History Literature / AWorldOfLaughterAWorldOfTears

* TheBritishInvasion: According to the preview, the arrival of the Quarrymen (aka Beatles in our timeline) will be an important feature in the sequel.

* WordOfGod: Statichaos has, at the request of other posters, announced where various celebrities who don't factor into the story are in this timeline. JamesDean, for example, is stuck as the JD heavy in two-bit pictures, NatalieWood is an ingenue for Disney, and Sal Mineo is in jail on sexual deviancy charges.

** Statichaos has joked that he's considered working in [[HunterSThompson Hunter S. Thompson]], but "mimicking his writing style would involve hurting my brain."

Various narrators and characters include White House [[ManipulativeBastard Chief of Staff]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cohn Roy Cohn]], [[OnlySaneMan White House]] [[TheWoobie Press Secretary]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Dodd James W. Dodd]] [[RebelLeader protest organizer]] and [[AWorldHalfFull future president]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Brown Jerry Brown]], expatriate film director Creator/OrsonWelles, Senator [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lincoln_Rockwell George Rockwell]], government sponsored writer Creator/RobertAHeinlein, a mysterious beatnik known only as "[[CloudCuckooLander Beano]]", a young UsefulNotes/BillClinton, a civil rights leader called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldridge_Cleaver Eldridge Cleaver]], ''Sandstorm'' lead singer [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson Brian Wilson]] and [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters many, many more.]]

* NeverTrustATrailer : [[https://web.archive.org/web/20120418202313/http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=3171174&postcount=93 Averted.]]

* MoralGuardians: Protests by the Mickey Mouse Club strangle ''{{Playboy}}'' magazine in its cradle, kill MarilynMonroe's career, stifle America's counterculture and drive it overseas, and, by stringently supporting segregation, cause the CivilRightsMovement to give up non-violent protest.

** The InUniverse view of [[spoiler: Nelson Rockefeller and John Stennis election]], according to black activists and college students.

* BrokenPedestal: Jimmie Dodd to a certain extent. While he never actually abandons Disney, he finds himself less and less comfortable with the Disney emblem itself.

Various narrators and characters include White House [[ManipulativeBastard Chief of Staff]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cohn Roy Cohn]], [[OnlySaneMan White House]] [[TheWoobie Press Secretary]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Dodd James W. Dodd]] [[RebelLeader protest organizer]] and [[AWorldHalfFull future president]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Brown Jerry Brown]], expatriate film director OrsonWelles, Senator [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lincoln_Rockwell George Rockwell]], government sponsored writer Creator/RobertAHeinlein, a mysterious beatnik known only as "[[CloudCuckooLander Beano]]", a young UsefulNotes/BillClinton, a civil rights leader called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldridge_Cleaver Eldridge Cleaver]], ''Sandstorm'' lead singer [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson Brian Wilson]] and [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters many, many more.]]

* CulturePolice: The Mickey Mouse Club and its eager children and parents use patriotism and accusations of Un-American activity to browbeat (or just beat down) 1950s counterculture. This drives Elvis, the Beatniks, and various Hollywood filmmakers (OrsonWelles among them) to Europe, particularly London, France, and Berlin.

* WhatDidIDoLastNight: OrsonWelles wakes up in the morning having declared to Vampira under the influence of a drink too many during the night.

** There is also the fact that, so far at least, most of the world outside the USA haven't gotten all that much worse than they would be. In fact, several parts seems to be better off. For example, the European culture scene, especially in Berlin, Paris and London profit from the emigration of influential US-American artists like OrsonWelles and Music/ElvisPresley.

** Also, Creator/EdWood has a job as loyal and appreciated apprentice to OrsonWelles.

* TheAtoner: Roy Cohn. After the [[spoiler:attempted assassination of Disney]] followed by Rockwell's rant against Jews, Cohn goes back to his synagogue and apologizes to his rabbi for being a bad Jew. He then [[spoiler:gets Nelson Rockefeller, a pro-civil rights liberal Republican, to run in the primaries against Rockwell, who until then was the only strong nominee. This is despite having been very supportive, and in most cases the architect, of Disney's anti-civil rights actions.]] To top it all off, [[spoiler:[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome he gets Rockefeller to put a Hebrew phrase in his speech announcing his candidacy, just to spite Rockwell]].]] He then finishes the job by [[spoiler: setting in motion an awesome BatmanGambit that takes down Rockwell.]]

* CrowningMomentofAwesome: Barry Goldwater showing himself to be a man of honor and integrity at the 1960 GOP Convention, also a CMOA for Roy Cohn.

->''"[[ThisIsGonnaSuck My God...to think that this is going to be in the hands of the man who did]] 'SteamboatWillie'"''

** [[CaptainObvious Walt Disney is president of the United States]].

* DarkFic: Of history/AlternateHistory anyway. It's as bleak, if not even more so, as FanFic/AllHeEverWanted.

** Although things doesn't seem to be all ''that'' much worse to our timeline outside the USA. It is just that the main narrative focuses on the USA, where, as the rest of this page indicates, [things very much are worse than our timeline.

* DarkFic: of history/AlternateHistory anyway. It's as bleak, if not even more so, as FanFic/AllHeEverWanted.

* NeverTrustATrailer : [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=3171174&postcount=93 Averted.]]

*** Also, the last update of Part 1 implies that, in the present day, some things are even better then they are now. From what little we know, we have gone much further in space exploration then in in our timeline, having real infrestructure being built in space. We also are advanced enough in technology to have an international bullet train system.

** The USSR is also thawing little by little because Kruschev is more intent on reform now that the US is less able to pose a threat to them. It's also now actively acting more magnanimous with minorities just to tweak the nose of the US about being a much more open, accepting, and free nation.
** Hell, it might be argued that the rest of the world in general is better than in RealLife: The Hungarian Revolution was succesful, Cuba didn't go communist (though at the cost of direct American intervention and Batista's regime being continued), there was no Suez Crisis nor Vietnam War. As for whether Cuba not going communist and sticking with Batista is a good thing...

* TheMafia: The government smuggles Lucky Luciano back into the USA in order use the Mob to undermine activists.

* FinaglesLaw: How do you make a world with '''Walter Elias''' '''[[PrecisionFStrike Fucking]]''' '''Disney''' as President [[GoneHorriblyWrong go horribly wrong]]? Here's the answer.

''A World Of Laughter A World of Tears'' was finished on March 25, 2010. Its continuation, titled '''When You Wish Upon A Star''' [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=180537 arrived shortly]] thereafter, but statichaos's [[RealLifeWritesThePlot health issues]] caused it [[ScheduleSlip to slow and then completely stop]] shortly after its start. While its fans wait for the author to recover and return, as of December 2011 it was considered safely a DeadFic. In [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=5643571&postcount=145 February 2012 ]], the Author returned, and on [[http://alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=238872 April 12]] When You Wish Upon a Star was started again. However, it appears to be a DeadFic once again, since as of this writing statichaos has not made any posts on AH.com in over a year and many fear [[AuthorExistenceFailure his failing health has finally caught up with him]].

* ExcitedKidsShowHost: RonaldReagan, of all people, as host of ''The Mickey Mouse Club''.

* RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: All over the place, though averted by precisely RichardNixon, who is still a more or less successful politician.

-->--'''HarryTruman''', 1/7/53 to an anonymous aide immediately before announcing that the United States successfully tested a Hydrogen Bomb on 11/1/52. Quoted in "Geopolitical Ramifications of the Uncontrolled Dissemination of the American Image In The Media In The Atomic Age," by the Rand Corporation.

An AlternateHistory where WaltDisney, not DwightDEisenhower, is elected president of the United States in 1952. [[FromBadToWorse Bad Stuff Happens.]] Read it [[http://alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=113866 here]].

Various narrators and characters include White House [[ManipulativeBastard Chief of Staff]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cohn Roy Cohn]], [[OnlySaneMan White House]] [[TheWoobie Press Secretary]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Dodd James W. Dodd]] [[RebelLeader protest organizer]] and [[AWorldHalfFull future president]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Brown Jerry Brown]], expatriate film director OrsonWelles, Senator [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lincoln_Rockwell George Rockwell]], government sponsored writer Creator/RobertAHeinlein, a mysterious beatnik known only as "[[CloudCuckooLander Beano]]", a young BillClinton, a civil rights leader called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldridge_Cleaver Eldridge Cleaver]], ''Sandstorm'' lead singer [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson Brian Wilson]] and [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters many, many more.]]

* LudicrousGibs: [[spoiler: Ernest Green of the Little Rock Nine]] is ''annihilated'' by a white mob. According to BillClinton's testimony, it was so bad that [[spoiler: you ''couldn't even tell'' what race he was by the time it was over]].

** RonaldReagan substitutes Dodd as host of ''The Mickey Mouse Club'', and eventually climbs his way to become chairman of the Disney corporation.
** BillClinton is president... of the Southern Poverty Center.