Who's funny? Who's Not?

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: burntstump
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 05:00 AM

Biggest Joker of all time


TONY BLAIR

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: GUEST,Cluin
Date: 05 Dec 04 - 11:43 PM

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"... damned funny (and poignant) movie.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Emma B
Date: 05 Dec 04 - 08:08 PM

I have to agree on Thurber and The Far Side; a must on any toilet shelf.As far as the (UK) folk scene is concerned I saw the grandfather of them all, Derek Brimstone, at Bedworth - I'd forgotten just how good he is.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 05 Dec 04 - 08:01 PM

jOhn from Hull is damned funny!

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Dec 04 - 07:41 PM

Yes, Ellen Degeneres is a funny woman!

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: number 6
Date: 05 Dec 04 - 09:41 AM

Thanks for bringing up the funniest movies clintonhammond.

I agree 'Oh Brother where Art Thou' ... brilliant and funny!

Funny movies ... any of the Marx Bros. flicks and Peter Sellers Pink Panther series. The 'Life of Brian' another brilliant and funny movie. How bout Reefer Madness?

But my all time fav funniest movie is 'What's new Pussycat'

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 04 Dec 04 - 06:49 PM

It's possible to write 'topical' humourous themes in a way that do not age, but it's damn hard work...

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Cluin
Date: 04 Dec 04 - 03:01 PM

Saw a video of Ellen Degeneres' stand-up routine the other night, Laughed all the way through it. It reminded me of how I laughed all the way through Bill Cosby's stand-up (sit-down) routines years ago as well. Still funny. Timeless and universal stuff. I like Denis Leary too, but I wonder how well it will survive.

Watch old Saturday Night Live skits and they aren't anywhere near as funny as I remembered the first time around. But old SCTV skits are still funny. Wonder why? It's not just because SNL was mostly topical stuff. The old SNL skits looked laboured and self-conscious now, while there's a certain easy subtlety in the SCTV ones.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Dec 04 - 02:52 PM

Well, if it's a matter of folk performers, Les Barker and Vin Garbutt.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 04 Dec 04 - 12:10 PM

Naked Gun

Seasons Greetings by Alan Ayckbourn - probably the funniest play written in the last century.

Derek Brimstone - I don't think he's ever toured the States. Named by Billy Connolly, Jasper Carrot, as their original inspiration. You ought to give him a whirl - he's 70 now but still a delightful entertainer - get to see him while he's still gigging! Great picker as well.

Brownsville Banned were the funniest folk club act I ever saw - years ahead of their time! They just missed the alternative comedy boom.

Some of Mike Leigh's creations, plays , films , whatever are the most astonishingly witty observations of the human condition. Roger Slocombe and Alison Steadman in Nuts in May. Stephen Rea, Tim Spall, Jim Broadbent in Life is Sweet.

I've noticed that young people like your modern American comedy stuff better than my generation - I've never managed to sit through a whole episode of Friends, same goes for Seinfeld, Sex in the City etc.- though you can't deny they're very successful. I'm sure its just a generational thing - we don't get it. maybe too close to the war and utility stuff to find affluent people possible to relate to.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 04 Dec 04 - 10:51 AM

Some of the funniest movies ever...

Snatch

The Ref

Oh Brother, Where art Thou

Natural Born Killers

HI-larrious!

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Dec 04 - 10:06 AM

Two Ronnies

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 08:41 PM

Canned laughter is the main way of stopping things being funny, for me anyway.

Some TV series have been shown without laughter threads and then with them added, and it almost destroys them. MASH for example.

Character based humour lasts, joke-based humour doesn't bear too many repeats. (I mean word jokes - situation jokes are a different matter.)

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 08:52 PM

In my book "Corner Gas" has Red Green, Trailer Park Boys, Blackfly and every other Canadian comedy show beat by a Sasketchewan mile! And I really dig Trailer Park Boys...

