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Who's funny? Who's Not?
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Subject: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Rick Fielding Date: 30 Jun 99 - 01:53 PM This came about from perusing the "Hitchiker's Guide" thread. It seems to me that who we laugh at is a defining part of our personality. It often gets down to the very heart of our culture and upbringing as well. Sometimes, of course we cross all cultural lines and laugh heartily at someone for reasons we can't explain. Here's a few of my favourite and least favourite "funny people". Funny. Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.(Ab-Fab!!) Peter Sellers (on radio, records, and early films) Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder Stephen Wright Mel Brooks.(only Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein) Spinal Tap Christopher Guest.(rent "Waiting for Guffman", a hilarious movie) And he's married to Jamie Lee Curtis!! Woody Allen (before we started to have our doubts about his sanity and (possible) relationships with the very young.
Jerry Fallwell, his "Telletubbies debacle had me howling for days
Unfunny.
Very Unfunny.
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Margo Date: 30 Jun 99 - 02:05 PM FUNNY: Red Skelton Marx Brothers Zero Mostel Jaques Tatis Tom Lehrer Wierd Al Yankovich NOT FUNNY: Jerry Lewis Bill Cosby Most commedians nowadays I agree, Rick. Clinton is ludicrous. Margarita |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Tony Burns Date: 30 Jun 99 - 02:12 PM What? No mention of Don Rickles? (The most pathetic excuse for a comedian ever.) |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: John OSh Date: 30 Jun 99 - 02:13 PM Funny: Bill Murray (especially his understated humor in Rushmore) PJ O'Rourke in his essays Phil Hartman (RIP) The 3 Stooges (most modern "physical" comedians are pale rip offs of these funny men) Chris Farley (RIP) Conan O'Brien (very good, warped sense) John Candy Mike Meyers Buster Keaton Mel Brooks, Sid Ceasar and anyone associated w/ Show of Shows Jackie Gleason Unfunny: Rosie O'Donnell Howard Stern/ "Mancow" Muller - Two of the greatest idiots ever to grace any form of media Jerry Seinfield (the show was funny, he is not) Chris Rock Magic Johnson (as he tried his show) and WHOOPIE - quite possibly the worst comedian/actress ever to walk the earth. Many others could be listed in either category based on individual performances, but I will bid adieu |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Peter T. Date: 30 Jun 99 - 02:33 PM Gee, beg to differ, early Bill Cosby is extremely funny -- The first four or five albums are brilliant word pictures. I have no idea what happened after that (being TV deprived). The two funniest movies I have ever seen were the first Monty Python film, and La Cage aux Folles. They are the only two films I have ever seen where the audience became giddily hysterical -- that exquisite moment when the audience just cannot stop laughing, and it gets worse. La Cage Aux Folles was particularly good because with subtitles people could laugh, and not be afraid of missing the jokes. There are few moments like that in Mel Brooks ("Springtime for Hitler"), but they don't sustain themselves for me, anyway. They need to build, and build, and build. What you want to do is walk out of the moviehouse or theatre sick from exhaustion from laughing. In the theatre you can do this, mostly in farce (Tom Stoppard's On the Razzle I have seen do this to an audience. Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream done well, and Much Ado About Nothing done well can do it too in the theatre, not on film yet anyway), but in films it is very rare. As a onetime actor/director, I have been able to induce it once or twice in an audience, and it is unbelievably exhilirating. It is like nothing else on earth. I once was a minor player in a play that did that, and the actors were all backstage afterwards screaming and weeping with joy. Yours, Peter T. