Furiously Funny: Comic Rage from Ralph Ellison to Chris Rock

303 Pages·2018·1.47 MB·English

by  Terrence T. Tucker

Furiously Funny
University Press of Florida
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers
Florida International University, Miami
Florida State University, Tallahassee
New College of Florida, Sarasota
University of Central Florida, Orlando
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of North Florida, Jacksonville
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of West Florida, Pensacola


Furiously Funny
Comic Rage from Ralph Ellison to Chris Rock
Terrence T. Tucker
University Press of Florida
Gainesville · Tallahassee · Tampa · Boca Raton
Pensacola · Orlando · Miami · Jacksonville · Ft. Myers · Sarasota
Copyright 2018 by Terrence T. Tucker
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
This book may be available in an electronic edition.
23 22 21 20 19 18 6 5 4 3 2 1
A record of cataloging-in-publication data is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-8130-5436-0
The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for the State University
System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida
Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University, New College
of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida,
University of South Florida, and University of West Florida.
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
http://upress.ufl.edu
To my wonderful wife, Mary,
who makes every day worth it

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: A Joke to the Eye 1
1. (Re)Viewing Ellison’s Invisible Man: Comedy, Rage, and Cultural
Tradition in an African American Classic 24
2. Dick Gregory, Moms Mabley, and Redd Foxx: Bridging the Gap
between Comedy, Rage, and Race 69
3. From Absence to Flight: The Appearance of Comic Rage in the Black
Arts and Black Power Movements, 1966–1976 113
4. Fury in the “Promised Land”: Comic Rage in George C. Wolfe’s The
Colored Museum and Paul Beatty’s The White Boy Shuffle 154
5. Hollywood Shuffle and Bamboozled: Comic Rage, Black Film, and
Popular Culture at the End of the Century 197
6. Direct from a Never Scared Bicentennial Nigger: Comic Rage in the
Work of Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, and Chris Rock 228
Conclusion: On Being Pissed Off to the Highest Degree
of Pissivity 252
Notes 257
Bibliography 267
Index 279

Acknowledgments
You would think that an acknowledgments page in a book about humor
and rage would be funny or “deep.” I thought about listing everyone
from my pre-K teachers to the customers at a gas station where I used to
work. No go. But it would have been worth it. Instead, all I have to give is
thanks. This project owes a great debt to a number of significant people.
First, the confidence of Professors Gordon Hutner and Yolanda Pierce
made both the conception and the execution possible. Not only have
their comments proved invaluable, but their concern for my work and
life beyond this book has provided vital perspective. Critical input has
also come from the brilliant Dale Bauer, the prolific Tracy Campbell, and
the unflappable Andrew Kimbrough. One of these days I’ll be as funny
and charismatic and giving as you all have been. I thank the members
of my writing group, who selflessly took the time to read and respond to
numerous drafts. Both Rachel Simon and Matthew D. Towles, the prides
of their respective Illinois and Virginia, have been excellent colleagues
and better friends, especially when we’re arguing about the Civil War.
At the University Press of Florida I particularly want to thank Amy
Gorelick for getting the process started and encouraging changes that ex-
panded the scope of the book. Thanks to my “neighbor” Sian Hunter for
taking the baton and carrying it to the finish line with tenacity. Thanks
to Marthe Walters and Ann Marlowe for being patient and thoughtful
shepherds.
Finally, my family has been an incredible source of strength and in-
spiration. My mother, whose love of English is part of the Ford/Price
family’s commitment to education as a practice of freedom, has been the