Funny TV shows... Fawlty Towers... Father Ted... Red Dwarf... Ab Fab... I guess I dug quite a bit of "Cheers" but in reruns it's lost a LOT of its appeal...

For Stand-Up... gimme George Carlin... Dennis Leary... Shawn Collins... Billy Conolloy... There are others I'm sure...

Most unfunny things off the top of my head... Monty Python (Man that sh!t god OLD FAST!) Seinfeld... Never got it... don't care to... anything on The WB...   Anything these days that has some old washed up movie actor mentoring a young child in a TV 'Sit Com'.... for that matter anything that calls itself a 'sit-com'...

The above is all just raging opinion... take it only as such

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: JedMarum
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 08:25 PM

Yep; Seamus is funny!

I played his new album for my son, who lives in NJ and lost it to him. He had to bring it back and play it for all his joy-zee friends!

I also loved the Black Adder series .. all of 'em (or at least all the ones they shipped over to the US).

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 08:51 AM

...a sort of a send up of Tim The Toolman....

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 09:27 PM

funny: in fact, one of the funniest things from Canada..after Shatner.

Red Green


(I can't explain it...you have to SEE it a few times!)

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Chris Green
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 07:22 PM

I thought the film of Catch 22 was a bold attempt to film the unfilmable. Highly enjoyable if you've not read the book - but otherwise a bit redundant! While we're on the subject of "Father Ted" and the like "Black Books" surely deserves a mention - certainly the best comedy series of the 12st century so far!

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 03:52 AM

Thanks, Guest. Your taste is impeccable, not that I've met menay people with peccable taste.

Father Ted - funny.

seamus

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 11:52 PM

... not surprised by many, in this resurrected old thread (thanks Rick, miss you Rick) .. but I am surprised to see "Joseph Heller - Catch 22" listed.

I have to say I agree! Very very funny book - though the movie had little of the humor (good movie anyway, just not as funny).

And I have to second Seamus Kennedy. He is a truly funny man!

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: number 6
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 07:47 PM

A Canadian TV series called the Trailer Park Boys .... very funny.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Chris Green
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 07:04 PM

Just to level the transatlantic score further - Woody Allen. I got a copy of his Collected Prose and had to put it down after five minutes because my jaw was aching with laughing. Actually, as well, (having thought a little more this!) Joseph Heller - Catch 22 is one of the funniest and most moving books I've ever read!

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Peace
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 06:40 PM

Much of WC Fields.

Robin Williams live.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 06:36 PM

The original Charlie Chaplin movies are extremely funny.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: akenaton
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 05:20 PM

First saw "Life of Brian" on TV with my three sons.

WE laughed so much we ended up rolling on the carpet in agony,one of the boys finally had to turn the TV off...he saved our lives

The Royle family
After hours

They're brilliantly written by Caroline Aherne and Dave Cash ...Ake

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: *Laura*
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 04:46 PM

MONTY PYTHON - esp the Holy Grail.
Blackadder (though not series 1)
Ab Fab
Teachers
French and Saunders (usually)

Good Omens - terry pratchett and neil gaiman.
hitchhikers guide

ish - The League of Gentlemen (often funny - but sh*t scary most of the time too!)

can't think of anything else at the moment but there is more.

unfunny:
Mr Bean
most recent series of French and Saunders (except the chris martin's mother bit LOL)
little britain (except the bits that are based on pythonisms)

again can't think but there is more.

xLx

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: jimmyt
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 03:55 PM

Oh Gee, I just love an objective constructive criticism by someone who obviously knows everything. We must try harder here in the colonies if we are ever going to earn your praise.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: GUEST,BETSY
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 02:55 PM

Canned laughter - don't you Americans know when something is funny ??
You obviously don't - you turn decent performers e.g.Billy Connolly and Tracy Ullman etc into dickheads..........and those TV hosts who telegraph their ad-libs. What is wrong with you all.
Saving grace - you've got Gene Wilder - who is genuinely,inteligently funny .......but the rest of them are as funny as a kick in the balls.
Why don't you know how to leave things alone ?
My son who is 23 shares my love of the original Bilko Series ( in black and white ) quick , slick ,devious and great loveable rogue.
Then you brought out a Hollyewood version - what for? - why can't you keep success precious .
Sorry - British humour has it by a mile - I love it.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 02:35 PM

Dave Barry - funny!

