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Slapstick Comedy By Hilsabeck, Burke

DOI: 10.4324/9781135000356-REM1704-1
Published: 01/10/2017
Retrieved: 26 April 2024, from
https://www.rem.routledge.com/articles/slapstick-comedy

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The term “slapstick comedy” refers to film comedies in which the humor relies upon physical gags and stunts. The slapstick—a wooden paddle to which a second piece of wood was attached by means of a hinge—was a tool of the Italian commedia dell’arte. When swung against an actor’s body, it made a loud thwacking noise that helped to emphasize an act of stage violence.

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01/10/2017

Article DOI

10.4324/9781135000356-REM1704-1

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Citing this article:

Hilsabeck, Burke. Slapstick Comedy. Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism, Taylor and Francis, https://www.rem.routledge.com/articles/slapstick-comedy.

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