway, have fun everybody!!  Don't get too depressed about stuff.Support the showhunchbunny.com

No, "EGOT" isn't a Tolkein or Star Wars character. In fact, EGOT status is far more rare, with fewer than a dozen winners of the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, AND Tony Awards to date, including this week's legend, the very funny, very pointed, and very bawdy Whoopi Goldberg. From an early one-woman tribute to Moms Mabley, to movies including The Color Purple, Ghost, and Sister Act, to a long run on ABC's The View, Whoopi has been a ubiquitous part of pop culture for nearly 50 years -- and she shows no signs of slowing down! As always, find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows! Want more Whoopi? Since 2007, Whoopi has been part of the panel on ABC's daytime talk show The View. Her mouth has landed her in hot water a few times, but more often it lands on comedy gold. https://youtu.be/VRI5IMOCwnY?si=mzSde7lZU30_MewT Whoopi won her first Oscar playing a psychic in the hit movie Ghost. As an intermediary between Patrick Swayze and his still-alive girlfriend Demi Moore, Whoopi brought a perfect balance of sensitivity and sass to the role. https://youtu.be/oAb2_-uv41Y?si=Rr2tlkK1UtVMVdz5 Whoopi had a great run of hit movies in the 80s and 90s, none more beloved than Sister Act, a fish out of water classic in which Whoopi's "lounge singer on the run" gets placed by the Witness Protection Program into a convent. Here's Whoopi "freestyling" a mealtime blessing. https://youtu.be/-5lFiIvUZ_c?si=cj9zw1-MD1P3Pfac

The tour bus delivers our travelers for two days in historic Memphis, Tennessee. The National Civil Rights Museum rests on the site of the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King lost his life to an assassin's bullet while standing on the balcony with his trusted friends, Jesse Jackson, Ralph Abernathy, and Andrew Young. The Museum is housed in a comprehensive series of buildings that outlines the history of Slavery from 1619 to the present day. Exhibits feature the story of resistance and the champions of the Civil Rights Movement. Our tour explores the I AM A MAN Memorial Park and the Sanitation Worker's Strike of 1968 that brought Dr. King to Memphis. Then, we move on to the Burkle House, commonly known as the Slave Haven, a stop on the Underground Railroad. STAX RECORDS in Memphis launched American soul music, celebrated in the STAX Museum where careers were launched including Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, and many others. Spoken word artist Rev. Jesse Jackson and comedians Moms Mabley and Richard Pryor got their start in the STAX studios. We end this edition of TRUTH QUEST on Beale Street, the home of B.B. King, Ida B. Wells, and The Memphis Blues. The grand boulevard became the inspiration for James Baldwin's fifth novel If Beale Street Could Talk. SHOW NOTESIn this episode, we happily introduce Sasha Lunginbuhl.Meet our contributors.Listen to the entire series - TRUTH QUEST: Exploring the History of Race in America - in their own words.Support the show

This episode is about the great Moms Mabley. I also talk about Teddy Riley, and I say talk about him I mean get into some crazy place. There is a lot of childhood stories in this as with a lot of these episodes. We didn't time code anything. I will say the 45 minute mark is where the actual Black History Moment kicks in.

Legendary comic Wanda Sykes spoke with Tonya Mosley about the WGA strike, portraying Moms Mabley in the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and raising white kids as a Black mom. Her new Netflix special is I Am an Entertainer.Also, David Bianculli reviews a new HBO documentary about Mary Tyler Moore, and book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Goodnight, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea.

Legendary comic Wanda Sykes spoke with Tonya Mosley about the WGA strike, portraying Moms Mabley in the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and raising white kids as a Black mom. Her new Netflix special is I Am an Entertainer.Also, David Bianculli reviews a new HBO documentary about Mary Tyler Moore, and book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Goodnight, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea.

This week the Grouches are covering the directorial debut of the great Whoopi Goldberg! She made an HBO documentary about legendary comedy pioneer, Moms Mabley. They cover everything form her murky origins, to her wide spread impact through the last 100 years. I hope you wanted to hear three white guys in their 30's talk about an influential black woman talking about an influential black woman! Because we heard there was a shortage of it on the internet.

We continue our exploration into stand-up comedy with an underappreciated legend, none other than the late, great Moms Mabley! Warning: May Contain Spoilers Created by: Cristo M. Sanchez Written by: Cristo M. Sanchez and Jason Nemor Harden Hosted by: Jason Nemor Harden Music by: Creature 9, Wood, Cristo M. Sanchez and Jason Nemor Harden Follow us on instagram and facebook for the latest updates and more!

So, Moms Mabley what is an American comedian from the 1920s and she was hilarious, I used to sneak and listen to her comedy album when my grandmother was listening to it…

Moms Mabley is remembered as we give you a platitude to get you through the upcoming week, and The Birds 1963 movie remains grossly cringeworthy terrifying in its 'attic birds scene'. ..as the mysterious Miss X plays you her own bird sounds heard this past week. My little night owls...enjoy the show!!    

The original queen of comedy who styled herself “The Funniest Woman in the World,” Moms Mabley shattered barriers that had kept Black comics, and especially women, from taking center stage. Over nearly six decades, Moms' randy-but-grandmotherly persona allowed her to subversively address lightning-rod issues such as race, gender, and sexuality in ways not dared by any performer who came before. From North Carolina to Carnegie Hall, Moms fought her way onto the stage and into America's hearts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please note: This Audible Original contains explicit content and language some people may find offensive. It is intended for mature audiences only. Discretion is advised.Take a deep dive into the personal and political lives of six trailblazing Black comedy icons with your host comedian/actor JB Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm). This engaging docuseries shows you how these fearless heroes of comedy broke color barriers and challenged the racist status quo, all while making audiences roar with laughter. Without them, we wouldn't have the superstars we have today.Produced by Team Coco, AYR Media and Toni Judkins, each episode of Funny My Way: Breaking Boundaries in Black Comedy presents a comedy great of the past: Paul Mooney (known as “The Godfather of Comedy”), Flip Wilson (the first Black entertainer to host a successful weekly variety show on network TV), Moms Mabley (the first Black comedian to play Carnegie Hall), Dick Gregory (the first Black comedian to break the color line in the nightclub scene), Rudy Ray Moore (known as “The Godfather of Rap”), and Redd Foxx (known as “The Dean of X-rated comedians”).Through funny and moving archival footage, their stories are told alongside incisive commentary from various popular comics, political commentators, and legendary creators, including Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, Godfrey, RuPaul, Margaret Cho, Deon Cole, Sandra Bernhard, Norman Lear, and more. Hear how these Black comedy legends made it to the top and influenced so many by doing it their way.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's episode we look at Disney's Voodoo queen, Mama Odie. ► Messed Up Origins™ Socials! » https://twitter.com/MessedUpOrigins » https://www.instagram.com/messedupori... ► Support the series on Patreon! » https://www.patreon.com/JonSolo ► Want more? » ALL Messed Up Origins: https://bit.ly/MessedUpOrigins » Disney Explained: https://bit.ly/DisneyExplained » ALL Mythology Explained: https://bit.ly/MythologyExplained » Norse Mythology: http://bit.ly/NorseMythologyExplained » Folklore Explained: https://bit.ly/FablesExplained » Astrology: http://bit.ly/AstrologyExplained » Messed Up Murders: https://bit.ly/MurderPlaylist ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ► Social Media: » Twitter: https://twitter.com/JonSolo » Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JonSolo » Facebook Fan Page: https://facebook.com/TheRealJonSolo » Official Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/jonsolo ► Join the Official Channel Discord: » https://www.patreon.com/JonSolo ► Send Fan Mail to: » SoloFamMail@gmail.com ► Business: » biz@MessedUpOrigins.com (Business Inquiries ONLY) ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▼ Credits ▼ » Researched by: Jack Daly - https://twitter.com/thefolklord » Written, Filmed, & Edited by: Jon Solo ▼ Resources ▼ » my favorites: https://messeduporigins.com/books » Mama Odie Disney Fandom: Mama Odie's Magic » Marie Laveau: https://www.britannica.com/biography/... » Moms Mabley: https://www.britannica.com/biography/... » Coleen Salley: https://coleensalley.com/about.htm » Hoodoo Heritage: A Brief History of American Folk Religion https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/lane_m...

