So, when watching Vera from Harlem Nights 
My father has always been the family jokester. He's the one who introduced me to classic Black comedians like: Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, and Moms Mabley. He explained that before there was Foxx and Pryor, there was Moms Mabley. A Black woman who didn't reach her fame until her 60's and 70's. When I saw pictures of her, I thought she looked like a grandma with no teeth. When I heard her, I thought, "oh my! she's a little old to be sayin that - ain't she?!" My Dad laughed saying nothing. Mabley was known as the 'original Queen of comedy.'
or Tiffany Haddish from Girls' Trip,
I see another perspective of Black female comedy because of Moms Mabley. As such, I'd like you to listen to about 10-15 minutes of her (the link is below), and compare her to what we've read and viewed this unit. Then, please share your thoughts below while remembering the Blog rubric found on the syllabus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=625pAnzD3JQ
Due: Fri., 11/9/18 by the beginning of class.
Liane Freshwater
ReplyDeleteENGL 318
November 4, 2018
In my growing up I have heard of Moms Mabley and had a chance to have listened to some of her records. In the time that she was doing her comedy act she didn't have the hard competition that they do now. She was a one of a kind and was not trying to conform to anyone's standard. In this unit we have seen how if you want to get somewhere in the genre of comedy as an African American woman there is a box that you must fit in to get along. Della Reese continued to make a name for herself out of the realm of comedy and that allowed her to branch out past the stereotype roles. Unfortunately I hope that Tiffany Haddish doesn't succumb to what this industry will do to you if you play on role well.They will place you in that role just because that is the box they want to place you in and you never have the chance to stretch yourself. Self image, the use of your body and the sexual undertones are what this society deems the best way to get ahead in this business now. I believe that Moms Mabley was the vision of you can be good and still be you and it will work. It may not be when you expect it to, but it will eventually work.
Dawnoven Smith
ReplyDeleteENGL 318
November 5, 2018
This is my first time hearing Moms Mabley, I really enjoyed her record and have a clear understanding on why some consider her as the "original queen of comedy". I see the parallels in how modern day female comedians and Moms Mabley use story telling to get laughs. However I didn't see so much of the sexual aspect of her bit in this record and she was her own brand, I feel like she spoke her mind and it was straightforward. I feel like modern day female comedians have been put into a box if they want to be successful and become mainstream. I don't think that our current female comedians need to be over sexualized to be funny but I also dont think it should be cut completely because it is apart of the human experience and should have a place in comedy. In saying that I see how society takes our black female comedians and uses them as a steryotypical black women in almost every film to show them in a certain light. Overall I feel like if your just funny regardless you will reach your goals if you can get laughs no matter what the content is.
Imani Upsher
ReplyDeleteENGL318
November 5, 2018
My first impression of Moms Mabley, the “original queen of comedy” was a good one as she was an indeed a story teller. She reminded me of an older lady that had no filter, and she certainly made me laugh. She made her audience laugh with her personal experiences that she had been through throughout her lifetime. She talked about her appearance, her husband, and even sung her words into a story. The way Moms Mabley sung her words while narrativizing, reminded me of someone telling a story through an animated movie such as the Jungle Book. Also, the things that she said were true and accurate to the culture that we carry on today. Moms Mabley kept it real and expressed herself in every aspect of comedy and didn’t have to live up to the stereotypes that current black female comedians live in today. In comparison to Moms Mabley, Tiffany Haddish also doesn’t have a filter. I feel as though that’s how you have to be to make people laugh. Tiffany Haddish is a story teller and she goes off the edge with her comedy. She sexualizes a lot of her comedy, but that just makes her funny. Not saying that as being a black female comedic, she certainly has to be sexual or use her body to be funny. But if men can do it, then why can’t females do the same in comedy? This is where commonly used stereotypes come into play when it comes to black female comedy especially in films. In “Girls Trip”, tiffany Haddish was portrayed as the loyal, wild friend of her group of friends who didn’t mind throwing a punch or two from time to time. She made her audience laugh with her outgoing personality and creativity. Personally, I feel as though Tiffany Haddish is a great female comedian, and she has a lot of talent stored within her. When I saw Girls Trip in the theaters for the first time, I was crying as tear were rolling down my face from how funny Tiffany Haddish was and from some of the things that she did. In the movie when Ryan (the author) kept saying to herself, “I am strong, I am black, I am beautiful”, I felt as though that was a reminder to all black females that they are indeed strong, black and beautiful and anything that will come their way they will overcome it no matter what profession they are in.
