Sounding Funny

Sound and Comedy Cinema

edited by Mark Evans and Philip Hayward

Book cover: Sounding Funny

Extent: 224 pages

Publisher: Equinox Publishing

Subjects: Music & Performing Arts

Series: Genre, Music and Sound

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(January 2016)

ISBN: 9781845536749

6.1 x 9.17 inches

Price: $29.95

In stock

Hardback (Published)

(January 2016)

ISBN: 9781781790991

6.1 x 9.17 inches

Price: $29.95

In stock

Comedy has been a feature of cinema since its inception. From mickey-moused accompaniments to slapstick scenes, ironic musical statements, clever musical allusions and jokes, well-worn sound effects, and even laugh tracks, sound has been integral to the development of the comedy on screen. This volume covers all aspects of sound (including dialogue) and music as they have been utilized in comedy film. The volume looks at various subsets of the ‘comedy film’ from the post-War period, including black comedy, romantic comedy, slapstick, dialogue comedy, parody and spoofs. This volume aims to explore the way in which music and sound articulate humor, create comedic situations and direct comedic identifications for viewer/listeners.


Comedy has been a feature of cinema since its inception. From mickey-moused accompaniments to slapstick scenes, ironic musical statements, clever musical allusions and jokes, well-worn sound effects, and even laugh tracks, sound has been integral to the development of the comedy on screen. This volume covers all aspects of sound (including dialogue) and music as they have been utilised in comedy film. The volume looks at various subsets of the ‘comedy film’ from the post-War period, including black comedy, romantic comedy, slapstick, dialogue comedy, parody and spoofs. This volume aims to explore the way in which music and sound articulate humour, create comedic situations and direct comedic identifications for viewer/listeners.

  • Edited by Mark Evans
  • Edited by Philip Hayward

"Through analyses of franchises, films, and sequences, Sounding Funny successfully identifies numerous ways in which music and sound have been used to create on-screen humor across genres, cultures, and markets. [...]The value of this book lies in its breadth, and its authors' many observations and detailed studies provide fertile ground for future research into the connections between music, sound, and humor." --Jessica Getman, University of Michigan, NOTES, June 2018
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