As one of the world's most dynamic and recognised celebrity icons, Eddie Murphy has been present in comedy and music for the last five decades and has dominated our big screens since his debut feature film, action comedy, 48hrs. some forty years ago. Delivered from a never-seen-before viewpoint, ‘Eddie Murphy; Deliriously Funny' is an immersive account of Murphy's entire comedy genius that spans the highs and lows of his career, touching on his childhood, exploring his influences, his stand-up comedy roots, music and film. From the author of ‘Rik Mayall: Comedy Genius' and ‘Al Pacino: The Movies Behind The Man', Mark Searby intricately unravels the golden thread of comedy that has weaved through the fabric of Murphy's life and career, in both film and music, and exposes the deeper catalysts behind it.Taking us on a profound journey that outlines Murphy's life, Searby creates an honest account that is charged with the excitement, frustration, confidence and fearlessness that Murphy has experienced and delivered throughout his work. Documenting the incredible highs, and the equally spectacular lows, ‘Eddie Murphy; Deliriously Funny' includes exclusive interviews and quotes from those that have worked closest to him. Highlighting his breakthrough on mainstream TV via Saturday Night Live, through to multimillion-dollar box office smashes of his most famed and successful films; 48 Hrs., Beverly Hills Cop, Coming To America, Harlem Nights, Boomerang, The Nutty Professor, Shrek, Dreamgirls, Norbit and Dr. Dolittle, Searby also delves in to the career flops that span comedy sketches and numerous big screen films, and ultimately how Murphy used them on one of the most amazing rides through Hollywood.Packed with excerpts and interviews with the likes of Reginald Hudlin (Boomerang), Katt Williams (Norbit), Keith Robinson (Dreamgirls), David Patrick Kelly (48 Hrs.), Steven Berkoff (Beverly Hills Cop) and more, not only does the book celebrate Murphy's career but it also gives insight to the person behind it. Featured heavily throughout the book are the deeper topics that have ultimately fuelled Murphy's passion for comedy. Exploring his ability to use comedy as a vehicle to “put racism and sexism front and centre throughout”, Searby delves into the vast pool of examples that find “In amongst all of the hilarious comedy routines Murphy was creating, there were moments that spoke honestly and directly about racism.”Told with an air of wit that captures Murphy's inspiring outlook on life, the book is not a gossip frenzied account of his personal life but a testament to the career and his doggedly determined, confident traits that has allowed it to span half a century. From influences that went before, such as Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell, Moms Mabley and even Elvis Presley and Bruce Lee, Eddie Murphy became the biggest influence in the world, non more so than with aspiring Black comics.“A pioneer of a new form of much- loved entertainment that was speaking to an entirely new Black generation. It featured a combative edge, an edge that put racism and sexism front and centre throughout. They wouldn't shut up or back down when discussing the topics that mattered most to them. This was their time to speak and they were not going to let anyone off the hook. Eddie Murphy was doing that with his stand-up to a huge audience – Black and white.”As with his previous work, Searby masters his subject and highlights how, no matter whether you are an avid fan or not, Eddie Murphy will have touched your life at some point in time. Whether it be through music, through comedy, through the voice of a donkey or adult humour, his reign as one of the world's most iconic inhabitants is undeniable and ‘Eddie Murphy; Deliriously Funny' is a captivating insight into his legacy.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/writers-on-film. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 20, we "chat up" the Amazon Prime series A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN with author and poet Toni Asante Lightfoot about the character Max Chapman, her family including her trans uncle Bertie, best friend Clance, and Rockford's African American community as depicted in the series. In the 1992 "A League of Their Own" feature film on which this series is based, you see the grit and romance of the game with the Rockford Peaches and women baseball teams that were part of the All American Professional Girls Baseball League during WWII. What was not prominent in the 1992 movie (more subtext) are untold stories of African American, Latina, and queer women baseball players and the lives they lived in the 1940s and 50s. These stories are highlighted in the Amazon Prime series. A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (the 2022 series) is co-created by Abbi Jacobson (who plays Rockford Peaches player Carson Shaw) and Will Graham. BONUS content: Toni Asante Lightfoot reads her poem “Bat Her Up: Mom's Mabley watches Negro women play ball for their supper” (mentioned in Episode 20). You'll find the bonus content at this LINK. Find out more about Toni Asante Lightfoot and Moms Mabley on our podcast webpage. Timestamps for episode 20 1:12 “A League of Their Own” Overview 3:28 Toni Asante Lightfoot introductin 6:25 Negro Leagues and Black Baseball 10:19 Max Chapman's sexuality and family 14:48 Black hair and family intimacy 19:29 Podcast Break 19:57 Community: “Black Joy in the Midst of Black Terror” 31:07 Max and Clance Sister Friends 33:47 Women challenging sexism in 1940s 38:07 Modern language in historical drama 45:01 How untold stories heal 49:43 Toni Asante Lightfoot's favorite baseball team(s) and why (Baseball and the Working Class) 51:57 Lightning Round Questions 56:15 Final thoughts about Clance (Max's best friend) 56:38 Closing STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS LISTEN to past past podcasts. SIGN UP for our mailing list SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore Thank you for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historicaldramasisters/support

In episode 20 of the podcast, we talk with author and poet TONI ASANTE LIGHTFOOT about the Amazon series A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN. In this bonus podcast, Toni talks about and reads her baseball-inspired poem “Bat Her Up: Mom's Mabley watches Negro women play ball for their supper." JACKIE “MOMS” MABLEY (1897-1975) African American comedienne Loretta Mary Aiken created the elderly lady persona Jackie “Moms” Mabley. Mabley started out in the all-Black Theater Owners Booking Association or T.O.B.A. vaudeville circuit in the 1920s. She was the first female comedian to perform solo at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and headline Carnegie Hall. Moms Mabley emerged to become a mainstream stage and television star, pushing the boundaries of comedy by tackling topics such as gender, sex and racism. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historicaldramasisters/support

