IntroductionPt. I: Assumptions, Definitions, and Categories1. Comic Structures2. Comic Thought3. Comic Films--Categories and DefinitionsPt. II: Primitives4. Jests, Tricks, and the First Comic Personalities 5. Mack SennettPt. III: Chaplin and Keaton6. Chaplin: From Keystone to Mutual7. Chaplin: First Nationals and Silent Features8. Chaplin: Sound Films9. KeatonPt. IV: Other Silent Clowns10. Harold Lloyd11. Harry Langdon12. More Fun ShopsPt. V: Sound Comedy13. Sound and Structure14. Ernst Lubitsch and Rene Clair15. Jean Renoir16. The Dialogue Tradition17. The Clown Tradition18. The Ironic TraditionThe Case for ComedyNotesSelective BibliographyAppendix A: Distributors of Comic FilmsAppendix B: Photo CreditsIndex