"Like Bob Woodward, Larry Epstein has written a journalistic masterpiece. He has gone to many sources and given us an intimate, warm, gritty and loving memoir about the comedy teams that created the lunacy that kept us sane."

-Jerry Stiller

"For those of us who love comedy teams, this is a must read. The classic team is a thing of the past. The book brings it all back - great research, a good read."

-Tom Smothers

"From the moment I screamed and laughed at the legendary comedy teams while simultaneously being inadvertently ruined psychologically by my upbringing, it has become quite clear that not only had the likes of the Marx Brothers and Laurel and Hardy, who Mr. Epstein brilliantly documents in his new book, saved my life from an inescapable depression, but pushed me into a lifelong dedication to making others laugh."

--Richard Lewis

"Mixed Nuts is a great read. Like the mixed nuts at a good party, Larry Epstein's book is by turns hot, sweet, meaty, salty, crispy, chewy, and of course, nutty. You'll learn a lot and laugh a lot!"

--Charles Osgood

"Organizing this work chronologically, Epstein (The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America) provides a lively history of entertainment from early vaudeville through radio, film and television. He's especially good at viewing humor through a sociological prism, showing, for example, how the cynicism of the early Marx Brothers needed to be re-worked to accommodate a Depression-era mentality. With FDR's New Deal, Epstein explains, Groucho's character was made more likable. In fact, comedy teams were most popular during America's tough times, such as WWII, when Abbott and Costello delivered much-needed relief. In contrast, the '50s antics of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin unleashed inner hysteria (re-pressed during the war). Epstein deftly notes comedy's evolution, explaining how Jack Benny's radio show, which created multiple comedy teams, gave rise to sitcoms from I Love Lucy to Seinfeld. For readers who until now haven't understood the prolonged allure of the Three Stooges, Epstein's chapter on the trio is particularly enlightening: "The teams that created worlds capable of relieving the existential anxieties embedded in the human condition lasted beyond the moment." At its best, this history demonstrates how comedy reveals a nation's true mindset: if you want to know how society ticks, check out its comedians."

--Publishers Weekly

"Entertainment enthusiast Epstein...plays straight man to the comics who didn't work alone. Like the best straight men, he has a ready knowledge of what gets laughs. Since the first tambourine was slapped in a minstrel show, comedy has been delivered by teams. In vaudeville and burlesque a century ago, new Americans had the "Dutch" (German dialect) pairing of Weber and Fields, the baggy-pants repartee of Gallagher and Shean, the shtick of Smith and Dale, and the schoolroom sketches that nurtured, among others, the anarchic Brothers Marx. Rising from among the acrobats, dog, seal, and dance acts to headline at the Palace was a boy-girl act that became emblematic of the best, hardest-working, and most enduring teams: Burns and Allen. They conquered radio along with Lum and Abner, Fibber and Molly, Amos and Andy. The movies boasted Laurel and Hardy (of whose contribution Epstein offers a tidy analysis), Abbott and Costello (with the full text of "Who's on First"), and the overwhelming Stooges. Postwar favorites included Martin and Lewis and the pick-up team of Hope and Crosby. Television brought pseudo teams like the Kramdens, Lucy and Ethel, and the Smothers Brothers. We are left, in the twilight of funny teamwork, with SNL and little more. The tradition seems displaced by stand-up and troupes that certainly aren't inclined to spend their professional lives together. Where are Bob and Ray when we need them? Where is Harry Ritz yelling "don't holler" at his brothers? Alas, they are gone. Not even the echo of a rim shot remains, though Epstein recalls enough hoary stories, burnished to a vaudeville shine, to satisfy most assiduous buffs. More importantly, heoffers sharp appreciation of the work, the timing, the language, and the carefully created characters: the actual craft of those who practiced comedy in tandem. Seriously, folks, here's a kindly appraisal of the slapstick, sight gags, and banter-in short, the artistry-of some lively two- and three-acts of yesteryear."

--Kirkus Reviews