The tour bus delivers our travelers for two days in historic Memphis, Tennessee. The National Civil Rights Museum rests on the site of the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King lost his life to an assassin's bullet while standing on the balcony with his trusted friends, Jesse Jackson, Ralph Abernathy, and Andrew Young. The Museum is housed in a comprehensive series of buildings that outlines the history of Slavery from 1619 to the present day. Exhibits feature the story of resistance and the champions of the Civil Rights Movement. Our tour explores the I AM A MAN Memorial Park and the Sanitation Worker's Strike of 1968 that brought Dr. King to Memphis. Then, we move on to the Burkle House, commonly known as the Slave Haven, a stop on the Underground Railroad. STAX RECORDS in Memphis launched American soul music, celebrated in the STAX Museum where careers were launched including Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, and many others. Spoken word artist Rev. Jesse Jackson and comedians Moms Mabley and Richard Pryor got their start in the STAX studios. We end this edition of TRUTH QUEST on Beale Street, the home of B.B. King, Ida B. Wells, and The Memphis Blues. The grand boulevard became the inspiration for James Baldwin's fifth novel If Beale Street Could Talk. SHOW NOTESIn this episode, we happily introduce Sasha Lunginbuhl.Support the show

Hey MMP Fans... This episode is very different from the others. I wanted to do an episode that highlights another actor's creative body of work. As I go through the archives of Eddie Murphy interviews, I came across a quote that read... "They were trying to make me the Female Eddie Murphy" (Whoopi Goldberg). I thought that was interesting because of what the beginning of her movie career looked like. I wanted to do my research on her, however, I realized that I didn't know that much about her & her movies. Because of this I went to a very reliable source of information... MY FINANCEE (Steph)! She is the biggest Whoopi Goldberg fan. In this episode we talk about what Whoopi's definitive movies are & Why her "Female Eddie Murphy" label didn't work. We pose the question "Do Whoopi Goldberg movies relate to black audiences?" and Why I think "The Color Purple" is the funniest movie of the 80s. All this plus a shoutout to Moms Mabley and more. Stay TunedSupport the show

A hilarious and moving account of the trailblazing women of stand-up comedy who broke down walls so they could stand before the mic-perfect for fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Hacks.Today, women are ascendant in stand-up comedy, even preeminent. They make headlines, fill arenas, spawn blockbuster movies. But before Amy Schumer slayed, Tiffany Haddish killed, and Ali Wong drew roars, the very idea of a female comedian seemed, to most of America, like a punch line. And it took a special sort of woman-indeed, a parade of them-to break and remake the mold.In on the Joke is the story of a group of unforgettable women who knocked down the doors of stand-up comedy so other women could get a shot. It spans decades, from Moms Mabley's rise in Black vaudeville between the world wars, to the roadhouse ribaldry of Belle Barth and Rusty Warren in the 1950s and '60s, to Elaine May's co-invention of improv comedy, to Joan Rivers' and Phyllis Diller's ferocious ascent to mainstream stardom. These women refused to be defined by type and tradition, facing down indifference, puzzlement, nay-saying, and unvarnished hostility. They were discouraged by agents, managers, audiences, critics, fellow performers-even their families. And yet they persevered against the tired notion that women couldn't be funny, making space not only for themselves, but for the women who followed them.Meticulously researched and irresistibly drawn, Shawn Levy's group portrait forms a new pantheon of comedy excellence. In on the Joke shows how women broke into the boys' club, offered new ideas of womanhood, and had some laughs along the way.

A hilarious and moving account of the trailblazing women of stand-up comedy who broke down walls so they could stand before the mic-perfect for fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Hacks. Today, women are ascendant in stand-up comedy, even preeminent. They make headlines, fill arenas, spawn blockbuster movies. But before Amy Schumer slayed, Tiffany Haddish killed, and Ali Wong drew roars, the very idea of a female comedian seemed, to most of America, like a punch line. And it took a special sort of woman-indeed, a parade of them-to break and remake the mold. In on the Joke is the story of a group of unforgettable women who knocked down the doors of stand-up comedy so other women could get a shot. It spans decades, from Moms Mabley's rise in Black vaudeville between the world wars, to the roadhouse ribaldry of Belle Barth and Rusty Warren in the 1950s and '60s, to Elaine May's co-invention of improv comedy, to Joan Rivers' and Phyllis Diller's ferocious ascent to mainstream stardom. These women refused to be defined by type and tradition, facing down indifference, puzzlement, nay-saying, and unvarnished hostility. They were discouraged by agents, managers, audiences, critics, fellow performers-even their families. And yet they persevered against the tired notion that women couldn't be funny, making space not only for themselves, but for the women who followed them. Meticulously researched and irresistibly drawn, Shawn Levy's group portrait forms a new pantheon of comedy excellence. In on the Joke shows how women broke into the boys' club, offered new ideas of womanhood, and had some laughs along the way.

This week guest host Danielle explains how stand-up comedy has its roots in the racist history of minstrel shows and describes how one performer decided to push back, and Scotty talks about the particularities of Jewish humor and how it manifested in the famed "borscht belt" of the Catskills. Plus, a palate-cleansing clip of the incredible Moms Mabley! https://youtu.be/4h0t_teqE_E CONTENT WARNING: This week we talk about racism, anti-Semitism, and suicide. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Lena Horne, Moms Mabley, Memphis Minnie and Yolande du Bois Williams were four accomplished Black women whose careers took off before World War II and each one made her mark. Tara Green recounts their path to self-actualization - pleasure - in their personal and public lives. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

#OTD Comedian Jackie "Moms" Mabley died of heart failure at the age of 81.

This week Alice discusses Detroit Red and Moms Mabley, patron saint of dandies, first Robbins of spring, and candid daughters.

Shawn Levy is back on the podcast. Every time he's got a new book out, he's kind enough to stop by and talk to us about it. Last tine it was his book of poems based on New York Times obituaries. Before that his best seller on Chateau Marmont. And before that Dolce Vita Confidential. This one is called “In on the Joke.” It's about female comedians, not today's but the first female standups, from Moms Mabley to Joan Rivers, including Phyllis Diller, Elaine May and many others. We'll find out what joke they were in on and discover the real people behind the public personalities. He'll be reading at Powell's City of Books in Portland on Wednesday, April 6. It's always a joy to have Shawn visit the podcast.

Maria Muldaur is our guest on Coffeeshop Conversations this week. She will be in Oregon for two upcoming shows; in Eugene at WOW Hall on Friday, April 8 and a sold-out show in Nehalem the next night. Right now she's in Mill Valley, California. Don't you dare call her a one-hit-wonder because she has been lending her voice to her own band and dozens of other groups for a long long time. Next week, our guest will be writer Shawn Levy on his upcoming book on female comedians from Moms Mabley to Joan Rivers. But right now let's talk to the lively and enthusiastic Maria Muldaur.

