(Un)Leashing Laughter: Gender, Power and Humor

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(Un)Leashing Laughter Gender, Power and Humor

• Joe Berk, Bill OBrien, and Brandon Bryn

Edited By Dr. Kay Picart, Kristen Millen, and
Donna Gallagher
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Outline

• We will discuss the following
• Abbott and Costello history and characters in
  film (15 min)
• Feminine Shadows Sandra and Joan in the film
  (15 min)
• Power Struggles the controlling relationships
  in the film (15 min)

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Abbott and Costello

• One of the greatest comedy teams in show business
  to date, Abbott and Costello mastered the
  straightman/clown relationship.
• Performed from burlesque stage to radio,
  Broadway, and film

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Bud Abbott

• Abbott traditionally played the role of the
  rather unlikable straightman
• He was the brains of the operation, ordering
  Costello to perform the hazardous tasks in his
  schemes to turn a profit

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Lou Costello

• Costello was one of the most beloved characters
  to movie audiences during the 1940s
• He played the mischievous child, disobedient but
  never malicious

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• Which scene of the movie establishes the power
  hierarchy between Chick (Abbott) and Wilbur
  (Costello)?
• Who is shown to be the more dominant figure of
  the two?

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The Ladies

• Who is using Wilbur to eventually remove his
  pliable brain to transplant into Frankensteins
  monster?
• Who is established as the female Frankenstein?

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• Who is the central villain of the film?
• What is the primary power he displays?