{"product_id":"9781556529511","title":"Another Fine Mess: A History of American Film Comedy","description":"\u003cp\u003eCharlie Chaplin. Buster Keaton. The Marx Brothers. Billy Wilder. Woody Allen. The Coen brothers. Where would the American film be without them? Yet the cinematic genre these artists represent--comedy--has perennially received short shrift from critics, film buffs, and the Academy Awards. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSaul Austerlitz’s \u003ci\u003eAnother Fine Mess\u003c\/i\u003e is an attempt to right that wrong. Running the gamut of film history from \u003ci\u003eCity Lights\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eKnocked Up\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAnother Fine Mess\u003c\/i\u003e retells the story of American film from the perspective of its unwanted stepbrother--the comedy. In 30 long chapters and 100 shorter entries, each devoted primarily to a single performer or director, \u003ci\u003eAnother Fine Mess \u003c\/i\u003eretraces the steps of the American comedy film, filling in the gaps and following the connections that link Mae West to Doris Day, or W. C. Fields to Will Ferrell. The first book of its kind in more than a generation, \u003ci\u003eAnother Fine Mess\u003c\/i\u003e is an eye-opening, entertaining, and enlightening tour of the American comedy, encompassing the masterpieces, the box-office smashes, and all the little-known gems in between.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chicago Review Press, Incorporated","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47059522552048,"sku":"9781556529511","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781556529511_p0.jpg?v=1763761414","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781556529511","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}