A chorus of raspberries

"A Chorus of Raspberries traces the British comedy film from its roots in pre-cinematic entertainment forms such as music-hall, variety and revue, to situate it as part of a wider cross-media popular aesthetic. Like the movement of British comedy itself, which draws material from the margins to the centre, it recognises what has previously been relegated to footnotes in the history of cinema for the central strand that it is."--Jacket.