https://youtu.be/qMYX0o7kYhI
DeleteGiven my lack of African-American cultural background, I have never heard of Moms Mabley before. However, it did not stop me from doing some research on Moms Mabley as I did find two of the greatest movies I watched in the class both inspiring and enlightening, and I was personally thrilled to learn more about the queen of comedy. It turns out that Moms Mabley was known on stage as Jackie "Moms" Mabley, and she was ahead of her time in several ways. During the period in which women were unfairly treated and given less importance, not only did she have what it took to speak her mind, but she also had a keen sense of humor while making sure her message get across to the audience. I am confident that she inspired generations of female comedians to come. While Moms Mabley was unique in her own approach to comedy, female comedians of today are a different story. In my opinion, female comedians today are confined to a set of stereotypes imposed by the society. It seems that without conforming to set standards, women comedians would not be able to become as popular as they are now. In other words, the idea of objectifying women is in action in which female bodies are to be consumed by the audience—males specifically. Nevertheless, watching Girls' trip and Harlem Nights gave me a brand-new outlook. Girls’ trip was exemplary in a way that women involved in the movie are unique in their own ways. In Girls’ trip, despite their different point of view at times, the actresses always seemed to have a team spirit to work as one. They were able to move beyond the black female sexual stereotypes effective without compromising their feminine qualities, such as caring for one another in time of trouble. Having seen Tiffany Haddish in this movie and Night School with Kevin Hart, I was amazed by how talented and capable she is in her own identity. I personally do not see a point why female comedians should be treated differently for being who they are, and their profession as comedians should be respected at all time although doing it might come into conflict with our rigid cultural norms.
ReplyDeleteJada Saxon
ReplyDeleteEng 318
5 Nov 2018
Moms Mabley's comedy bit was extremely interesting to watch not only because I am not as familiar with many female comedians but because I was able to draw some parallels between her style and content with that of more modern artists. I was initially pleased to see that within the skits I listened to, she did not include any sexual content that Carroll expressed was so crucial to female stand up in the reading we discussed. Comedians like Monique and Tiffany Haddish include tons of sexually explicit content in their stand up routine so it was interesting to see that Carroll's analysis seemed to only hold validity when compared to more modern acts. The most striking difference I noticed was the portion of her act that included a singing bit about her older husband. This element was not something that I have ever seen another female comedian do but the content was similar to common themes present in modern material. Moms Mabley sings about how she is in partnership with a much older man and even remarks that he is 89 while she is 14. Jokes are made about how he is near death and body and mind does not function to its full capacity and this reminded me about how more modern performers make similar jokes about what they refer to as a "Sugar Daddy". I have included the link to it below for comparison but it is important to note that Sommore's version of taking on this theme is much more sexual than Moms Mabley.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2rfdg9
Brenda Caldwell
ReplyDeleteENGL 318
6 November 2018
Upon watching the clip of Moms Mabley and viewing the pictures that were shown throughout the clip I shared your sentiments that she seemed a bit old to be talking like that. I noticed that Mabley's act was indeed anchored in her experience, just like Carol Allen said in Shaking That Thing. Her clip sounded a lot like the "in house" shows that Allen mentioned in the article. Mabley's use of "colored boy" during her bit was indicative of the times that she grew up in as well as the times that she was still living in. Because I couldn't see her performing her act, I was unable to determine whether or not Moms Mabley used the physical tactics that were mentioned in Shaking That Thing. While Moms Mabley touched on the topics that Allen said were typical of Black female comedians- men, children, and their experiences- I think it's important to note that she wasn't sexual in her tone at all. I was able to draw a parallel between Vera from Harlem Nights and Moms Mabley in their distinct voices and laughs, as well as their bluntness. I struggled to see similarities between Moms Mabley and Tiffany Haddish because Mabley wasn't overly sexual in her act. Below I have attached a clip of Monique doing a stand up routine that was similar to Moms Mabley in that she was speaking on things that she had experienced, but different because Monique was much more vulgar in her language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUsPnQj9HXQ
I had never heard of Moms Mabley until this class. She cracked me up in the first five seconds of the video. Her humor was really goofy. I instantly connected to her and how relatable she was. Moms Mabley was clean compared to the modern day comedians like Haddish who seems to rely on sex and being crude. Contemporary comedians like Monique, Haddish and movie characters like Della Reese continue to pave the way for young comedians, particularly Black comedians. Mabley was a storyteller and used songs to spread her message, where the newer female comedians are also storytellers, but have to rely more on sexual content and more direct comedy. Luenelle is a good example of nasty funny. bell Hooks in “Selling Hot Pussy” and Jefferies write about the representations of black women and how they were often sexualized. Black female comedians often rely on using sexual content, which perpetuates these stereotypes. I prefer Moms Mabley's style better, but respect all of women of comedy. Mabley is loveable and someone that everyone can relate to. Comedy has been a stepping stone for people like Reese and Haddish in a world that has been dominated by men.
