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Contents vii Acknowledgments ix Introduction:“Someone Like Me for a Member”: Classic Hollywood Comedians and Buffoonish Masculinity 1 1 “Novelties and Notions”: Mae West Meets W. C. Fields 25 2 Con Men and Henpecked Husbands: W. C. Fields as Masculine Icon 53 3 “Whitefacing” the Nebbish: Eddie Cantor’s Assimilation and Influence 79 4 Queered Radio / Queered Cinema: Jack Benny’s Mediated Voice 111 5 Queering the Fraternity: Laurel and Hardy and Heterosexual Brotherhood 139 6 Military Disservice: Wheeler and Woolsey and Abbott and Costello Join the Army 165 Conclusion: Beyond Classic Hollywood / Beyond Buffoonish Masculinity 191 Notes 201 Bibliography 237 Index 249 ...

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