Jackie “Moms” Mabley was the first woman comedian in the U.S. to have a long-lasting and successful career. Born #onthisday in 1894, we celebrate the innovative humorist with a joke quote, basic facts and information on many sources to learn so much more.Sources:Moms Mabley: I've Got Somethin' To Tell You (2013 Whoopi Goldberg-directed doc)Amazing Grace (1974)Killer Diller or Boarding House Blues, (1948)“Abraham, Martin & John” (Mabley's Top 40 song from 1969)Moms Mabley comedy albums available on streaming:Moms Mabley at the Playboy Club,Moms Mabley at the Geneva Conference,Young Men, Si – Old Men – No,Moms Mabley at the U.N.https://www.biography.com/performer/moms-mableyhttps://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/jackie-moms-mableyhttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm0531098/http://www.comedyhistory101.com/comedy-history-101/2018/1/16/history-of-moms-mableyhttps://www.ncpedia.org/biography/mabley-jackiehttps://www.bustle.com/p/videos-of-the-real-moms-mabley-show-how-spot-on-her-mrs-maisel-character-is-19432334For more Good Black News, check out goodblacknews.org or search and follow @goodblacknews anywhere on social.

Isa Dessaline, a Black trans woman, went missing last Tuesday. Her friends started a campaign and now she's been found. 65 companies signed an open letter published in the Dallas Morning News newspaper calling on Texas politicians to stop discriminating aginst our trans fam. Jussie Smollett's brother goes on Instagram and tells us that Jussie has been placed in the psych ward at Cook County & we salute Moms Mabley for our Women's Herstory Spotlight.    00:00 - Welcome & Intro 00:40 - The Qube Ad, The one and only app curating the best of BIPOC & QTPOC podcasts & music. Be the first to know when the app drops. Sign up for the newsletter at https://theqube.app 01:18 - Intro Music by Aina Bre'Yon 01:58 - Isa Dessaline, a Black trans woman, went missing last Tuesday. Her friends started a campaign and now she's been found 03:25 - 65 companies signed an open letter published in the Dallas Morning News newspaper calling on Texas politicians to stop discriminating aginst our trans fam 05:31 - Jussie Smollett's brother goes on Instagram and tells us that Jussie has been placed in the psych ward at Cook County 06:51 - We salute Moms Mabley for Women's Herstory Month 8:46 - Anna's Got A Word    Things for you to check out    Full Letter from 65 companies expressing support for transgender young people and their families  https://hrc-prod-requests.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/DallasMorningNews_ad_030922final2-1.pdf   E3 Radio coverage of the Jussie Smollett case https://e3radio.fm/tag/jussie-smollett/   Jackie Moms Mabley - Nominee https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/jackie-moms-mabley   About Queer News An intersectional approach to daily news podcast where race & sexuality meet politics, entertainment and culture. Tune-in to reporting which centers & celebrates all of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & comrade communities. Hosted by Anna DeShawn. 7 minutes a day, 5 days a week, ready by 9 a.m.   We want to hear from you. Tune in and tell us what you think. email us at info@e3radio.fm. follow anna deshawn on ig & twitter: @annadeshawn. and if you're interested in advertising with “queer news,” write to us at info@e3radio.fm.

(Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/MOXIE - Enter promo code MOXIE for 83% off and 3 extra months free!) T-shirt for Ukraine Why did no one tell me about Moms Mabley?!!  Hear about her and other 'living loud and proud' ladies (Dorothy Parker, Mae West, Tallulah Bankhead) on this International Women's Day. 01:00 Tallulah Bankhead 13:00 Mae West 23:00 Moms Mabley Links to all the research resources are on the website. Hang out with your fellow Brainiacs.  Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter,  or Instagram.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi.  Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod, David Fesilyan, Dan Henig. and/or Chris Haugen. Sponsors:  Dumb People with Terrible Ideas, History Obscura, Sambucol Want to start a podcast or need a better podcast host?  Get up to TWO months hosting for free from Libsyn with coupon code "moxie." Dorothy Parker was a famously wry, witty, and acerbic writer and critic, with a low opinion of relationships.  Her wit was apparent from an early age, referring to her father's second wife as “The Housekeeper.”  She was described by journalist and critic Alexander Woolcott as “a combination of Little Nell and Lady MacBeth.”  As a literary critic, she said of one book, "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." The author of the book?  Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.  My name's Moxie….   This episode drops on Intl Womens Day, and I've covered a lot of remarkable women on the show, for a number of remarkable reasons, but today we focus on ladies for their remarks, for their wit and their wild ways.  Tallulah Bankhead is a name I've known for many years, but never really knew anything about her.  Back in the day, going to the big “computer show and sale” at the raceway complex with my dad, circa 1996, I picked up some cd-roms of FVM video games and some educational stuff like Microsoft Encarta Musical Instruments and some reference that included hundred of famous quotes.  Some of you I realize will have no idea what I just said, a few of you will be unclear what a cd-rom is, but a few of you just got a cold chill like someone walking across your grave.  Tallulah Bankhead's wit featured prominently with quotes like, "If I were well behaved, I'd die of boredom," “I read Shakespeare and the Bible, and I can shoot dice. That's what I call a liberal education," and "I'll come and make love to you at five o'clock. If I'm late, start without me."  ‘I like her,' I thought, but didn't look into who she actually was until this week.  Considering she's the inspiration for one of Disney's most iconic villains, you'd think I'd have come across something between then and now, but not.   Bankhead, the daughter of an Alabama congressman and future speaker of the House, was named after her paternal grandmother, whose name was inspired by Tallulah Falls, Georgia.  That grandmother would raise her when her mother died a few days after her birth and the loss sent her father into a pit of depression and alcoholism.  Little Tallulah was… difficult.  Tallulah discovered at an early age that theatrics were a viable outlet for gaining the attention, good or bad, that she craved.  A series of throat and chest infections as a child had left her with a raspy voice which would later become her trademark.  It also made her stand out from her classmates, but Tallulah was not the type to be bullied and soon became the terror or students and the bane of teachers.  She would find herself sent to, and expelled from, two different convent schools, the first for once for throwing ink at a nun and the next time for making a pass at one.   At 15, Bankhead submitted her own photo to film industry magazine Picture Play, winning a small part in a movie and a trip to New York.  She was allowed to go only by promising her father, a Congressman, she'd abstain from men and alcohol, but as she famously put it in her autobiography, "He didn't say anything about women and cocaine."  She was a self-described "technical virgin" until 20.  Though she lacked training and discipline, she possessed a dazzling stage presence, her husky voice providing fascinating contrast with her good looks.  Quickly ascending to stardom, she just as easily gained renown for her quick-witted outspokenness and indefatigable party going.  In New York, Bankhead moved into the famous Algonquin Hotel, a hotspot for the artistic and literary elite of the era, and was quickly rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.   After several years starring in films and on stage in New York, Bankhole's acting was praised, but she had not yet scored a big commercial hit.  So, she moved to London in 1923, where her stardom grew. Her fame heightened in 1924 when she played Amy in Sidney Howard's They Knew What They Wanted. The show won the 1925 Pulitzer Prize.     But Bankhead was best known for her antics off-stage.  She'd drive her Bently recklessly through London and if she got lost, she'd hire a black cab to drive to where she was going and she'd follow him.  She spent her nights at booze and drug-filled parties, partaking liberally, and reportedly smoked 120 cigarettes a day, which is kind of dubious because how would you have time for anything else.  She also openly had a series of relationships with both men and women, including some very famous female personalities of the day.  Names attached to her, with or without facts to back it included Greta Garbo, Hattie McDaniel, the first AfrAm actress to win an Oscar, and singer Billie Holiday.   One thing that's known with great certainty is that she talked openly about her vices, and women just weren't supposed to do that.  Hell, they weren't supposed to *have vices.  She found herself included in Hays' "Doom Book", which would help her inspire a Disney villain, since only the worst of the worst were in the Doom Book, but it didn't do much for her career.  Brief refresher on the Hays Code, and you can hear lots more about it in the episode Words You Can't Say on TV or Radio, way back in Oct 2018 before I started numbering episodes, the Hays Code a set of strict guidelines all motion pictures companies operated under from 1934 to 1968.  It prohibited profanity, suggestive nudity, sexual perversions like homosexuality, interracial relationships, any talk of reproductive anything, and, in case you were unclear where all this came from, it banned ridicule of authority in general and the clergy in particular.  This is why married couples in black&white sitcoms slept in separate beds.  The Doom Book, which was either a closely guarded secret or never physically existed, was said to have contained the names of over 150 thespians considered too morally tumultuous to be used in movies.  So this is the law of the land when a gal like Tallulah Bankhead is running around in cursing like a sailor in hedonistic, drug-fueled, openly-bisexual glee.     Giving up on Hollywood, Bankhead returned to Broadway for a decade or so, where she reached her zenith with her performances in The Little Foxes and The Skin of Our Teeth, both of which earned her the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and was briefly married to actor John Emery.  [a la Sam O'Nella] Never heard of him?  Me neither.  What's his story?  I didn't bother.  In 1943 she decided to give Hollywood a second try, but Hollywood hadn't had the same thought about her.  There was one bright spot, being cast in and praised for Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat in 1944.   By the late 1940s and early 1950s, Bankhead's hedonistic lifestyle and excessive drinking had taken its toll.  Critics complained that she had become a self-caricature, which feels like a real oof.  She kept her career afloat by publishing a best-selling autobiography, touring in plays like Private Lives and Dear Charles, before headlining her own nightclub act.  In 1965 she made her last *film appearance, playing a homicidal religious fanatic in the British thriller Die! Die! My Darling!  Tallulah Bankhead's final acting assignments included a “Special Guest Villain” stint on the TV series Batman.  When she was advised that the series was considered “high camp,” her response was vintage Tallulah: “Don't tell me about camp, dahling! I invented it!”   Am I ever going to tell you which Disney villain she inspired?  I supposed, if I must.  Disney animator Marc Davis once told of his creative process when tasked to create the villain for an upcoming film.  (It was 1961 if you want to try to guess.)  The chaaracter would become iconic, instantly recognizable whether cartoon or real life.  Davis looked to real-life "bad" women, and while he said there were a number of different people who he kept in mind while drawing her, one name rose to the top – Tallulah Bankhead.  So no matter if her movie or Broadway career is forgotten, Bankhead will always live on as Cruella de Ville. Mae West   When she was good, she was very good. But when she was bad, she made film history. Whether making films, writing plays or flirting with the camera, Mae West was undisputedly the most controversial sex siren of her time and she even landed in jail because of it.  She was the queen of double entendres on and off screen, delivering some of the best-remembered quips in movie history.  You know the line, "Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?", yeah, that was West In "She Done Him Wrong." in 1933.   Mary Jane West was born on Aug. 17, 1893 in Queens, NY to a boxer turned cop and a former corset and fashion model.  The acting bug bit the heck out of West when she was tiny, bringing home talent show prizes at age 5.  At age 12, she became a professional vaudeville performer.  She was secretly married at age 17, but only lived with her husband for a few weeks, though they didn't legally divorce for 31 years. The adult West was rumored to have secretly married another man, but on the whole she preferred younger men. Her long-term partner Paul Novak was 30 years her junior.   West was also rumored to have worn custom 8 in platform shoes, because she was only 5'2”.  Two tangents, I would have *massive respect for anyone who could even walk in 8in platform, and that's something all the women in today's discussion have in common - they're all my size.   In 1926, under the pen name "Jane Mast," West wrote, produced and starred in a play called Sex, about a sex worker named Margie La Monte who was looking to better her situation by finding a well-to-do man to marry well if not wisely.  Mae West was sentenced to 10 days in prison and given a $500 fine, charged with “obscenity and corrupting the morals of youth.”  The rumor mill went into overtime when she was behind bars –  she was permitted to wear silk underpants instead of prison-issue or the warden wined and dined her every night.  West was set free after serving eight of the ten days and remarked to reporters that it was “…the first time I ever got anything for good behavior.”  Before the show was raided in February of 1927 around 325,000 people had come through the turnstiles.  Buns in seats, laddie, buns in seat.   Not bothered in the slightest, and probably keenly aware of all the free publicity she just got, West appeared in a string of successful plays, including "The Drag," a 1927 play that was banned from Broadway because of its homosexual theme.  If you think people try to tell you what to say these days, imagine having to deal with the likes of the Hays Code or the Catholic Legion of Decency, which I maintain sounds like a pro-wrestling tag team.  She was an advocate of gay and transgender rights, which were at the time generally throught to be the same thing, and her belief that "a gay man was actually a female soul housed in a male body" ran counter to the belief at that time that homosexuality was an illness.  Her next play, The Pleasure Man ran for only one showing before also being shut down with the whole cast being arrested for obscenity, but this time getting off thanks to a hung jury.  West continued to stir up controversy with her plays, including the Broadway smash "Diamond Lil" in 1928, about a loose woman of the 1890s.     Dominating the Broadway scene was nice, but West had her eyes set to the, well, to the west and Hollywood.  West was 38 years old at the time, which is the age when the phone stops ringing for many actresses, but Paramount Pictures offered West a contract at $5000 a week ($80,000 now) and –luckily for all of us or I might not be talking about her right now– they let her re-write her lines.  Her first film, Night After Night, set the tone for her on-screen persona right from jump street, from her first line where a hat check girl says to her “Goodness, what beautiful diamonds.” To which West replied, “Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie.”  Within three years she was the second highest paid person in the United States.  The only person earning more was the publishing magnate friggin' William Randolph Hearst.     West not only made her own career, she insisted a young Cary Grant be cast opposite her, putting Grant on the road to his Golden Age icon status.  That was ‘33's "She Done Him Wrong," which contained her most famous quote, but I'm sorry to tell you that you've been saying it wrong your whole life.  Yes, your whole life.  You've seen it parodied in cartoons.  The line isn't  "Why don't you come up and seem me sometime?" "Why don't you come up some time and see me?"  Am I being painfully pedantic to point this out?  Yes. …. That's all.   The public loved Mae West, but her blunt sexuality onscreen rubbed censors the wrong way.  In 1934, they began deleting overtly sexy lines and whole scenes from her films. Not about to take that lying down, West doubled up on double entendres, hoping that the censors would delete the most offensive lines and miss the subtler ones.  More controversial films followed.  West was already 50 when she made "The Heat's On," but her youthful look and performance made the film a cult favorite.  She also got banned from the radio for a sketch about Adam and Eve opposite Don Ameche, was on TV a few times, and even recorded two successful rock albums, decades before the late Christopher Lee.  Bonus facts: Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira Mistress of the Dark, was once the lead singer of an Italian punk rock band.     MIDROLL   The script for this episode started with Bankhead, West, and Dorothy Parker.  I recognized that they were demographically pretty similar, though Parker was Jewish and there's a wild theory out there that West was mixed-race, so I started asking around for WOC/LGBT of that same era and one name came up again and again, a name I'd never heard of, an oversight I now know to be a damn shame if ever there was one.  Presenting for the elucidation of many listeners, Moms Mabley.  Moms, plural not possessive, had been a vaudeville star for half a century on what was called the Chitlin Circuit, before white audiences began to discover her.  Her trademarks were her old lady persona, complete with house coat, dust cap and waddling shuffle, and her raunchy, man-hungry humor, which is funny in a few ways when you consider she was an out-and-proud lesbian.   Although Moms spent her professional life making people laugh, her personal life had more than its share of grief.  If you're not in the mood for tragic backstory, I totally understand if you want to hit your jump-30 button.  Born Loretta Mary Aiken in North Carolina in 1894, Moms was the grandaughter of a slave and one of 16 children.  She was the victim of rape twice before the age of 14, once by an older black man and the other by the town's white sheriff.  Both rapes resulted in pregnancies; both babies were given away.  Loretta's father, a volunteer fireman, had been killed when a fire engine exploded, and her mother was run over and killed by a truck while coming home from church on Christmas Day.  Her stepfather forced her to marry a man she didn't even like, one assumes to pare down the number of dependent minors in the house.  At the age of 14, Loretta ran away to join a minstrel show.  A young girl out in the world on her own would normally be a recipe for disaster, heartache and suffering, but Moms had already had enough of all those, thank you very much.  She took the name Mabley from her first boyfriend and acquired the nickname Moms later on, though none of my sources, and they are regrettably few and superficial, recounted why.  She was only in her early 20's when she devised the old lady character and kept her persona up until her actual age exceeded the character.   Like all who played vaudeville, she had multiple talents: dancing, singing, jokes. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she had a gift for crafting original material far stronger than the stock routines others toured with. At the prompting of the vaudeville team Butterbeans and Susie, she moved to New York City in the early 20's and found herself in the the Harlem Renaissance. "I never went back across the Mason-Dixon line," recalled Mabley. "Not for another thirty years."  Toward the end of her life, Moms would say “There were some horrible things done to me.  I played every state in the Union except Mississippi.  I won't go there; they ain't read.”  She hardly needed to back then anyway, playing the Apollo so often she could probably have gotten her mail forwarded there.   There used to be a showbiz expression, “It won't play in Peoria,” meaning something will not be successful for a wide, Joe Everyman (read: white) audience, and Moms certainly fit that bill.  Moms talked about sex constantly.  That's not surprising from female comics these days, though it still isn't as acceptable as it is for male comics.  But unlike the male comics of Mom's day, she slid into the jokes sideways with a double-entendre or a well-placed pause, rather than the straightforward use of obscenity that would become popular with such later black comedians as Richard Pryor.  Although Loretta herself was a lesbian, Moms was that of ''dirty old lady'' with a penchant for younger men.  She made fun of older men, subtly ridiculing the ways they wielded authority over women as well as the declining of their sexual powers. Her signature line became: ''Ain't nothin' an old man can do for me but bring me a message from a young man.''   She moved from vaudeville into films, but Hollywood wasn't exactly rolling out the red carpet for black actors and film-makers.  That's okay, they said, we'll just do it ourselves.  As early as 1929 there were over 460 "colored movie houses" across America. owned and operated by, and catering specifically to, African-Americans, with all-Black cast films, shorts, and even newsreels.  But it would be fair to say that these were B-movies, filmed in a couple of days, with whatever equipment and people you could cobble together.  Hell, scenes were usually shot in one take, because editing requires more time and money.  Where they shone was in the musical numbers, crafting scenes that would have shamed MGM or Warner Brothers, if only they'd had any budget at all.  Comedian Slappy White remembered, "It wasn't hard casting the actors. All of us were out of work before the picture started [and we] would all be out of work again as soon as it was finished."   Moms starred in 1948's Boarding House Blues where she played landlord to a building of rent-dodging vaudeville performers, which is an amazing premise. The film also showcased "Crip" Heard, a tap dancer with only one arm and one leg. And the best thing about Boarding House Blues?  You can actually see it!  It's on the free Tubi app, link in the show notes, not a sponsor, and I plan to watch it as soon as I can make myself sit still for 1.5 hours.  Watch-party anyone?   Film was nice and everything, but it was vinyl records that gave Moms the boost she needed to expand her audience.  Comedy records were *the thing in the early 60's.Her first vinyl appearance came a few years prior with the 1956 Vanguard Records release A Night at the Apollo. The album is a fascinating social document with liner notes written by Langston Hughes.  Of the many other noteworthy things about that album is the fact that Moms wasn't paid for her part in it.  So she was understandably reluctant when the Chess brothers asked her to cut an album with them.  Phil and Leonard Chess were Jewish immigrants who arrived in Chicago a few months prior to the stock market crash who were able to buy some South Side bars after the end of prohibition.  Their Macomba Lounge became a hot spot when they started booking live music, mostly rhythm and blues, which drew in the biggest crowds.  The brothers noticed this, and that the acts who had people lining up around the block, weren't available on records, so they started a record company.  Chess Records signed names like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry.  These records delivered new found joys for the white public and offered posterity for Chicago's African-American crowd.  Always on the lookout for what was popular with their original Black audience, Chess Records asked Moms Mabley to sign, but she understandably didn't want to get screwed again.  Luckily her manager was able to persuade her and Moms Mabley on Stage (also known under the name Moms Mabley: The Funniest Woman Alive) was produced.    Chicago was host to Hugh Hefner's Playboy Club, a venue that always featured a strong roster of Black performers and plenty of white bohemians, and that's where she recorded Moms Mabley at The Playboy Club.  Y'all gotta see this album cover, link in the shownotes.  If you were to listen to On Stage and then Playboy Club, you'd notice something…different between the two albums.  On Stage was recorded at The Apollo and opens with a thunderous cacophony of cheerings.  Playboy Club, not as much, because that album was recorded in front of an all-white audience.  It was time for a cross-over.  It was also the time for civil rights –lunch counters, fire hoses, marches.  Mabley's act became increasingly political, but her benevolent old grandma persona made her non-threatening and more accessible to white crowds. Moms knew white audiences needed to hear her message now, and that they might actually hear her.  She was just a little old lady, shuffling onto the stage, how threatening could she be?  Plus she was on the biggest TV shows of the day –Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson, Flip Wilson, Mike Douglas, the Smothers Brothers– and they were okay, so she must be okay.   Moms had crossed over.  She played Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.  She put out more albums, including my favorite title, Young Men Si, Old Men No.  She began acting in big studio films, like The Cincinatti Kid, with Steve McQueen.  In 1966 Moms returned to the South for the first time in over three decades.  It, uh, didn't go great.  In the middle of her show, five shots rang out in the theater and Moms scrambled off-stage.  Thankfully, the shots went nowhere near her, originating apparently from a fight between audience members.  Regardless, a story made the rounds that one of the bullets went straight through her floppy hat.  "I hadn't been in Columbia, South Carolina, for thirty-five years," explained Moms, "and [now] bullets ran me out of town."    Music became a regular part of her act, and a cover version of "Abraham, Martin and John" hit No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 19, 1969, making Mabley, at 75, the oldest living person to have a U.S. Top 40 hit.  Mabley continued performing in the 1970s. In 1971, she appeared on The Pearl Bailey Show. Later that year, she opened for Ike & Tina Turner at the Greek Theatre and sang a tribute to Louis Armstrong as part of her set.[24] While filming the 1974 film Amazing Grace, (her only film starring role)[1] Mabley suffered a heart attack. She returned to work three weeks later, after receiving a pacemaker.  She is survived not only by her children (she had four other children as an adult), but by more contemporary comedians who remember her and want to keep her story alive.  She was the subject of a Broadway play by Clarice Taylor, who played one of the grandma's on the Cosby Show; two projects from Whoopi Goldberg, one being the comedy show that put Goldberg on the map in 1984 and a documentary in 2013, and in season 3 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, where she was portrayed by lifelong fan Wanda Sykes.   And that's… Dorothy Parker's wit was, deservedly, the stuff of legend.  Of the Yale prom, she said, “ If all the girls attending it were laid end to end, I wouldn't be at all surprised.”  It was that saucy humor that got her fired from her job as a staff writer at Vanity Fair.  Parker spoke openly about having had an abortion, a thing that simply was not done in the 1920's, saying, “It serves me right for putting all my eggs in one bastard.” A firm believer in civil rights, she bequeathed her literary estate to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Remember   Sources: https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/204532%7C103917/Mae-West/#biography https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mae-West https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/52283/13-things-you-might-not-know-about-mae-west http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/04/this-day-in-history-mae-west-is-sentenced-to-10-days-in-prison-for-writing-directing-and-performing-in-the-broadway-play-sex/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tallulah-Bankhead https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/05/real-cruella-de-vil-tallulah-bankhead https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/09/theater/theater-the-pain-behind-the-laughter-of-moms-mabley.html https://dorothyparker.com/gallery/biography https://bookshop.org/books/your-brain-on-facts-things-you-didn-t-know-things-you-thought-you-knew-and-things-you-never-knew-you-never-knew-trivia-quizzes-fun-fa/9781642502534?aid=14459&listref=books-based-on-podcasts https://www.mamamia.com.au/tallulah-bankhead-cruella/  

