Currents of comedy on the American screen

"This book analyzes the evolution of comedy, defining five distinct periods and discussing the dominant comedic trends of each: screwball comedies, offering distraction from the Great Depression; suspense comedy, reflecting America's darker worldview during World War II; 1950s battle-of-the-sexes comedy; the shift from the physical, exaggerated comedy of 1950s to more realistic plotlines"--Provided by publisher.