Seamus - also funny

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: GUEST,Barrie Roberts
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 02:25 PM

Bert --- If you're still Mudcatting, the excuse for this late entry is that I've only just stumbled across your reference in this thread to Churcher's College. If you were there when Margaret Rutherford visited in 1951, you must be a contemporary of mine. There's a photo of Adrian Fray presenting a bouquet to M.Rutherford on 'Friends Reunited'. Floreat Churcheria & Credita Coelo and all that!

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Ruthie A
Date: 29 Mar 01 - 03:34 PM

Give me absurd humour and irony! Monty Python had no finest moment - bloody marvellous from beginning to end. I like Terry Pratchett (a genius if ever there was one) and Gerald Durrell's 'My Family and Other Animals' and 'Birds, Beasts and Relatives'. Ever heard Kate Rusby or Les Barker at gigs? They have me in stitches.

Ruthie

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Kim C
Date: 28 Mar 01 - 05:54 PM

King of the Hill, Victor Borge, and Bill Cosby's old bit about the dentist. "Fire!"

My husband is usually pretty funny.

I can't remember what I think isn't funny cause I forget about that stuff right away.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Art Thieme
Date: 28 Mar 01 - 12:31 PM

Mort Sahl & Lenny Bruce & Del Close and John Brent and Avery Schreiber and Lord Buckley and Gamble Rogers and...

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: GUEST,Crazy Eddie
Date: 28 Mar 01 - 07:25 AM

There are far too many funny Films/ TV series / Books / Cartoons to list, but I notice there is very little mention of Radio comedy. Goons, Round The Horne, I'm Sorry I'll read that again, I'm Sorry I haven't A Clue, all spring to mind.
Some very funny items I haven't seen mentioned: Film "Two Way Stretch" with Sellers.
Spike Milligan, books, Radio & TV.
"One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest" Heartbreaking at times, but great humour in places.
"Open All Hours", "Only Fools & Horses" (Patchy, but the good episodes were REALLY good) Father Ted
Unfunny? .....Friends, & Seinfield

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: JudeL
Date: 28 Mar 01 - 06:31 AM

In list of what's funny must add:

Tony Hancock in the blood donor,
Eric Sykes in The Plank
Some Mothers do have 'em,
Morcambe and Wise,

and for current live performers : Les Barker

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: GUEST,Jack Jones
Date: 28 Mar 01 - 02:28 AM

Funniest book ever written "A confederacy of dunces" Funniest playwright Georges Feydeau handsdown

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: kendall
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 10:19 AM

yes JL Barney Miller was the best sit com of all time.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 01:06 AM

Funny Movies:
Danny Kaye, especially in Court Jester ("the vessel with the pestle")

The original Pink Panther (but more for David Niven than for Peter Sellers)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail still tickles me, but I don't really care for the rest of their movies.

Funny Records:
Cosby's "Chickenheart" and "Noah!" were formative influences on my youthful sense of humor ("What's a cubit?")...but I agree, I don't like his later stuff.
Smothers Brothers ("Mom Always Liked You Best")

Funny Plays:
"Noises Off"--the second act can (and has) reduced me to quivering tear-soaked Jello. Timing is all!

