absolutely! He was a master at timing and 'constructing' a joke for maximum impact. He never shortened or hurried a joke.....I have used him as an example for years when I treid to show people why their jokes sometimes seemed lame or flat.

He was the first one I ever heard tell the joke about the man with the new hearing aid bragging to a friend (he told this on the Tonight Show years ago)

A man meets a friend who has always been hard of hearing, and the guy is beaming!

"Joe," he says, "I have the greatest news! You know how my deafness has always been such a problem? Well, no more! I finally got a GREAT new hearing aid! It cost me a fortune, but it is fantastic. It has opened up a whole new world for me. I am a new man!"

"Wow!", says Joe,"That's great Mike! What kind is it?"

Mike glances at his watch.."Oh, about 3:30...why?"

...and watching Buddy Hackett DO this made it twice as funny.