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Fadac Date: 30 Jun 99 - 03:04 PM Funny: What's my line, the Drew Carry version. It was dumb, but I found myself laughing anyway. Oldtime funny: Red Skeleton, Erni Kovac, I'm stuck, there was a guy that had a crazy band in the 1940's and 50's, they used about everything to make music, execpt for regular instruments. Gunshots, ford bumpers, wood poles, augh, I can't think of the name. One of there best tunes was "Beatlebomb" the race horse. Unfunny, anyone that has to use blue language to get a laugh. That just shows that they don't know what they are doing. -Fadac |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Peter T. Date: 30 Jun 99 - 03:15 PM Spike Jones, Fadac. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Fadac Date: 30 Jun 99 - 03:51 PM Yup, Thanks Peter. I have a video tape of him, in B&W, still fresh, and still funny. -Fadac |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Jack (Who is called Jack) Date: 30 Jun 99 - 03:55 PM Funny. Fred Allen MST3K (on a good night). Monty Python & the Holy Grail The original radio broadcasts of Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy (especially Marvin the Paranoid Android). The Marx Brothers, anywhere, anytime, especially Groucho. Early Bill Cosby (Hofstra remains one of my all time favorites). The Firesign Theatre. P.J. O'Rourke before he got too overtly political. Mort Sahl. Harold Ramis - as a screenwriter. Early George Carlin The old soap opera spoof 'SOAP'. Rob Becker. Bob Dole hawking Viagra. Not Funny. The Three Stooges (maybe its just me, but I don't laugh ) Don Imus, Howard Stern, Rush, et al. Misogyny (see above) Jerry Lewis Ernest (in his movies, know what I mean?) |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: catspaw49 Date: 30 Jun 99 - 04:05 PM As was originally stated, humor is in the mind of the beholder, so to speak. Many of my favorites are writers and I do have genuine appreciation for quick witted, somewhat cynical, wordsmiths such as George S. Kaufman, who once turned to a babbling dinner partner and asked, "Madam, do you have any unexpressed thoughts?" I would love to have lived in the times of the Algonquin Round Table group...just to be a fly on the wall. Woolcott, Braun, Parker........... Of course there is Woody Allen, whose writing always cracked me up for his ability to juxtapose the ridiculous and the ludicrous. Obviously this influences me, ie., when I said the Reg boys were arrested for "eating nine flats of marigolds," (ridiculous) "and a Barcalounger." (ludicrous)......I also like Fran Lebowitz who observed, "On this block (in NYC) there are five places that sell croissants. One is called 'Bon Jour Croissant.' Makes me want to go to Paris and open up a place called 'Hello Toast'." And if you're curmudgeonly at all, reading Ambrose Bierce is a must: from the "Devil's Dictionary"--"History: An account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, brought about by Rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools." Then there was Lenny and regardless of personal problems, he certainly had an insight into our culture and his social commentary was often too true. In the stand-up world, I've always had a taste for the performer who could make me squirm, laugh, and cry at the same time. I know he has offended a lot of people, but the all time star of this is Richard Pryor. One time through the "Wino and the Junkie" ..........it's too true, it's funny, it's pathetic. This is getting too long....be back later. BTW, I like a lot of the choices I've read so far...Good thread Rick...and Rick,FYI--a Barcalounger is a brand of recliner. These overstuffed behemoths are often occupied by a large dog (like mine is by the stupid weimaraner), hence the name. Or maybe it's one of the stars in the constellation of "Willie, the Urinal Scrubber." I forget these things. catspaw
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Bert Date: 30 Jun 99 - 04:14 PM Funny: Billy Connolly, Red Dwarf, Fawlty Towers, Early Carry-On films, Marsha Warfield, Dad's Army, 'allo 'allo, The Goons, Ken Dodd, Early Absolutely Fab. Funny sometimes: Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Whoopie Goldberg, Bill Murray, Chris Farley, Gallagher, Laverne & Shirley, Brian Rix. Rarely funny: Marx Brothers, Monty Python, Three Stooges, Peter Sellers (the worst of the Goons), Black Adder. Bert. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: annamill Date: 30 Jun 99 - 04:19 PM I think Catspaw's pretty funny.