Funny TV:
"Grace Under Fire"
Rowan Atkinson (the Elizabethan Blackadder shows; definitely NOT Mr. Bean)
Red Dwarf (I love 'em all)
"Are You Being Served"
"Butterflies"
"Taxi"
"Barney Miller"

Funny Books:
Anything by Patrick McManus--his story about camping out in the backyard with Strange, his dog, was an absolute classic--been there, done that!
Anything by Sparkle Hayden
Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles--there is always at least one chapter that cracks me up completely--a marvelous writer and historian
Dave Barry, "Worst Songs Ever Written" and many of his columns
David Eddings' first series
Too many more to list...

Unfunny:
"Wayne's World"
"Bennie Hill"
"Seinfeld" (although I do like Kramer)
"Cheers"
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
Jay Leno, or any of the many so-called comedic talk show hosts--I avoid talk shows like the plague

Lin

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 03:51 PM

Speaking of comics, whatever became of Alexai Sayle?

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: paddymac
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 03:28 PM

I recall tears of laughter from many of the folks, plays, shiows, movies, etc., noted above. I was surprised nobody mentioned the "Police Academy" movies, especially the earlier ones. I still laugh when I think about the scene where the Commissioner was giving a speech to visiting fuzz when the gal hiding in the podium unzipped him and, well, it was hilarious. Humor is a lot like pornography - I can't define it but I know it when I see it. Rick, thanks for starting a great thread.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Caitrin
Date: 12 Mar 00 - 04:25 PM

Funny: Chaucer, Tom Lehrer, Monty Python, Terry Pratchett, Moxy Fruvous, Wanda Sikes-Hall, Paula Poundstone, Stephen Wright, the idea that anyone considers the genre known as "hardcore" music, Jane Austen, Robin Williams (but NOT in Mrs. Doubtfire-that was just stupid), Ogden Nash, 'spaw and Amos(sometimes), Jonathan Swift, Shakespeare, The Far Side, Bloom County, Calvin and Hobbes, Mike Cross, my little brother, and my dad.
Not Funny: My younger brother and my dad, the TV shows Friends and Seinfeld, and Family Circus.
Absolutely never in a million years even the teeniest bit funny: Austin Powers. Not even a little.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: GUEST,Ickle Dorritt
Date: 12 Mar 00 - 02:33 PM

I laugh out loud to anything written by P G. Wodehouse and I like tommy Cooper,Blackadder and Frasier. Seinfeld leaves me cold, and I have really tried hard to understand it. Don't like cartoons I'm afraid and I definitely prefer british satire to american 9with the exception of the brilliant frasier). Currently laughing at Never mind the buzzcocks and goodness gracious me.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: kendall
Date: 12 Mar 00 - 02:01 PM

Funny things are said, not done. Thats why I enjoy much British humor. (Excluding Benny Hill)

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: GUEST,Frankie
Date: 12 Mar 00 - 01:54 PM

Pogo by Walt Kelly was just about the funniest comic strip ever.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: pastorpest
Date: 12 Mar 00 - 01:20 PM

Funny: The Arrogant Worms (both their songs and banter between songs): Connie Kaldor (sings serious songs introduced with standup that puts most stand ups to shame)

Not funny: Letterman

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Willie-O
Date: 12 Mar 00 - 01:11 PM

oh, I beg your pardon, Madly Off.. as cited above is on now (1:00-1:30 pm EST).

W-O

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Willie-O
Date: 12 Mar 00 - 01:05 PM

Come on Kendall, wasn't it Cleese's parrot who f***ing snuffed it? Shuffled off this mortal coil? Etc?

Whether or not 4-letter words are used depends on what audience one is trying to appeal to...can be artful, or more commonly not, but in a more general sense, self-censoring comics are the least funny, cause they have less room to work in.

What I found funny was a Canadian phone-in radio show a year or so ago, in which about half-a-dozen callers in a row explained as if providing some great insight, that Canadians (Jim Carrey, Dan Ackroyd, Michael J Fox etc etc) are funnier than Americans because we are so self-effacing, personally and as a nation.

Therefore we're better.

No one suggested this was a little bit ironic.

