Revel with a Cause: Liberal Satire in Postwar America

by Stephen E. Kercher

We live in a time much like the postwar era. A time of arch political conservatism and vast social conformity. A time in which our nation’s leaders question and challenge the patriotism of those who oppose their policies. But before there was Jon Stewart, Al Franken, or Bill Maher, there were Mort Sahl, Stan Freberg, and Lenny Bruce—liberal satirists who, through their wry and scabrous comedic routines, waged war against the political ironies, contradictions, and hypocrisies of their times.

Revel with a Cause is their story. Stephen Kercher here provides the first comprehensive look at the satiric humor that flourished in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. Focusing on an impressive range of comedy—not just standup comedians of the day but also satirical publications like MAD magazine, improvisational theater groups such as Second City, the motion picture Dr. Strangelove , and TV shows like That Was the Week That Was —Kercher reminds us that the postwar era saw varieties of comic expression that were more challenging and nonconformist than we commonly remember. His history of these comedic luminaries shows that for a sizeable audience of educated, middle-class Americans who shared such liberal views, the period’s satire was a crucial mode of cultural dissent. For such individuals, satire was a vehicle through which concerns over the suppression of civil liberties, Cold War foreign policies, blind social conformity, and our heated racial crisis could be productively addressed. 

A vibrant and probing look at some of the most influential comedy of mid-twentieth-century America, Revel with a Cause belongs on the short list of essential books for anyone interested in the relationship between American politics and popular culture.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Ebooks

588 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2006

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, being on the scholarly side of history rather than the popular side, took me a little time to get into. But within a couple of chapters, it picked up, or I adjusted. This is a look at political satire during the first twenty years of the Cold War, approximately 1945 to 1965. Kercher covers all forms: editorial cartoons, radio, television, music, comedians and groups like Second Space (did you know that they have been around since 1959?). Of course, not all the stories have a happy ending. the anti-communist witch hunts of the House, Senate and the FBI saw to that. But it is a really interesting look at humor during a time when many felt there wasn't a lot to laugh at.

[Ty · Rating 5 out of 5]

They don't make them like Lenny Bruce anymore and with good reason. Bruce's audience were incredibly well read and knowledgeable about the situations Bruce joked about. Now? While Jon Stewart is as sharp and witty as his predecessors, his audience isn't. Same goes for Colbert. Bruce, Stewart, Colbert are comedians, not reporters and its to the audience to educate themselves and not wait to be educated at a comedy club.

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well researched, but too academic a read for me.

[Milt · Rating 2 out of 5]

extended mini read, free UofCpress