ReplyDeleteTalik Lassiter
ReplyDeleteEnglish 318
11/7/18
This is my first time hearing about Moms Mabley and I am very interested in her stand up comedy. When I was hearing the youtube video of her doing stand up comedy and kind of gave me idea of how female comedians are today and that Moms Mabley really pave the way for women over the decades. A comparison that I can give Moms Mabley from a female comedian today is Tiffany Haddish because both of these beautiful women have there own style when it comes to comedy. Moms Mabley is a women who talks about men in a sexual way but it seems like she does it with respect and to me that's pretty cool and nice. Tiffany Haddish express herself in movies with sexual humor like in Girls Trip, Night school and Nobody's fool. If Tiffany Haddish is in a movie she going to be most talk about because people just know she is mainly there sex humor. Moms Mabley is a women who had fun doing comedy even though times was rough back then because the male comedians were the main stream back then and Moms Mabley basically the pioneer of women comedy and women are just not sex objects to men.
Aleciyah Johnson
ReplyDeleteEnglish 318
11/7/18
I never knew about moms mabley but I did some research and found out that she is a stand up comedian who has been doing it for quit some time. Many african american women who are in the comedy industry learn many different ways to capture the audience attention, whether it is making theirselves look bad or making others as I never seen girls trip until the day we started watching it in class and as we watched it I noticed how Tiffany Haddish was forcing comedy, although she was funny she implemented on being funnier than normal. Although sex is very open in the industry of entertainment, movies like Girl Trip and others women have to in a sense sexualize themselves to make it seem more interesting to the viewer watching. I honestly like all women who are in the comedy industry as they are doing what is best for them, & also to bring more entertainment to our lives.
Benjamin Clement
ReplyDeleteEnglish 318
11/8/2018
Before listening to Jackie "moms" Mabley for this course I had never heard her before. When I heard her, although this is my first time, I could tell that the censoring was much heavier back then. There were a few jokes that I had to fill in the blank as to what she was referring to. For example when she was talking about school rhyme she said, "Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pale of water... water doesn't run up hill." At first I was confused, if they didn't go up hill for water what did they go for. Then after filling in the blank I understood why it was funny. Female comedy, and comedy in general today, is much more in your face and up front about what they are talking about. Last week I had the opportunity to see Jess Hilarious at a comedy show and recognized immediately how far female comedians have come as compared to earlier censorship. Jess Hilarious has a similar form of comedy although she is more upfront, probably because she can be, with her punchlines. When discussing Moms in comparison to Vera from Harlem Nights and Tiffany Haddish from Girls Trip I feel that we have to look at each as a progression of what was acceptable for each in their time. Moms was a comedian, an African American Female comedian, during a time when women were expected not to comment on sexual topics. She spoke about these topics in a respectful way and was expected to do so. Vera, though more outspoken and demanding of respect, was still in a time when women were just getting the chance to demand the kind of respect they deserve and gaining the ability to speak on their sexuality . Tiffany Haddish, in modern time, was able to speak about almost any topic without needing to restrain herself as much as Vera or Moms and was able to speak about sex in an almost casual context. Although I know that female comedians are still censored I can see through this progression that comedy is becoming more accepting and I look forward to what comedy will look like in the future. Below I pasted a youtube video link for reference on Jess Hilarious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP_pUF2vMDA
This was my first time hearing moms mabley. She reminded me of someones grandma who enjoys telling stories and has no filter! Overall she seemed like a very feisty old lady. Her comedy was very funny and it came off extremely natural it didn't seem as if she was " trying " to be funny. I didn't really find her to be sexual like Vera or Tiffany. I noticed in girls trip in almost every scene Tiffany was either saying or doing something sexual. Within the first five minutes of the movie Tiffany was already deemed as the " sexual " one because she was getting tested for STD's. Also, moms mabley wasn't as vulgar as Vera or Tiffany and she was still able to keep my attention. I think what also made moms jokes even funnier is her voice, it was very deep and raspy and that wasn't the type of voice I was expecting to come from an old lady. Just like in Girls Trip Tiffany would change her voice sometimes to make what she was saying even funnier. Overall I think black female comedians have been placed in a box to only talk about sex in order to keep an audience. Moms mabley is a prime example that black female comedians can expand their range and talk about other things that are funny to keep an audiences attention. It may take a while but if you're genuinely funny then you'll be able to keep an audience and get the attention you deserve.
