Joan Rivers started as a phenomenon - a woman standup comic in a business which was almost exclusively male.
Yes, she made fun of herself, like Phyllis Diller. But she did dress outrageously or clownish as Diller often did.
Yes, she was searingly frank, like Totie Fields. But she was much younger than Fields, and more attractive.
Joan Rivers started almost as a curiosity and became a trailblazer and then a legend.
We had the opportunity to see both Phyllis Diller and Totie Fields live and they were both laugh-out-loud funny. They helped to open the door for Joan Rivers but once Rivers got through the door nothing was ever the same again. Joan Rivers invented modern day distaff standup.
After watching the extraordinary documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, we decided to see Joan Rivers. And right now we are holding tickets to what was to be her performance at the Borgata in Atlantic City on November 22. How sad that we won't be able to enjoy a woman who became one of America's greatest comics and social commentators.
Joan Rivers worked hard - very hard. And she was constantly (almost neurotically) refining her craft. She kept a file of thousands of jokes and one-liners and she was up-to-the-minute on every aspect of the popular culture. She was razor sharp.
On top of all that, she was a shrewd businesswoman. No one should have been surprised when her costume jewelry business broke every conceivable record for sales at the QVC Network. She understood her audience and her market from the very beginning. That's how she created her persona in the first place. To stand apart from other comics she knew she would need what marketers called a USP - a unique selling proposition. So, she created Joan - the somewhat homely, non-glamorous Jewish gal who was smart and probably savvy but still never got the guy. She was the gal who had to be craftier than the other gals but most of the time even that didn't help. Instead, it was just another thing that drove guys away.
And, as Joan related it to her audiences, it was all so clumsy and luckless and ultimately familiar that it was funny - very, very funny.
Over the years Joan Rivers just kept reinventing herself. She understood that this is what she needed to do to survive in the grueling world of show business. The death of her husband, rejection by the King of Late Night, Johnny Carson, the loss of her own talk show -- all of these took their toll on her. But what didn't kill her simply made her stronger. She absolutely would not give up, would not be defeated. She kept coming back. Renewed, strengthened and empowered by her own brand, Joan was now able to make fun of everyone, not just herself.
And so in recent months Joan Rivers had been riding a sort of crest.
She was back again -- fresher and bolder than ever and playing the nicest rooms in the biggest casinos. Plus, her Fashion Police and reality TV programs continued to make news along with her hugely successful business.
This woman was a true American success story and she rose by the sweat of her brow and by sheer force of will. Indeed, she earned every penny and every bit of success and fame that came her way.
Despite being constantly in motion, Joan continued to work tirelessly on behalf of charities that were close to her heart: God’s Love We Deliver, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Guide Dogs for the Blind. She also dedicated her time to the National Osteoporosis Foundation and Wounded Warriors, among other remarkable organizations.
From her trademark question, “Can we talk?,” to her red-carpet creation, “Who are you wearing?,” this woman asked all the right questions and got the answers America – and the world – wanted to hear.
She will be sorely missed.
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