Early almost-everything is better. Roseanne, f'rexample. It was really good the first few years--first it was pretty radical to have a strongly pro-working-class AND feminist show on the networks at all. As an ensemble they worked really well together-the big R, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and whats'her-name Darlene particularly-- and the character development, and treatment of real-life family situations was excellent.

I started to turn off when it seemed the show was all about sex all of a sudden--to the detriment of its previous focus. Not that sex can't be funny and sometimes it was, but the tone was more like "we're so naughty" which just doesn't make it.

Then some genius decided that the Connors should win $100 million in a lottery, and the last year or so of glamming about with the rich set was just completely off the rails--the show had completely lost its bearings and thank god they ended it.

A possible exception to the early-is-better rule:

I recently saw some video of the first few M*A*S*H episodes and had to re-evaluate my feelings completely. There was nothing to them at all but non-stop sexual harassment--that was 100% of the gags. I am sure the show got better later on.

There are some really funny Canadian comedians who you may have to be Canadian (or live here for awhile) to appreciate. Such as Lorne Elliott or Rick Mercer. If you have RealPlayer on your system you can tune in Lorne Elliott's CBC Radio One show, "Madly Off In All Directions" at 1:30 p.m. EST today--quite recommend it (they live-stream the broadcasts but don't archive them, you have to listen in real time). Why don't some of you non-Canadians (I understand there are a couple out there) try it and give us your impressions? There's some other good comedy on CBC radio too.

Enough already!

Willie"don't-get-me-started"-O

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: kendall
Date: 12 Mar 00 - 09:00 AM

Tim Conway on the Carol Burnett show. Jack Benny
George Burns
John Cleese Notice that none of them ever used a 4 letter word. They all depended on real talent.

The unfunny.
Jerry Lewis
Imus
Howard Stern
Eddie Murphy

These guys are about as funny as Mothers Day in an orphanage.

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: Chocolate Pi
Date: 12 Mar 00 - 01:59 AM

my personal funnystuff list:

Plays: The Actor's Nightmare, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All. Christopher Durang. Travesties, Tom Stoppard (if you can understand what's going on; requires prior knowledge of Stalin, James Joyce, Ulysses, The Importantce of Being Ernest, cuckoo clocks ..) funny at times, heartwrenching at others: Arcadia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Tom Stoppard.
Books: Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman Betcha Can't Read Just One, Alan Dean Foster The Decameron, Boccaccio parts of The Master and Margarita, Bulgakov, if taken at face value, are hilarious most Thurber any Ogden Nash any Edward Gorey HHGttG (which can also go under plays and movies)
Movies: Marx Brothers Dr. Strangelove (If you don't get the President on the phone, you'll have to answer to the Coca-Cola company!) Plan 9 from Outer Space Spinal Tap Rocky Horror Picture Show with the following conditions:first viewing as highschool student with friends, all in silly costumes, Harvard Square, midnight, one time only. Them!, It Came from Beneath The Sea, Dr. Cyclops, Mothra, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, any other 50's-ish scifi movie that involves giant radioactivity-induced monsters
music: Tom Lehrer songbook: Joe's Got a Head Like a Ping-Pong Ball, collection of parodies (title tune: William Tell Overture)
computer-related: /usr/bin/fortune the Jargon files (http://jargon.org?) the BOFH
comics: www.userfriendly.org www.nitrozac.com www.sluggy.com Doonesbury

Chocolate Pi (giggling at what an odd assortment of things makes her laugh)

Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not?
From: GUEST,Joshua of the Shoe
Date: 12 Mar 00 - 01:30 AM

Really funny, A confederacy of dunces by John Kennedy Toole, as well as anything ever written by George Feydeau (easily the greatest comic playwright france has ever produced, hell of a lot funnier than Moliere. Fred Allen is always great for a laugh it's a shame he's so hard to come by these days. Unfunny:Jerry Seinfeld, Joseph Heller.