David Humphrey

From broadcast to social media, comedy plays a prominent role in Japan’s cultural landscape and political landscape. The Time of Laughter explores how comedy grew out of the early days of television to become a central force in shaping Japanese media over the past half-century. Comedy and its impact, David Humphrey argues, established a “time of laughter” in the media of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries in Japan. Through masterful interrogation of Japanese televisual archives and media discourse, Humphrey demonstrates that the unique temporality of laughter has had a profound role in the cultural atmosphere of Japan’s recent past. Laughter both complemented and absorbed the profound tensions and contradictions that emerged in Japanese television. Joyous and cacophonous, reaffirming and subverting, laughter simultaneously alienated and unified viewers. Through its exploration of the influence of comedy and the culture of laughter, The Time of Laughter presents a vibrant new take on Japan’s recent media history.

From broadcast to social media, comedy plays a prominent role in Japan’s cultural landscape and political landscape. The Time of Laughter explores how comedy grew out of the early days of television to become a central force in shaping Japanese media over the past half-century. Comedy and its impact, David Humphrey argues, established a “time of laughter” in the media of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries in Japan. Through masterful interrogation of Japanese televisual archives and media discourse, Humphrey demonstrates that the unique temporality of laughter has had a profound role in the cultural atmosphere of Japan’s recent past. Laughter both complemented and absorbed the profound tensions and contradictions that emerged in Japanese television. Joyous and cacophonous, reaffirming and subverting, laughter simultaneously alienated and unified viewers. Through its exploration of the influence of comedy and the culture of laughter, The Time of Laughter presents a vibrant new take on Japan’s recent media history.

Showcases photographs of derelict homes, factories, asylums, and trains, offering a visual journey through the region's faded industrial and historical legacy.The book features photos of abandoned homes, factories, and businesses that once thrived in the central Indiana region. Borg Warner, Chevrolet, and Marhoefer factories once employed thousands of people in the Muncie area alone. Small towns in the central Indiana region have succumbed over time with abandoned farms, homes, and motels. Included in this book are images from insane asylums in the cities of Indianapolis, Rockville, and Winchester. These sites have been closed for many years but are now popular with ghost hunters. Old jails in the cities of Noblesville and Gas City are also featured. During the mid-1900s, trains passed through central Indiana every twenty minutes filled with passengers and freight traveling from coast to coast. Many of those abandoned trains can be found in Forest Park in Noblesville. Abandoned Central Indiana not only features images, but in-depth information about the history of the region.

Indianapolis, the largest city in Indiana, blends rich history, vibrant culture, and lively entertainment into a unique urban mosaic. Indianapolis was founded in 1821 and became the state capital in 1825. Casually known as Indy or Naptown, Indianapolis is the largest city in the Hoosier State, with over 800,000 residents. The Circle City has roughly thirty museums to select from and over 180 listings on the National Register of Historic Places. It is indeed a history buff's kind of town. And for those who simply want to have fun, downtown Indianapolis has restaurants and pubs with entertainment aplenty. Indianapolis is like a mosaic, where everything and everyone is a piece of the montage.

Once a thriving industrial hub, Anderson, Indiana, now showcases abandoned schools, factories, and farms after the decline of General Motors. There was a time when the city of Anderson, Indiana, was considered to be the epicenter of Madison County. With a population of over 70,000 residents in the early 1970s, Anderson had three high schools and over one dozen elementary schools that offered quality education for youngsters in the city. For decades, Anderson's General Motors plants employed thousands from Madison County, providing good pay and excellent benefits to its workers. But in the 1980s, red flags were seen waving throughout Anderson and surrounding towns. Job opportunities at General Motors became obsolete, enrolment at public schools began to crumble, and family-owned farms in rural Madison County were fewer and farther between. Join author David Humphrey as he explores abandoned locations throughout Madison County.

Named after Thomas Pendleton, one of the town's early settlers, Pendleton, Indiana, was established in 1820. With a ford on Fall Creek, the falls provided waterpower for mills and influenced migration to areas north of Pendleton. The emergence of natural gas in Madison County led to the establishment of several glass factories, a tile plant, and other manufacturing sites, including the Motsinger Device Manufacturing Company and Fall Creek Cannery. Early entrepreneurs of Pendleton included Thomas McCartney, who built the first mill at the falls; Palmer Patrick, a colorful merchant; and Homer Motsinger, owner of Motsinger Device Manufacturing Company. After the mills along Fall Creek were removed, the area became known as Pendleton Park, a tourist attraction that brought visitors from surrounding states. Falls Park, as it is known today, remains one of the most picturesque sites in Madison County and is a mainstay for the Pendleton community. With the 200th anniversary of Pendleton on the horizon, the town continues to progress in a positive fashion, while keeping the historical aspect of the community alive.