Pioneering female comics finally get their due in Shawn Levy's 'In On the Joke'
It wasn't that long ago that successful female comedians were forced to stifle themselves to be funny. But it was the obstacle that all of the first women in comedy had in common on their journey to fame. For Joan Rivers, Moms Mabley, Minnie Pearl, Phyllis Diller and many others, masking their femininity, sexuality and intellect added extra layers to showbiz's glass ceiling. It was only through their determination and undeniable talent that they managed to redefine the boundaries of their craft. In the pages of the just-released "In On the Joke," bestselling author Shawn Levy ("The Castle on Sunset") unearths a lost history in