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Bert Date: 30 Jun 99 - 04:24 PM 'Funny peculiar' or 'funny Ha Ha'? |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: annamill Date: 30 Jun 99 - 04:26 PM Bert, Yes. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Jeri Date: 30 Jun 99 - 05:06 PM Me too. Actually, I'm probably damaged in some way because I find a lot of everyone's "unfunny" examples hilarious at times. Well, I can't stand Jerry Lewis. I love an awful lot of British humo(u)r - Monty Python, AbFab, Hitchiker's Guide, anything by Terry Pratchett and (big YES) Red Dwarf. The Americans everyone has mentioned are funny, but not as good (to me) as the British. Well, except for maybe Stephen Wright. I just like irony. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Mudjack Date: 30 Jun 99 - 05:23 PM Heck I think Charlton Heston with his campaign for the NRA is funny. I must be getting a strange since of humor, I thought " Something about Mary" was as funny as it gets. I'm not deprived of TV but just deprived of any good programming. I do tape Politically Incorrect and try to get past the arguing. The comedy can sneak out once in a while.The thread makes me recall all the greats and not so great anymore. My vote has to go to the infamous Spaw Mudjack |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: JOfield Date: 30 Jun 99 - 05:47 PM Living in Europe for over a year now, I've had ample opportunity to watch lots of BBC 'comedy' shows. I find AbFab, the Young Ones, etc., stultifyingly un-funny. They are from the "God, aren't we hilarious." school of acting, which is, of course, the kiss of death, comedy-wise. Nothing but mugging and poorly-executed pratfalls. Give me any Seinfeld or any Simpsons any day. Americans seemed to have learned how to get intelligent laughs out of irony and satire in way that has eluded -- or escaped -- the Brits. As for who's funny, I go back to Sid Caesar, though his material doesn't hold up as well today as Jackie Gleason's still does. Guys like Buddy Hackett and Dom DeLouise were funny saying almost anything. Ever heard recordings of Woody Allen's standup routines? Killer. I have a special place in my heart for Steve Martin -- and Steve Allen, for that matter. Jim Carrey aside, almost none of the current youngsters know what comedy is. Adam Sandler is President-For-Life of the Thank You, Lord Club (He succeeds Tony Danza). Didn't every one of us go to high school with someone just like Sandler -- only funnier? James in Paris. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: bseed(charleskratz) Date: 30 Jun 99 - 06:23 PM A few really funny movies (we've said enough about Young Frankenstein): Where's Poppa, The Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (?), The Ladykillers (Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers both at top form), The Wrong Box (Peter Sellers, Dudley Moore, his partner of old Peter Cook, and many others), The Twelve Chairs, The General, Steamboat Bill, Junior, Safety Last;, the first of the Pink Panther sequels--what was its name? In music, Ron Thomason of the Dry Branch Fire Squad, the Austin Lounge Lizards. Gotta go--have a dr.'s apptmt. (and gotta rid my bladder of some lasix) now that's funny. --seed
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Alice Date: 30 Jun 99 - 06:30 PM I love Lucy, whether she's trying to get into Ricky's act, or working at the chocolate factory, whatever, great timing, great expression. Burns and Allen, Danny Kaye, and Laurel & Hardy. Never liked the 3 stooges. Hitting and insults just aren't funny to me. I like most of the British comedies that make their way to American tv. I also liked the Australian series, 'Mother and Son'.