In this episode of Armchair Historians,  Anne Marie talks to Dr. Tara Green. Dr. Green has recently published not on but two books, See Me Naked and Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson. See Me Naked: takes a look at the lives of noted black women, including actress, singer, and activist Lena Horne, stand-up comedian Moms Mabley, teacher and Harlem Rennaisance influencer Yolande DuBois, and blues singer and performer Memphis Minnie, and how, despite their public profiles, discovered ways to enjoy pleasure.Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson: about the love one Black woman had for her race, of men and women, and, finally, of herself. Dr. Green writes that her Black Southern family immersed her in a culture of storytelling as a condition of her birth. She learned about their deliberate embrace of laughter and love as they navigated the everyday challenges of being Black in America. Their gift of cultural practices is her inspiration as a professor, writer, and mentor. Dr. Green also says, her family inspired her to study the lives of Black folks through literature. She began her formal studies at Dillard University.Today she is an African American Studies professor with over 20 years of teaching literature and culture. She is the author and editor of 6 books on the lives and experiences of African Americans in twentieth-century literature and film. Dr. Green is a recognized academic leader who is dedicated to building diverse, respectful, inclusive communities in higher education.Resources:Dr. Tara Green: website: http://www.drtaratgreen.comSee Me naked: https://bit.ly/3H1nldiLove, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson: https://bit.ly/3gWrVPtTwitter: @DrTTGreenInstagram: @tarat.greenLinkedin: Tara T. GreenWays to Support Armchair Historians:Leave a 5-star review: Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/armchair-historians/id1510128761Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/armchair-historians-1164491Listen, and Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcastsFollow us on Social MediaBecome a patron:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/armchairhistoriansBuy us a cup of coffee:Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/belgiumrabbitproductionsSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/armchairhistorians)

