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An American Comedy in Black and White
University Of Chicago Press
September 2008
On Sale: September 15, 2008
264 pages
ISBN: 0226709000
EAN: 9780226709000
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
As the heady promise of the 1960s sagged under the weight
of widespread violence, rioting, and racial unrest, two
young men--one black and one white--took to stages across
the nation to help Americans confront their racial divide:
by laughing at it. Tim and Tom tells the story of that pioneering duo, the
first interracial comedy team in the history of show
business--and the last. Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen polished
their act in the nightclubs of Chicago, then took it on the
road, not only in the North, but in the still-simmering
South as well, developing routines that even today remain
surprisingly frank--and remarkably funny--about race. Most
nights, the shock of seeing an integrated comedy team
quickly dissipated in uproarious laughter, but on some
occasions the audience’s confusion and discomfort led to
racist heckling, threats, and even violence. Though Tim and
Tom perpetually seemed on the verge of making it big
throughout their five years together, they grudgingly came
to realize that they were ahead of their time: America was
not yet ready to laugh at its own failed promise. Eventually, the grind of the road took its toll, as bitter
arguments led to an acrimonious breakup. But the underlying
bond of friendship Reid and Dreesen had forged with each
groundbreaking joke has endured for decades, while their
solo careers delivered the success that had eluded them as
a team. By turns revealing, shocking, and riotously funny,
Tim and Tom unearths a largely forgotten chapter in the
history of comedy.
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