Remember when comedy was funny?
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RBHarter
West Central AR
As a wee lad I found Flip Wilson's bit about Geraldine's knee grow funny knowing full well that it was a shot at color labels by a black man in a dress . Of course I was raised in a grey house and really had no idea racism still existed ....... Took me till I was 22 to find some . I still smile thinking back on that bit and how perfectly it stays at the very heart of what's wrong with folks getting their britches in a bunch over an adjective in a description of identification .
George Carlin . Yes he was foul , but Robin Williams was no Mother Teresa either .
PC humor it either is and is humorous or it ain't and you fall off you perch . It's why Larry and Jeff Foxwothy and Dunham work/ed and to a degree still do .
Slap schtick and sight gags never die .
George Carlin . Yes he was foul , but Robin Williams was no Mother Teresa either .
PC humor it either is and is humorous or it ain't and you fall off you perch . It's why Larry and Jeff Foxwothy and Dunham work/ed and to a degree still do .
Slap schtick and sight gags never die .
Kevin Stenberg
Well-Known Member
Most modern shows of any kind. Aren't worth watching.
Ian
Notorious member
William Shakespeare. His comedies are still hilarious 500 years later.
I enjoy Mel Brooks movies too, it's mostly dick and fart jokes but he took it to another level. I mean really, how many people actually "got" the reference in Governor LePetomane's name?
Cosby and White, like many, are storytellers. The humor is in the telling.
One of the funniest things I ever saw was the Laurel & Hardy episode of Perfect Strangers. It was so good because it was just so well done, down to the finest nuance.
My favorite joke, ever, has to be the one Eddie Murphy told in the middle of Raw, about the bear and the rabbit.
Wife and I actually tried to watch an episode of SNL tonight. We give them another chance about once a decade. This time Adam Driver was the host. The only thing that didn't suck was the fact that he performed the stupid sketches flawlessly, while everyone else seemed like grade school actors, and not very good ones at that. We looked at each other about halfway through during the ill-timed, ill-conceived, and poorly acted news skit and clicked off.
I enjoy Mel Brooks movies too, it's mostly dick and fart jokes but he took it to another level. I mean really, how many people actually "got" the reference in Governor LePetomane's name?
Cosby and White, like many, are storytellers. The humor is in the telling.
One of the funniest things I ever saw was the Laurel & Hardy episode of Perfect Strangers. It was so good because it was just so well done, down to the finest nuance.
My favorite joke, ever, has to be the one Eddie Murphy told in the middle of Raw, about the bear and the rabbit.
Wife and I actually tried to watch an episode of SNL tonight. We give them another chance about once a decade. This time Adam Driver was the host. The only thing that didn't suck was the fact that he performed the stupid sketches flawlessly, while everyone else seemed like grade school actors, and not very good ones at that. We looked at each other about halfway through during the ill-timed, ill-conceived, and poorly acted news skit and clicked off.
JonB
Halcyon member
Ian,
It's too bad you choose that SNL show to watch this decade, instead of the previous one on Dec 21st with Eddy Murphy. At least Eddy would have made you laugh, even though all the other players are lame. You can see any of the skits that Eddy was in on Youtube, he was in 4 skit I think. That's the only way I watch SNL anymore is via Youtube. I get to see the one or two funny skits and not have to sit through all the garbage...and I get to sleep instead of stay up late.
It's too bad you choose that SNL show to watch this decade, instead of the previous one on Dec 21st with Eddy Murphy. At least Eddy would have made you laugh, even though all the other players are lame. You can see any of the skits that Eddy was in on Youtube, he was in 4 skit I think. That's the only way I watch SNL anymore is via Youtube. I get to see the one or two funny skits and not have to sit through all the garbage...and I get to sleep instead of stay up late.
JonB
Halcyon member
While I am not a big fan of bad language, I am a fan of South Park.
I've never had Cable, but about 12 or 14 years ago, one of the Over-Air Broadcast TV stations started playing South Park Re-Runs, (The WB, I believe). Anyway, because it was Over-Air, they had to bleep out all the bad language. I think the Bleeps made it funnier. A friend of mine and I would routinely watch it together. Two older guys watching a TV show made up of a Cast of 8 yr old kids, and the bad language was censored...there is just some grand irony that added to the humor.
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
I absolutely love "Young Frankenstein", my wife hates Mel Brooks humor. She also hates the Stooges, Naked Gun, Airplane, Bugs Bunny, the Roadrunner and most anything in that line. In fact she doesn't find much of anything I like funny. But she loved "Waynes World", which unbelievably came out 28 years ago! We used to like "Rug Rats" when the kids were little because they had so much humor in there mixed in and aimed at the adults. There used to be a show on CBC radio on Sunday afternoons I would catch. Funniest stuff I ever heard, mostly aimed at Canada and it's variety of citizens. To this day if I think of a "Newfie" (someone from Newfoundland) I start to giggle. The jokes were brutal, but the show came out of St Johns or someplace up around Newfoundland, so the audience were laughing at themselves.
I'm not big on foul language anymore either. It used to be funny when you didn't hear it all the time and Pryor or Murphy would work a couple words in. Now it's just crass and boring. There was a movie that came out last year about the Boston Marathon bombing with Mark Wahlberg. I though it would be good. Made it through maybe 10 minutes and f bombs were so over the top I just shut it off. Yeah, I know people talk like that, I used to. It's just boring now.
Watched a real oldie the other night, "Judge Priest" with Will Rogers. A mans recollection of life in the south in the 1890's. Even has a bit in the opening credits about it being his memory of what things were like as a boy, so the totally non-PC stuff is kind of recognized even back then. Will Rogers was one funny guy. Watching it would cause a snowflakes head to explode, but those were different times.
Don Rickles. THAT was funny stuff. Watch him roast Reagan while he was President and Ronnie and Nancy were right there in the audience. Hysterical, but done so well that no one had a hurt feeling in all the insults. Brilliant!
I'm not big on foul language anymore either. It used to be funny when you didn't hear it all the time and Pryor or Murphy would work a couple words in. Now it's just crass and boring. There was a movie that came out last year about the Boston Marathon bombing with Mark Wahlberg. I though it would be good. Made it through maybe 10 minutes and f bombs were so over the top I just shut it off. Yeah, I know people talk like that, I used to. It's just boring now.
Watched a real oldie the other night, "Judge Priest" with Will Rogers. A mans recollection of life in the south in the 1890's. Even has a bit in the opening credits about it being his memory of what things were like as a boy, so the totally non-PC stuff is kind of recognized even back then. Will Rogers was one funny guy. Watching it would cause a snowflakes head to explode, but those were different times.
Don Rickles. THAT was funny stuff. Watch him roast Reagan while he was President and Ronnie and Nancy were right there in the audience. Hysterical, but done so well that no one had a hurt feeling in all the insults. Brilliant!
blackthorn
Active Member
Years ago I was in Thunder Bay Ontario, Attending a health & safety conference. Red Skelton and his entourage were staying in the same hotel. Red's group were in the dinning area at the same time I was and he had the whole table laughing all throughout their breakfast. A truly great guy!
JWFilips
Well-Known Member
I'm not a fan of bad language either....was exposed to it the 1st year I got of high school when I worked in a factory! After that I went to work in a professional photography studio ( were I still am today) and there was no need for such talk ( However I did learn a great deal of it that still can be recited when I stub my toe or get angry 
)
I did like some old Jackie Gleason and Red Skelton but much of it was lame. The PBS 1970 episodes of Monty Python did make me laugh! I like British humor I did like the recordings that Doctor Demento Played in the 1970! There were a lot of funny songs And Back then Cheech and Chong too and Some Mackinsey Brothers
Not a whole lot of new stuff is funny except Commercials! Especially the Geico Raccoons! and Some Louis Black however most times I'm worried he will get an aneurism in the middle of his Rants! Bob Newhart Especially in his Episodes of Big Bang!
and James Earle Jone's Episode of Big Bang Which had to be their funniest ever And he isn't even a comedian!
)I did like some old Jackie Gleason and Red Skelton but much of it was lame. The PBS 1970 episodes of Monty Python did make me laugh! I like British humor I did like the recordings that Doctor Demento Played in the 1970! There were a lot of funny songs And Back then Cheech and Chong too and Some Mackinsey Brothers
Not a whole lot of new stuff is funny except Commercials! Especially the Geico Raccoons! and Some Louis Black however most times I'm worried he will get an aneurism in the middle of his Rants! Bob Newhart Especially in his Episodes of Big Bang!
and James Earle Jone's Episode of Big Bang Which had to be their funniest ever And he isn't even a comedian!