ReplyDeleteKelisha Trice
ReplyDeleteEnglish 318
11/08/18
I had not heard of Moms Mabley before this video. Listening to this video, I can tell that the jokes were a lot different back then because you had to fill in a lot of blanks due to the censorship. Mabley had a certain appeal about her that made her unique, but today, I feel like a certain appeal does not fit with the standards. If you are a female comedian, you kind of have to fit the standards. You are in a box that is very hard to get out of. You can see this with Tiffany Haddish because after Girls Trip came out and made her really famous, she has been acting in similar roles (jezebel, "ratchet", etc.) I can see the progression in comedy for Black women because Tiffany Haddish is completely different from Moms Mabley. You can also see it in the movies we watched in class. Vera from Harlem Nights was a supporting actress and the jokes she made was not as vulgar as jokes made in Girls Trip by the main actresses. Overall, comedy has gained more standards for Black women, but it also has progressed and allowed some censorship to leave.
I had never heard of Moms Mabley before this discussion. After listening to her, I agree with you when you spoke about her appearance. She definitely looks like a grandma with no teeth (ha). Although I couldn't really understand her due to her voice and probably the editing, I can still somehow come to the conclusion that her comedic ways are just like every other female comedian and even male comedian. Since she was the "Original Queen of comedy" I can see how she might have influenced out female comedians or even comedians in general. As discussed in the article "Mentoring and Mothering Black Femininity" black girls and women have been sexualized all across the media. As in Moms Mabley's comedic performance, she spoke in a sexual manner and in my opinion EVERY black female comedian speaks and jokes about sex. Not only do they joke about sex they also use their image as a joke also (female comedians are not the only ones who do this). From Monique making jokes about her weight and other women's weight Tiffany Haddish taking on the "ratchet/stereotypical ghetto girl" persona. As stated in the "Mentoring and Mothering" article, due to how the media perceives black women shapes the way the world looks at us as well. Even in girls trip, Jada's character was seen to be "boring" because she didn't want to act the way everyone else was acting. The movie gave off the perception as if you won't have fun if you don't act like a "freak" or be sexual. Also, the way you look will give a stereotypical view on how you should or may act. For instance, with Vera from Harlem Nights, she was bigger and had a deeper voice. They used her image to shape her character, in which her character was bold, fearless and not really feminine. Unfortunately, the media shapes our little girl's minds to think and act in these sorts of ways.
ReplyDeleteI posted a link to one of Monique's performances. It's funny, but then again it's not funny when you actually understand the body shaming that she made towards other women.
https://youtu.be/7Uof4oG0tRQ
Blog from: Robben Hughes-Bennett :)
DeleteAngel Cox
ReplyDeleteENGL 318-02
Recognized as the "original queen of comedy," Moms Mabley, told subjective jokes. Carol Allen described the essence of Mabley's set in her study, "'Shaking That Thing' and All Its Wonders: African American Female Comedy," when she specified how African American women anchor their jokes to their experiences. In the selection provided Mabley centered her jokes around her family, friends, and political events. Unlike the majority of prevalent African American female comediennes, Mabley does not make sexual jokes. Today comediennes such as Tiffany Haddish and Sommore have created their images based on their sexualized sets (linked below). "Sex sells" is a motto that African American women have encountered when trying to become famous in today's society. Bell Hooks explains in "Selling Hot Pussy: Representations of Black Female Sexuality in the Cultural Marketplace," how African American women have become the image of sexuality.
However, Mabley created the path for African American female comediennes that followed. Mabley crossed the imaginary boundary of her time period mentioning the things women were not supposed to say. She brought female comediennes out of the fostered communities and created platforms for them on the mainstream. Shows such as Living Single, Girlfriends, and Insecure, would not have been possible without Mabley.
Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXMkNlMSdd8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYaVZKj9-04
When comparing the African American women. I noticed that Vera and Tiffany Haddish both have strong personality/character traits. For example both Vera and Tiffany are viewed as booming independent women that doesn’t take shit from anybody. In the Movie, The Harlem Nights, Vera fights Quick because he insults her work ethic. Even though Vera is female; that does not stop her. I love this scene because even though she is a woman, the whole fight is a fair match. Do to her large statue in height and her fearless nature. Vera has more power essentially over Quick. During the fight Quick gets the first hit hardly knocking Vera. However it is Vera that gets the second lick. Causing Quick to instantly fall to the ground. In The Girls Trip, Tiffany Haddish is viewed as the blunt friend who loves to have fun and is down for any and everything. Her comedic role portrays her as a Jezebel. This can be compared to the reading, Shaking that Thang, by Carol Allen. Allen discusses how African American women are viewed as sexual deviants. Always being known as that character that plays “ those types of roles”. When watching the clip of Moms Mabley, I was instantly entertained. She is a very funny lady. Her voice and storytelling is captivating. She is a beautiful woman. When comparing her to Vera and Tiffany Haddish I do not see any similarities; even though all of these women exhibit a sort of comedic role. They are all different in their own way. Moms Mabley opens up her genre with a bunch of jokes. Her ability to lower and raise her voice makes it so intriguing. Making you want to listen more. This unit taught me a lot about the hidden image about African American women.
ReplyDeleteChris Whittaker
ReplyDelete11/8/18/
ENGL 318
After listening to Mom Mabley's standup, I noticed that her bold, carefree demeanor reminded me a bit of the black female comedians that we know today. She told stories throughout her show which was reminiscent of the older black woman in the family (grandmother/older aunt) telling jokes to everybody. She didn't sexualize her material nor try to fit into the stereotypes that are projected onto Black female comedians. As of today, it's a bit different since the famous black comedians all have incorporated sexual material in their shows which caters to the male audience, gaining more attention.
Kenedi Williams
ReplyDeleteDr. Hope Jackson
African American Film and Culture
9 November 2018
Prior to the youtube clip I had never even heard of Moms Mabley but now knowing of her references to her appearance made by other actors and comedians make sense now. It is funny because Moms Mabley’s trait of having no filter is way too common on my mother’s side of the family. Moms Mabley is definitely someone’s grandma with no teeth but her sense of humor and language for her age is what makes her deserving of the title the “original Queen of comedy”. Observing females who got their start to life as an entertainer through profiting off of something other than their bodies being the focal point of their art, deserve ample amount of respect. Josephine Baker was essentially the first person who got attention for emphasizing certain body parts that African-American women have and white people find mysterious/entertaining. Since then it has become normal for other female artists to gain popularity and fame using the same tactic Josephine Baker used in the late 1920’s early 1930’s. Some artists even comment on the inability to get an audience to focus on the fact that they are a female artist that is not using body features assisting their career. Comedians like Moms Mabley and artists like H.E.R. for a more recent comparison build their platform with nothing but their own talents because they are not revealing their body which distracts people from paying attention to the real talent. Prior to this unit I never took notice of Beyonce’s consistent theme throughout her career of having herself revealed in some way in almost every performance. Or even Tiffany Haddish consistent theme of incorporating direct and indirect references to sex in almost everything she does. Links are provided below to observe that in their performances. Now I not only notice it and can recognize it as a issue similarily to Bell Hooks in “Selling Hot Pussy”,I have a more respect for artists that do the same thing Beyonce and Tiffany Haddish does without performing in revealing outfits and saying/doing sexually explicit things, that are worn and said for the purpose of attracting more attention.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh7g_j5otf0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ8XXuvkzzc
Miesha Glenn
ReplyDeleteNovember 9th, 2018
ENG 318
Dr. Jackson
Personally I’ve never heard of Mom Mabley before this class. I’m not much of a comedy show person so this topic in class was very knowledgeable to me. While watching the video clip of Mom Mabley I really enjoyed it. At first I didn’t think I would simply because she was an older woman and wasn’t sure what she was going to be talking about. As I continued to listen to it, I started to realize how she turned her stories into jokes. I can tell that she’s a great storyteller because it all came naturally. I also felt as though she really wasn’t trying to be funny, it was just her way of telling a story, but it made people laugh. Compared to the things we’ve read in this class Mom Mabley didn’t use her sexuality or even used sex period to come off ass being funny. As on the other hand, Tiffany Haddish uses her sexuality to tell her jokes. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that, but I just like how Mom Mabley just told stories that weren’t sexual but was just as funny as most people believe Tiffany Haddish is. Tiffany also uses real life stories and makes jokes out of them, even bad stories. For example, my first time hearing one of her stand up comedies she talked about how she was homeless, but that didn’t stop her. She turned that into something positive to make it funny to her fans. I also loved the way that Mom Mabley turned her jokes into a song. It was a great way to catch my attention and I’m sure it did the same for others.