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Steve Latimer Date: 30 Jun 99 - 07:10 PM Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the be all and end all. (but of corze AH'm french, Why do zhink, I have zis outrageous accent?) Python usually do it for me, primarily John Cleese, who I also loved as Basil Fawlty. He and Kevin Kline were great in A Fish Called Wanda. Kline was also great in Mystic Pizza. The first time I ever saw the Marx Bros was the night I got home from the hospital after a hernia operation. I laughed so hard that I almost burst the stitches and of course the pain was terrible, but I couldn't tear myself away from the T.V. I think Groucho had the quickest comedic mind I've ever seen, but I also loved Harpo's Faces and antics and Chico's butchering of the language and he was a great straight man for Groucho. I liked W.C. Fields, couldn't stand the Stooges, loved early Saturday Night Live, I miss Steve Martin's Stand Up, Steven Wright never fails to break me up. Remember another Mel Brooks work? Get Smart, used to race home from school every day to see it. I wonder If I would still find it funny. Bseed, good one with Where's Poppa, I was just thinking of that the other day. I loved early Cosby, someone mentioned his Hofstra routine, one of the funniest things I've ever heard, but I also loved Noah's Ark and the one about being locked in his room listening to Inner Sanctum. He seemed to become full of himself in the seventies and I can't stand his later stuff. As a Canadian I'm proud of the comedians that have come from here, Candy, Meyers, Carrey, Ackroyd etc. But we also produced the most unfunny yet seemingly popular 'comedy' team of all time, Wayne & Shuster. The Commitments was hilarious, Spinal Tap made me rethink how I felt about Led Zeppelin et. al. Sellers as Inspector Closeau was great, but the movies wouldn't have been the same without Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Dreyfuss. Sorry for the stream of conciuosness thread. I might like comedy more than I like music. I spend my life waiting for straight lines and reasons to laugh. Oh yeah, Bob Dylan cracked me up a times, I Shall Be free and others of that ilk. I think all Dylan fans get so caught up in his serious stuff that we forgot just how funny he could be when he was loose. Here comes the vaudeville hook, bye. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Dan Date: 30 Jun 99 - 07:31 PM Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were funny as hell; so was George Goble. My family laughs at the Pink Panther a lot. My favorite is the time he gets tangled up in that suit of armor, and, oh, yeah, the vacuum cleaner scene. I can't name too many unfunny people because I reroute my mind. Last week I walked out of that stupid movie about the 60's detective who came back. It was so stupid and disgusting I can't remember the name. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Tiger Date: 30 Jun 99 - 07:32 PM Amazing consistency in this thread (with a few exceptions). Surprised not to see Jonathan Winters, Smothers Brothers, and Steve Allen. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: DWDitty Date: 30 Jun 99 - 08:01 PM Tom Waits, the 1st Bert & I record, Shel Silverstein, Kenneth Patchen, Art Thieme, my friend Ralph Durante, Kramer, Elaine, and George, Dennis Leary (way over the top-but I can't stand the Bee Gees either), Clem Kaddidlehopper (Red Skelton), Roy Book Binder.
Unfunny: Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Paulie Shore, Rosie O'Donnell, Jerry Springer (even if he isn't trying to be), Jerry Falwell, Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Mathers, Jerry Lewis, ...do I sense a pattern here? |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Rita64 Date: 30 Jun 99 - 08:10 PM No offence to all you good folk but GENERALLY I have always found American humour extremely unfunny, groanworthy and sometimes painful. There are few exceptions ... Give me devastating dry wit any time. Australian humour is like an "in joke" incomprehensible to those on the outside - I grew up with it and I love it. I agree, Monty Python & The Holy Grail is a masterpiece. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: alison Date: 30 Jun 99 - 08:35 PM As an outsider some Aussie humour is just not funny, or maybe you had to be there..... but a lot of it is just too racist and chauvanistic for my liking...... admittedly some of this is a specific ethnic group taking the hand out of themselves, but I still find it offensive. Other Aussie stuff is great. Can't stand US stuff with excessive canned laughter. But did like Cheers, MASH, etc Being brought up in th UK I like Billy Connolly, Jasper Carrott, Monty Python especially Holy Grail, Rowan Atkinson, Dave Allen, The Two Ronnies, Morecambe and Wise, Lenny Henry(loathe Ab Fab, Norman Wisdom, Jerry Lewis and the 3 Stooges) slainte alison |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Jeri Date: 30 Jun 99 - 08:45 PM DWDitty - are you trying to tell me something? |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: puzzled Date: 30 Jun 99 - 08:52 PM Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy silent films are great for laughs. Harold Lloyd's are too. I have attended silent film festivals where the audience was laughing so hard that everyone left exhausted.