TIKTOK STAR ELLIOTT NORRIS SPEAKS ON DAVE CHAPPELLE | Divij's Den | Ep 30 Dave Chappelle's latest Netflix special may have attracted a barrage of criticism from the LGBTQ community, but there is another group that he has offended that no one mentions: The long list of iconic Black comics who affirmed gender nonconforming people or were members of the LGBTQ community themselves. Richard Pryor was bisexual and raised money for a gay rights organization. Moms Mabley,' who was the first Black female standup comic to go mainstream, was a lesbian. Cross-dressing Black men have created some of the enduring comic characters in Black comic history, from comedian's Flip Wilson's sassy "The Devil Made Me Do it" character of "Geraldine" to Tyler Perry's "Madea." Black comics have indeed peddled their fair share of harmful stereotypes about LGBTQ people. Eddie Murphy, for example, unleashed a blistering series of homophobic slurs in his early standup routines -- performances for which he's since apologized. But the stage has been one of those few places in the Black community where LGBTQ members had some measure of freedom to be themselves -- or to escape the cruelty they faced in the outside world. Chappelle has taken some of that space away. "There's a long tradition of trans and non-gender conforming performers in our history, from the Harlem Renaissance throughout our performing history,'' says Marlon M. Bailey, author of "Butch Queens Up in Pumps: Gender, Performance, and Ballroom Culture in Detroit." This is what gets lost in the controversy over Chappelle's comments in his latest standup film, "The Closer." Much of the attention has focused on the content of his jokes. Chappelle joked about trans women's genitalia and told a story about beating up a lesbian woman. And then there's the fallout. Netflix employees and supporters demonstrated Wednesday to protest the streaming company's reaction to complaints. GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization, also condemned Chappelle's comments in "The Closer." It's easy, though, to forget with all the focus on Chappelle that there were Black comedians who took big risks to affirm LGBTQ people, and to be honest about their own sexuality. There is a generation of moviegoers who only know him through the insipid Hollywood movies he starred in like "The Toy." But Pryor was a different performer on the comic standup stage: fearless, unpredictable, profane. And honest about his bisexuality. In 1977, Pryor headlined a gay rights fundraiser where he talked on stage about enjoying sex with a man. Pryor's bisexuality was well-known among his friends, though some who were close to him still deny that he was gay. Moms Mabley, another Black comic great, was so open about her sexual identity that she was known as "Mr. Moms" off the stage, some say. Other Black performers like entertainer and actress, Josephine Baker, who was dubbed a "radical bisexual performer and activist, and Ma Rainey, the blues singer dubbed the "Mother of the Blues," upended gender tropes. Rainey sang openly about lesbian relationships and cross-dressing in the early 20th century when homosexuality was seen as a form of mental illness. In her 1928 song, "Prove it on Me Blues," she sang: "I went out last night with a crowd of my friends, It must've been women, 'cause I don't like no men. Wear my clothes just like a fan, Talk to the gals just like any old man." From Geraldine' to RuPaul Chappelle may have problems with trans women, but Black audiences have traditionally embraced Black male comics who create gender bending characters in dresses. And so do many contemporary Black male comics. It's almost a rite of passage for a Black male comic to create a female persona or stage character. The entertainer and author Tyler Perry built his entertainment empire on the ample bosom of "Madea," the down-home, wise-cracking Black matriarch. RuPaul has a huge following.

