Sex, Politics, and Comedy

Rick McCormick is a Professor of German at the University of Minnesota. He is author of Gender and Sexuality in Weimar Modernity: Film, Literature, and "New Objectivity" and Politics of the Self: Feminism and the Postmodern in West German Literature and Film.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Transnational Jewish ComedyI. Berlin: Sex, Spectacle, and Anarchy1. From the Jewish "Bad Boy" to the "Bad Girl": Early Comedies, 1914–1919 2. Bad Girls and the Costume Epics: 1919–1922 3. Bad Girls Untamed: Anarchic/Fantastic Comedies (1919–1922)II. Hollywood: From European Sophistication to Anti-Fascist Screwball4. Sex & Sophistication: Comedies & Operettas, 1924–19345. Pushing the Boundaries in Pre-Code Hollywood, 1931–19346. Screwball Politics: American Populism & European Politics, 1935–417. Coming Out as Jewish: To Be or Not to Be (1942)Epilogue: Twilight of a Cosmopolitan, 1943–47BibliographyFilmography Index

"The author speaks with a distinct voice and pursues consistently his own, original argument. I can imagine how after reading any chapter, some readers may be inspired to view Lubitsch's films again and test Rick McCormick's theses."—Mila Ganeva, author of Women in Weimar Fashion: Discourses and Displays in German Culture"The chief argument of the book is that Ernst Lubitsch's life and career should be understood through the lens of his transnational Jewish background. Rick McCormick brings an impressive level of scholarly erudition and critical acumen to the project."—Noah Isenberg, author of 'We'll Always Have Casablanca': The Life, Legend, and Afterlife of Hollywood's Most Beloved Movie"Given its emphasis on identites sexual and ethinc, queerness and Jewishness, and its power to reveal the resistant potential of a mainstream artist, McCormick's work is ideally conceived for today's intellectual priorities."—Alan Lareua, University of Wisconsin-Oskosh, Monatshefte