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Stand-up comediennes were a rarity in the '40s and '50s.
Jean Carroll (born Celine Zeigman) was one of the first, and an inspiration
for many, including Lily Tomlin. She was once part of the song and dance
team with her husband-vaudevillian Buddy Howe. Unlike Totie Fields, Joan
Rivers or Phyllis Diller, Jean Carroll used little self-deprecating humor,
choosing instead to talk about the suburbs, her family, and shopping.
She also had her own television show, The Jean Carroll Show (or, Take
it From Me), which ran for one season (1953-1954). Unlike the male comics
of the day who would stand up in suits and tell wife jokes, Jean, wearing
stylish dresses, would tell husband jokes.
Material excerpted from: Girl
in a Hot Steam Bath; Copyright: Columbia Records, Columbia CL 1511
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