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: bseed(charleskratz) Date: 30 Jun 99 - 09:02 PM I think the funniest movie of all time is one I mentioned above, but to which no one responded: Harold Lloyd's masterpiece, Safety Last. Probably the hardest I ever laughed was at a Victor Borge "concert." I lost my voice and my stomach ached from non-stop spasms of merriment. Some of the early Muppets routines on Sesame Street were classics, in particular "Lulu's Back in Town." And of course, The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave--the incredible Nick Park's wonderful claymation (it's been a while since he made those two--and a somewhat lesser one, A Fine Day Out. His work in the gas commercials (the talking cars) is so good that I remember the comedy, but not the gas company. It's probably one I boycott for something or other, anyway. --seed |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: catspaw49 Date: 30 Jun 99 - 09:41 PM Hey seed---say what?....Anyway, Hi. I gotta' agree about Harold Lloyd in general. Very creative, and supremely funny. His later talkie stuff is generally panned, but I like it too. The Sins of Harold Diddlebock continues to keep me laughing. I liked Buster Keaton too and no one ever mentions a 30 minute or so thing he did for the Canadian Pacific. Walks out of the Atlantic and rides a gas powered handcar to the Pacific. He was close to the end at the time, but in many ways it was as funny as anything he'd ever done. catspaw |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: catspaw49 Date: 30 Jun 99 - 09:43 PM Hey seed---say what?....Anyway, Hi. I gotta' agree about Harold Lloyd in general. Very creative, and supremely funny. His later talkie stuff is generally panned, but I like it too. The Sins of Harold Diddlebock continues to keep me laughing. I liked Buster Keaton too and no one ever mentions a 30 minute or so thing he did for the Canadian Pacific. Walks out of the Atlantic and rides a gas powered handcar to the Pacific. He was close to the end at the time, but in many ways it was as funny as anything he'd ever done. catspaw |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: katlaughing Date: 30 Jun 99 - 10:18 PM Many of the above mentioned, esp. Dave Allen and John Cleese, but nobody has mentioned George Carlin...talk about irony! katlaughing |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: LEJ Date: 30 Jun 99 - 10:56 PM Funniest Movie- My all time favorite has to be A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. It is the perfect mix of comic values; a blistering pace, ridiculous pratfalls, mistaken identities, double entendres, and Zero Mostel. When I watch it I get tears of sheer joy. Other great movies, Mel's Young Frank of course, as well as Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, and The Producers, Woody's Play It Again Sam, and the one wwhere Woody is frozen and thawed in the future, Airplane (the first time),Trains,Planes and Automobiles, and Sellers in The PInk Panther. I've got to admit I loved Ace Ventura, both movies (The escape from the rhino is a true classic."Oh, look children! The mother rhino is giving birth!") Funniest TV show- Barney Miller. The one where a cake full of pot was seized as evidence, then eaten by the crew at Fish's birthday party was gut-wrenchingly funny. Also Monty Python, Taxi, Cheers, Fernwood Tonight and The Carol Burnette Show, Seinfeld Funniest comedian or Comedy Group- Jonathan Winters was the all-time master of the ad-lib, and Robin Williams owes him everything. John Candy was great on Second City, and in Planes, Trains. Also Firesign (Most o the time),Letterman, the new Daily Show host, early Steve Martin,Stephen Wright,Rowan Atkinson,a lot of Chevy Chase. Not Funny!