Playing POTUS: The Power of America's 'Acting Presidents' - Couverture souple

Funt, Peter

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 173762673X ISBN 13 : 9781737626732

Editeur : Candid Camera, Inc., 2023

Synopsis

THE INTERSECTION OF COMEDY AND PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS

Playing POTUS connects the dots between those in power and those speaking schtick to power. Peter Funt’s latest book looks at a unique group of comedians and the challenges they have faced as impersonators of U.S. presidents, from Kennedy to Biden.

It’s a fun read and a well-researched study of an entertainment phenomenon that has had an outsized impact on real-life politics. Americans at times seem more familiar with the screen versions of chief executives than the politicians themselves.

Over 50 interviews provide insights from noted performers such as Dana Carvey, Darrell Hammond, Jay Pharoah, Rich Little, Al Franken, Harry Shearer and other presidential mimics, along with comedy writers and producers. The book’s rare archival photos reveal how some presidents cultivated private relationships with performers who impersonated them.

Beginning with Vaughn Meader’s hit record album “The First Family” in 1962, the genre has dramatically evolved through a dozen administrations — from a loving tease of JFK, whose Boston accent Meader mocked with references to the president’s bathtub rub-buh swan, to no-holds-barred Trump impersonations by Alec Baldwin on “Saturday Night Live.” With Joe Biden, impersonators have been challenged by a divided nation with a fragile sense of humor.

Upon the release of Meader’s ground-breaking album, the renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead observed, “This making fun of people in authority is very healthy. It is the difference between democracy and tyranny.”

Playing POTUS illuminates that enduring truth.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Peter Funt's passions are journalism, television and making people smile. His opinion columns appear regularly in major newspapers. Since taking over for his dad, Allen Funt, Peter has produced and hosted over 250 episodes of the landmark TV series "Candid Camera."His adventures in media are recounted in the 2021 book "Self-Amused: A Tell-Some Memoir." Friend and colleague, TV actress Mayim Bialik, has described it as "insightful, hilarious and just plain fun." Peter first wrote about actors portraying U.S. presidents in a 2008 Washington Post article about the fictional character Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smits on "The West Wing." During the 2020 campaign he wrote in USA Today about a controversy caused by Jim Carrey's impersonation of Joe Biden on "Saturday Night Live." In 2023 he described in a Wall Street Journal essay how comics and impressionists were struggling with Biden portrayals. New research has led to this book and its wealth of fascinating tales.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Candid Camera, Inc.
• Date d'édition: 2023
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 173762673X
• ISBN 13: 9781737626732
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 254
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Manufactured by Amazon on behalf of the author; https://www.amazon.fr/hz/contact-us; ; c/o Amazon Media EU S.à.r.l., 38 Avenue John F. Kennedy; Luxembourg; L-1855; Luxembourg