Legendary Folk Funk Blues artist Bobby Rush talks 70 years of recorded music history. Growing up in the south. The chittlin' circuit. Personal stories with Muddy Waters, Moms Mabley, Redd Fox, Bo Diddley, and more legendary artists. Buy Bobby Rush's Book "I Aint Studdin' Ya" at the link below https://www.amazon.com/Aint-Studdin-Ya-American-Blues/dp/0306874806/ref=asc_df_0306874806/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475718263887&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16066728394992220619&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031012&hvtargid=pla-1186860481083&psc=1 Buy your T Shirts and merch at hotepish.com/apparel Instagram / Twitter @dwannb Cash App $DwannBrown Venmo mrbrown8199@gmail.com If you're looking to advertise on the show email me at incensenashtrays@gmail.com Buy your T Shirts, Hoodies, and more at hotepish.com/apparel Thank you for listening to IncenseNashtrays. Music for your soul --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

TK Kirkland is a 35-year veteran in the entertainment business. Kirkland is an actor, stand-up comedian, podcast host, and writer. He is known for New Jersey Drive, Strays, Black Bold and Beautiful Baller Blockin, Are There Any Questions? and starred in various other independent films. In 1991 he collaborated with HBO and starred in a special titled, “Mo' Funny” a History of Black Comedy in America, the reviews were astounding — comparing him to legendary comedians Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, and Moms Mabley. Kirkland was born in New Jersey but frequent the streets of Compton, California throughout his adolescent years. His first opportunity into stardom was working with rap legend Easy-E and NWA. Since then, Kirkland has shared the stage with a multitude of celebrities which include Jay-Z, Eminem, Madonna, 50-Cent, Keyshia Cole, Lil' Wayne, Kid Rock, Van Diesel, and others. As a notable entertainer, he began to immerse himself into opportunities that included more writing and producing shows which includes BET Comicview, Laffapolooza, and MAD Sports. Kirkland started a management company that lead to managing some of the biggest names in television like Jamie Foxx, DL Hughley, and Michael Epps. In this episode, T K Kirkland tells his story. The story google does not know.

Bla.Ze speaks with "The Bad Girl of Comedy" Allison Johnson about her new comedy album "Isolation Conversation", doing comedy during a pandemic, and her time as a 2nd grade teacher.Check out Allison's website :https://allisonjohnsonlive.com/IG @badgirlofcomedyFollow The Left Hand Perspective @thelefthandperspective                                                                              @occultcomic33Have any podcast topics you want to hear about on the show? Are you promoting a business? Send me an email @lefthandperspective1@gmail.comSupport the show (https://cash.app/$lefthandperspective)

Today it's just family for our Gayborhood Holiday Party! The podcast's own guardian angels, our Executive Producer Mia Chang Dreiling and Composer/Sound Engineer David Gonzalez (and even... is that Joanne?!), swing by for a little festive cheer and to reflect on what we've learned producing Sister Roger's Gayborhood so far in these wild 2020 days. Mia's feature producing work includes Struck By Lightning, Some Freaks, and Robin Williams' final film Boulevard, and David has scored music for everything from Working Man to Roger's current digital theater piece Breathe, so they bring tons of experience and warmth to the podcast every week. This is our last episode of 2020, but we can't wait to share new episodes and conversations with the Gayborhood in February 2021! Stay tuned, and until then follow Mia and David on Instagram at @miachanger and @dgonzalezmusic, and go learn everything you can about the figures highlighted by everyone in this week's Gayborhood Watch: comic powerhouses Margaret Cho, Bowen Yang, and Joel Kim Booster; composers Benjamin Britten, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, and maybe Tchaikovsky (spread the rumors!); rising star director Ellie Gravitte, actor Nathan Pham, and "Queers and Careers" podcast hosts William Keiser and Claire Thornton; pioneering comedienne Moms Mabley, novelist Kacen Callender, and playwright Yilong Liu.  And don't forget to follow @rogerq.mason and @lovell.holder on Instagram for all your Gayborhood updates.

Bla.Ze discusses the occult understanding of laughter, and how to use it in your spiritual work. Follow on Instagram @thelefthandperspective                                               @occultcomic33Send an email @lefthandperspective1@gmail.comCashApp $thelefthandperspective Support the show (https://cash.app/$lefthandperspective)

Writers Tayari Jones and DaMaris B. Hill talk with V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell in the second of two special episodes on the effects of mass incarceration on American communities and democracy. Jones, author of the New York Times bestseller An American Marriage, discusses the collateral effects of incarceration, the disproportionate financial burden on women, and allowing characters hope. Hill, a scholar and poet, talks about the link between poverty and incarceration, inspiration found in historical figures, Assata Shakur, and the need to acknowledge others' complex and multifaceted lives. Readings: • [An American Marriage](https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781616201340), Leaving Atlanta, The Untelling, and Silver Sparrow, by Tayari Jones • “[Who Pays?: The True Cost of Incarceration on Families,](https://forwardtogether.app.box.com/s/1vtvbd8pa8ubtpg7ne9ped14primxkaz)” by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Forward Together, and Research Action Design • Surviving Justice: America's Wrongfully Convicted and Exonerated, edited by Dave Eggers and Lola Vollen • Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond • The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander • [A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing](https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/a-bound-woman-is-a-dangerous-thing-9781635572629/) (forthcoming in 2019), Visible Textures, The Fluid Boundaries of Suffrage and Jim Crow: Staking Claims in the American Heartland, by DaMaris B. Hill • Colored Amazons, by Kali N. Gross • “[Stewing](http://www.splitthisrock.org/poetry-database/poem/stewing),” by DaMaris B. Hill • The comedy of Moms Mabley, Richard Pryor, and Redd Foxx • “This Granny Is a Gangster,” by DaMaris B. Hill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices