As some of you might know who've checked into my "Pearly kings" and "Street Singers" threads, I've been interested in some alternative entertainment things lately. Thanks to Spaw, Peter, and Mrzy, for making me think about this one.

I'm one of those people who thinks the Marx Brothers were absolutely hilarious. Many of their routines were taken straight from their stage shows, and if you watch carefully you'll see that their timing is very odd by movie standards. They WAIT for the "non existant ('cause it's film) audience laugh. It's especially noticeable in the scenes Groucho plays with Margaret Dumont, and the ones between Harpo and Chico (who pronounced it "Chick-o" 'cause it came from his popularity with girls)

I was never huge on Laurel and Hardy although their artistry was obviously wonderful.

Have to admit that at times I laughed hilariously at the Three Stooges.....must be my repressed violent streak, and sometimes at Abbott and Costello (I AM a big baseball fan after all)

Thought Martin and Lewis were nuthin' but screamin' I'm afraid, but does anyone remember Burns and Schreiber? LOVED them.

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore definitely made me howl. If anyone ever heard their "derek and Clive" album I defy you to be neutral. That album was either the most filthy muck or sidesplitting non-sequiter brilliance. The segment on "how Big's yours"? and the man who's job was "removing lobsters from Jayne Mansfields a....." Oy vay! 'Course they were both drunk as skunks apparently when they did the album.

One duo I didn't get was Morcombe and Wise.

Possibly the most "intellectual" comedy duo was Wayne and Shuster. They did many longgg routines on Ed Sullivan that were brilliant send ups of Shakespearian plays. Anyone remember this bit of dialogue:

A Roman goes into a bar and asks the toga clad waitress, "I'd like a Martinus, please". She replies, "Do you mean a Martini"? He says "If I wanted two, I'd ask for two"!!

Hmmmmm, well maybe you had to be there.

Any thoughts?

Rick