- Green Acres. I used to actually get claustrophobic if I had to watch more than 5 minutes. Petticoat Junction, which was a spinoff of Acres. The Marx Bros (most of the time), The Three Stooges (all of the time), Mike Meyers as Austin Powers, Jerry Lewis, Adam Sandler,and the guy who does the musical political satires, yeah-Mark Russell!"And now my salute to Monica Lewinsky, to the tune of 'I've Been Workin' on the Railroad!'" Which reminds me of Weird Al Yankovic, who is also trying way too hard. And you English People! Some of the stuff that you find funny! My wife sat me down to watch some guy called "Magical Cooper"! She's in hysterics, and I keep going "What? What'd he say? What's funny?" I also think Seed, Art, Catspaw, Alice, Fielding, Peter T,Bert, Katlaughing, SeanM, fadac and some of you others are extremely humorous. And I really think Skarpi is putting us all on. LEJ |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Date: 30 Jun 99 - 11:03 PM Wait a minute. It might be a mirage... BSeed, I believe it was called "Shot in the Dark". very, very funny. I say this "in a rit of fealous jage". I can go way, way back... I love the old English humor. Can anyone tell me the one about a girls school with an early Peter Sellers. A famous male actor played the head mistress. The English do seem to like to dress in drag. "NOI" **GRIN** Alec Guiness in "A Man in a White Suit". At least I think it was he. Here's a quiz. I don't remember his name, but only because it's 11pm and I've had a couple and it was a tough day. Here's a line: "The other pup was called Liberace, because he was the peeinest/pianist". He was also English. He was in "The Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines". Whoaa.. there is a funny movie. If no one remembers, I'll get it tomorrow. He played a German guard. Oh damn, I could go on forever. Have a good night. Love, annap
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: alison Date: 01 Jul 99 - 12:05 AM There was one where Alastair Sims dressed in drag s a head mistress. can't remember the name. There is another beautiful old black and white classic 'Happiest days of their lives" where Alastair sims and Margaret Rutherford play a head master and mistress respectively of a boys and girls boarding school which mistakenly get lumped in together... add in parents visiting and them trying to cover up the fact that the other school is there... great stuff we're getting re runs of Father Ted here... great Irish comedy....... 3 priests. middle of nowhere...... Helen.. I thought they were just repeating the first series of Red Dwarf..... they didn't remake it did they? slainte alison
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: thosp Date: 01 Jul 99 - 12:31 AM gracie allen--- p.g.wodehouse---are you being served---victor borge---and the gallows humor of the political arena |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Rick Fielding Date: 01 Jul 99 - 01:28 AM Oh My God!! Does anybody feel like I do right now? I want to hear and see so many of these wonderful people again. So many that I'd forgotten to list. TONY HANCOCK, The Producers etc. etc. I want to listen to early Bill Cosby to see if he actually WAS funny. My memory says maybe so. My humble apologies for loving AB FAB. I know it's vicious, nasty and mean spirited but Heather and I roar with laughter when we see it. And Tom Lehrer! Brilliant! And I forgot my all-time spiritual and philosophical guru, Quentin Crisp. And Stephen Fry, and Spike Milligan and, and....... |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Mark Roffe Date: 01 Jul 99 - 01:31 AM Sidney J. Perelman (b.2/1/04, d.10/17/79), better know as S.J. Perelman. He wrote the dialog for most of the best Marx Bros. movies, as well as some of the funniest books in the world. His works include: Movies by Perelman: 1) Monkey Business (1931) 2) Horse Feathers (1932) 3) Animal Crackers (?) 