From the link provided, the content of Moms Mabley’s jokes don’t fall too far away from what women usually include within their comedic bits. It’s slmost as if it’s formulaic. With Mabley being seen as the original queen of comedy, from my perspective it only makes sense. I haven’t seen too many female comedians, but the ones I have seen include, Monique, Sommore, Wanda Sykes, and the new front runner, Tiffany Haddish. All of these women within their bits provide somewhat of the same content. All of their jokes are composed with irony, satire, and exaggeration. One thing that instantly stood out to me from listening to Mabley was that one of her main bits covered her relationship with an older man. Moving forward with more contemporary female comedians, their bits also include stories of sex or relationships. I look at it like this, for black women to be successful within this realm of comedy, it’s almost as if they have to promote the same brand of comedy—that’s not such a bad thing. What’s special about it, is that each of these women do it in their own special way. There’s no need to re-invent the wheel here, only room for innovation.
ReplyDeleteBria Clark
ReplyDeleteENGL 318
11/8/18
Prior to this video, I've never heard Moms Mabley. My favorite about her was that she definitely lives up to her name of being the queen of comedy. She definitely has a unique style, her ability and talent to reel the audience in a make them and them feel like a part of the show, I thought was genius. Her stage presence is very known. She definitely influenced a lot of woman comedians. This generation of comedians is very open about sexual content in their shows. I feel as though Moms Mabley was as well but it was in a different way, it wasn't as explicit as it is now. I think the group of women comedians today are blunter and they definitely have no filter. I'm guessing it's the time that we live in. I definitely see the comparison between Moms Mabley and comedians today like Tiffany Haddish. Tiffany Haddish shines through her performance, she's extremely talented, we know that, but I still don't understand why as black women sex is the main thing that is being said. I think black women who have platforms like Tiffany should dwell on something other than sex in their performance. I'm not saying that you shouldn't speak about sex at all, but it would be nice to switch it up. Black women in general, are already accused of being loud, mean, angry all the time. All of the stereotypical things that are labeled on black women, I feel as though African American women comedians can't afford to feed into the negative things that are said about them. So, for the African American Women who are comedians, although the shows and movies are hilarious i think if they become aware of the labels that are upon them, it will give them a different perspective of comedy in general.
Listening to Moms Mabley “I Got Something to Tell You”, I really enjoyed the rawness she shares with other comedians such as Della Reese who was casted in the legendary role of Vera in “Harlem Nights”. Serving jokes with a tender care, yet stern sting with it; letting you know that the jokes are from a direct place. They both have the persona of a “Big Mama”, the one who holds it all together making the world go round. Vera’s comedy was more so physical with all the smacking, punching and yelling. Whereas, Moms Mabely is an in your face type of comedian with a conversation containing nothing but jokes. She coughed and laughed out jokes that are relatable to what was happening in real life, comedy reflecting the historical backdrop. I personally like the physical comedy seeing, hearing, and catching the reaction is what makes a good joke for me. It is all about the detail and how one paints the picture. A prime example of that would be the scene from “Harlem Nights” when they were concocting a plan to robe Bugsy Calhoune and skip town with what they had gotten. Vera was asked to put her best girl on the job to make the plan go through smoothly. When she is asked this is what she says,” I've got a girl who's pussy is so good, if you threw it up in the air it would turn into sunshine.” A line that shook me and stop with my from the first time I got to watch this movie at eight years old, laughing to keep from crying.
ReplyDeleteLink to sunshine scene: https://youtu.be/fqG75UhN6yo
Aaliah Bogin
ReplyDeleteEng 318
5 Nov 2018
During this unit, we analyzed “Shaking that thing,” by Carol Allen that spoke to Black female comedy. We also examined black female comedians in films, such as Tiffany Haddish in Girls Trip, and Vera from Harlem Nights. Moms Mabley, a staple name in comedy, shares several things in common with contemporary black female comedians, and while her unique comedic style aliens in many ways with what Allen unpacked in “Shaking that thing,” she differs in more ways than one. Like Vera, Moms Mabley does not utilize sex as apart of her comedic routine. The lack of sex in their routine may be attributed to how society views women older than a certain age. Both Moms Mabley and Vera are seen “sex-less,” while sex is an integral aspect of Tiffany Haddish’ routine. According to the reading, black female comedians use physical movements to influence an audience, such as “swaying hips, extended arms, and pronounced gesturing.” (Allen, 2005, p.99) Moms Mabley’s comedy show, I got somethin’ to tell you, was recorded without any visual. However, she asked for a chair to sit, rather than standing. I can not say for certain that Moms Mabley did not utilize any physical comedy. However, I am confident she performed the majority of her show sitting, and the audience laughed through it all. The reading also stated “African American female comedy tends to be critical and deconstructive, recoding both white supremacist and masculinist ideologies,” (Allen, 2005 p.99) and in this regard, the reading was correct. Tiffany Haddish, Vera, and Moms Mobley all openly spoke up against men who wronged them, or their loved ones. In Girls Trip, Tiffany Haddish broke a bottle and held it to the neck of the man who cheated on her best friend, and promised to “end him.” In Harlem Nights, Vera got into a fist fight with Quick, a man who accused her of stealing, and did not blink when he threatened to shoot her in the foot; she welcomed it. Moms Mobley spoke out against her husband who passed by saying “I was fourteen, and he was eighty-nine, and it didn't mean a thing. Nothing was on his mind because his mind stopped working.” She jokingly stated that she had even tried to poison him. All of these revolutionary women spoke up against men, in a male-dominated industry, and in a male-dominated society that silences women.
