Among The Comics Who Started To Become Know During This Time, One Was Carol

Among the comics who started to become know during this time, one was Carol Burnett. According to Martin and Segrave, Burnett 'represented a performer who straddled the line between independence and submissiveness' (1986, 308). This was no easy task, given the hostile climate the world of comedy offered women. Horowitz points out that Burnett's style at this time was marked by self-deprecation: 'Burnett's self-deprecating humor was typical of comediennes of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and it served to soften audience resistance to the notion of an assertively funny woman' (Horowitz, 1997, 69).
Dave Tebert, the man who ran the talent department at NBC in the early 1960s, asserted that women were given the same opportunities as men, but that 'they were not aggressive enough or forceful enough to deal with the drunks and hecklers often found in the audience' (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 18). In addition, Bob Shanks, the talent coordinator for the Paar show, made an attempt to find female comics. Over a three-year period, however, he interviewed 500 women; only twenty of them were considered good enough to pass. He commented that 'the wit was missing' or that the women lacked 'quickness of response' (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 19).
'Comedy was performance arising from skill and wit, and performance was a male role. Funny girls would not be asked out on dates' assert Martin and Segrave (1986, 19). Being popular in school, having a date to the prom, being seen as attractive and compliantthese qualities were valued in young women and girls. Being clever and wittykey qualities for a comic, were not valued. There, most women of the time felt that given a choice, comedy should be submerged.
When men make clever jokes at women's expense, they may be considered great, insightful comics, assert Martin and Segrave. On the other hand, women who do the same at the expense of men may be labeled such derogatory terms as 'ball-busters or man-haters'. In fact, 'women are not even safe poking fun at other women. They are considered anti-female or catty' citing Joan Rivers as an example of this (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 20).
C.1970s1980s
The 1970s was a time of gradual change. According to some, 'the decade of the 1970s was one of slow but steady growth in the number of women entering or reentering facets of the film industry that had been closed to them for decades' (Sova, 1998, 153).
Laugh-In had hit the airwaves at the end of the 1960s, and once it was firmly entrenched, it showcased a variety of women comics. In fact, it was the first time that so many comedians had so much exposure since the days of vaudeville. Laugh-in helped a number of comics to get exposure and start careers. Among these were Goldie Hawn, Ruth Buzzi, JoAnne Worley, Lily Tomlin.
Lily Tomlin brought some unique skills to the industry through her intelligence and creativity.