Works Cited
Allen, Carol. "Shaking That Thing." American Humor Studies Association, 2005,
pp. 97-120.
Clarke Osborne
ReplyDeleteEng 318
Nov 9th
In all of my life i have never heard of Moms Mabley. I can honestly say that I dont find particularly find joy in listening to female comedians, white or black. As ive learned and inferred ideas from Carol Allens, "Shaking that thing" as well as "Selling Hot Pussy", sex seems to be almost tradition when it comes to black female humor. Carol Allen makes a note that the physical appeal and appearance of a black comedian is very important. We see this statement truly fulfilled when it comes to newer artists like Tiffany Haddish, Mo'Nique, Sommore. From their walk, to the way they talk with their arms, all the way to the color of their lipstick, all contained some sort of sex appeal that was almost required, in a sense, for them to get across to more audiences. Personally, I can only take so much of the sex jokes. After a while they stop being funny to me. Comedians like Tiffany and Mo'nique are more on the raw side when it comes to language and vulgarity. Apart of what makes them funny is their detailed rawness. Seeing as though sex and relationships are topics that can be relatable across all audiences, I understand why it is the butt of most jokes in the black community. I think it also stems from early racism. Factors like the Hottentot Venus, Jezebels, and the stereotype that black people, especially women are over-sexualized. This has followed the black community for years and years. It has made us comfortable on speaking on our sexuality in vulgar ways because it is almost expected. I greatly appreciated hearing Mom Mableys skits on 'I Got Something to Tell You". Though it was raw it came from a place of love and endearing, almost as if she was trying to teach you a lesson while telling a hilarious story. We couldnt physically see and examine Moms style of performing but that didnt make her any less funny. I also appreciated Vera, from Harlem Nights in the sense that she also had a certain rawness to her that came from a place of love. Although she was in the sex industry, the entirety of her character and humor was not all about sex. Both Moms and Vera gave me a feel of mothering and nurturing while keeping that rawness and vulgarity but using it as a teaching mechanism.
Terrell Peterson
ReplyDeleteENGL 318
Upon listening to Moms Mabley, I am able to hear the influence that she has on both male and female comedians. Her mastery of comedic timing and delivery displayed how Mabley is exceptionally well at her craft and served as a walking lecture for comedians of any era. Though one can criticize the sound of her voice and appearance, I view these as attributes that makes the topics that she discuses. In stature she resembles Vera from Harlem nights and from the jokes that Mabley made about her husband, we can be sure that she does not fear any man similar to Vera.
When listening to Mabley, I hear more of Richard Pryor or Red Foxx but mostly because their voices have a distinct sound to me. Or even George Carlin who was still in his prime well into his later years. Her style of observational comedy is one that is unique to her and she is an unsung hero amongst African-American female comedians.
This is not my favorite stand-up special but it shares some characteristics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u5mwcMgh0Q
Brandy Jones
ReplyDeleteENGL 318
6 Nov 2018
I am glad that I was introduced to Moms Mabley. Even though I am not that familiar with her, I was able to gather some similarities and differences between her and the female comedians that know of today. Initially, I noticed that her jokes were told in short stories and she possessed the traits of a griot just like our female comedians today. The topics that she chose to discuss are also similar to those of today. She talked about relationships and some of her life experiences just how comedians, such as Tiffany Haddish, talks about in her sets. One of the biggest differences was that she was an older woman but you mentioned that she didn't reach her fame until her 60's and 70's. I find this interesting because most of the comedians today were in their prime between the ages of 30-50. I observed that she added singing bits to her performance which is something that we don't see much in our female comedians today. My favorite thing about Moms Mabley was that she was herself. She made jokes that were relatable not only to black women but also black men and everyone else. She made a way for black female comedy and she didn't fit into this stereotypical box that a lot of people hold for black female comedians. She made black female comedy a necessity for society. Here is a video explain why black female comedians are necessary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtmZXp9737w
I also wanted to add that when watching Moms Mabley live that she didn't cuss which related to the respectability politics that we discussed in class. She was being "lady-like." Watching a video of her live I also noticed that she used her hands a little as a part of her performance. This shows as a part of her performativity but this does not just relate to only black females unlike what Carol Allen believes to think.
DeleteAlexis Wray
ReplyDeleteThis was my first time hearing to Moms Mabley and I as definitely surprised to hear the language in description that she used. My first impression on her from the picture above was that she was older, lacking teeth, and had a kind and sweet demeanor, but upon my observation she turned out to be something very different. I enjoyed her story telling aspect to her comedy. Unlike many images of hyper sexualization we have viewed in this class I don't think that Moms Mabley showed an expellable of that like images of Tiffany Haddish from "Girls Trip and Vera from "Harlem Nights" where they displayed more of a sexualized version of themselves and Moms Mabley didn't she told stories and excluded a over sexualized image of herself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8lYFkp0Q68
DeletePrior to this assignment I had never heard of Moms Mabley or listened to any of her standup. I must say that after listening I can see why she could be considered the Queen of Comedy. She’s genuinely very funny on her own and doesn’t have to use the sexual/sensual aspects that we talked about in class. Her jokes were actual jokes for the most part and not just her acting crazy/loud/vulgar like we saw in Tiffany Haddish’s character in Girls Trip. Although both are funny to me personally, I found Moms Mabley’s clip very refreshing because I personally haven’t heard a female comedian make good jokes in a while. The article “Shakin That Thang” talked about how African American females have to “enact an active sensuality” in which they’ll do things like swaying hips, extended arms, pronounced gesturing, etc. However, Moms Mabley doesn’t need to do any of this. From what I heard, a lot of her jokes were about herself, her experiences, and other people. After listening to Moms Mabley and looking at her photos, I’ve found that she reminds me very much of Madea and Ms. Hattie from Tyler Perry’s plays. Both of these characters are funny in the same way that Moms Mabley is and their jokes in the plays are based off the same things as Moms Mabley. They don’t rely on sexuality/sensuality and are more so funny because of their exaggerations and crazy antics in addition to their Mabley style jokes. Even when sexual jokes are made, sensuality can’t be used because these women are “old”. I believe they use their old appearances to enhance their jokes. Not only are they funny like Mabley, they are also similar to her in appearance. Both Madea and Ms. Hattie’s characters are old and kind of look like grandmas like Mabley. I believe these characters may have been based off Moms Mabley, and that was Tyler Perry’s way of bringing old comedy back because we don’t really see antics like these otherwise.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsjfgXsBeNk
Sharia Waldrum
ReplyDeleteEng 318
Before this assignment I had never heard of Moms Mabley. After watching this video and doing a little more research I am able to see the influence she has on comedians I know today. Today we see women comedians telling jokes of their truths, creating their own style of stand up while being honest about what happens to women in society today. Mabley paved the way for them, making it acceptable to be unique, to tell different jokes,and to even joke about men. She opened the door for female comics to have a platform to be honest. Tiffany Haddish follows Mabley's footsteps in how she is unique in her profession and how she hasn't changed that part of herself. Her career will continue to thrive as long as she stays on the path she is!
Marquise Marner
ReplyDeleteENGL 318
Before this blog I too have never heard of Moms Mabley. I find her comedy very to the point, and shed would be a modern day storyteller comedian. Off the bat she reminds me of the character Vera in Harlem Nights because of how she's like a mother to those that aren't her direct children, and will say what's on her mind and how she feels. In comparing Ms. Mabley to they characters in Girls Trip, there are some comparisons between them. She didn't explicitly talk about sex or sensuality, but her stories seemed authentic much how Tiffany Haddish character would be blunt about her stories as well. I feel that Moms Mabley was a gem truly because she didn't have to confine to certain stereotypes or stigmas that many black female comedians do today.
Keshawn Stanback
ReplyDeleteENGL 318
I never heard of Moms Mobley until this blog. Her comedy is very authentic and original. It hits right on the nail of her messages and she reminds me of Vera in Harlem Nights. She reminds me of Vera in Harlem nights because Mom gives off a motherly vibe. In Girl’s Trip, the way that Tiffany’s comedy is compared to Mabley’s comedy is true in comparison. They both are very blunt about their experiences.