4) Around the World in 80 Days (1956) Books by Perelman: 1) Crazy like a Fox (1944) 2) Strictly from Hunger (1937) 3) Look Who's Talking! (1940) 4) Westward Ha! (1948), Simon & Schuster (Illustrated by Hirschfeld) 5) The Swiss Family Perelman (1949), (illustrated by Hirschfeld) 6) Vinegar Puss (includes "Around the Bend in 80 Days") (1975) 7) Eastward, Ha! (1977) 8) Dawn Ginsbergh's Revenge (includes "How to fall out of a Hammock") 9) The Last Laugh 10) Whiskey Sours (w/Quentin Reynolds, 1930) 11) Acres and Pains (1947) 12) The Ill-Tempered Clavichord (1952) (includes "Swing Out, Sweet Opiate") 13) Keep it Crisp 14) The Most of S.J. Perelman (includes "Farewell, My Lovely Appetizer") 15) Listen to the Mocking Bird 16) Chicken Inspector No. 23 (1966) 17) The Road to Miltown (1957) 18) The Rising Gorge (includes "Small Bore in Africa, or, Dr. Perelman, I Presume) 19) Perelman's Home Companion (1955) 20) Baby, It's Cold Inside (1968?) Magazines: 1) New Yorker (50 yrs) 2) Holiday Plays/shows by Perelman: 1) All Good Americans (+ film) 2) The Night before Christmas (+film) 3) One Touch of Venus (w/Ogden Nash) (1943) 4) Sweet Bye and Bye (w/Al Hirschfeld, songs by Vernon Duke) (1946) 5) The Beauty Part (Lahr) 1962 6) Gang Aft Aglee ('46) 7) Aladdin (w/Cole Porter) 1958 8) That's Entertainment (music and lyrics by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz), 1972 TV by Perelman: 1) The Big Wheel (starring Bert Lahr) 2) Malice in Wonderland (Lahr) Books about Perelman: 1) S.J. Perelman: A Life, Dorothy Herrmann, Putnam 1986 2) That Old Gang o' Mine:L The Early and Essential S.J. Perelman, Richard Marschall, Morrow, 1984 3) "That Perelman of Great Price is 65", William Zinsser, New York TImes Magazine, 1/26/69 4) Don't Mention the Marx Brothers: Escapades with S.J. Perelman, Eric Lister, Sussex, England, The Book Guild, 1985 Other funny people include: Robert Benchley (His son Peter, not a humorist, wrote Jaws, but Robert was a scream), Sid Caeser, whoops, gotta run....more later maybe, Bark Woof |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Rick Fielding Date: 01 Jul 99 - 01:41 AM Oops, forgot Peter Schikele (sp). P.D.Q. Bach. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: gargoyle Date: 01 Jul 99 - 01:46 AM RickFielding catspaw49 CharlesKratz Katlaughing |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: bseed(charleskratz) Date: 01 Jul 99 - 02:59 AM A couple more Alec Guiness movies: Kind Hearts and Coronets, and The Lavender Hill Mob. Gerald McBoingBoing. Glenn Close as Cruella DeVille. Bloom County, particularly the anxiety claset. WKRP--Les Nesman Taxi, definitely, particularly Rev. Jim and Latka. Speaking of The New Yorker, the original Charles Addams cartoons (the movies had some good moments) Definitely not funny, and totally lacking in acting ability: Roseanne Ya stuck me in some great company there, Gargoyle. Of course I know you're being sarcastic. --seed Almost less funnier (more funniless?) than Roseanne: The Nanny.
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Roger the zimmer Date: 01 Jul 99 - 03:49 AM as well as many of those mentioned I like the slow burn of Rob Wilton and Jack Benny Who's not funny? Well, I'm less funny than I try to be! |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Bert Date: 01 Jul 99 - 08:32 AM Can anyone tell me the one about a girls school with an early Peter Sellers. A famous male actor played the head mistress. That was "The Belles of St. Trinians". Great Movie. The English do seem to like to dress in drag. "NOI" **GRIN** --- Ah yes - You've just reminded me of how much I miss a good Panto. "Happiest days of your life" was filmed in part at the School I went to (Churcher's College, Petersfield, Hants)and Margaret Rutherford came and visited us one year on speech day. You guys have reminded me of so many funny ones that I had forgotten. Seeing as we're including authors as well, I bet you can't read "Wilt" by Tom Sharpe without laughing out loud. And "Trapp's War" by Brian Callison is anouther masterpiece. Bert. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: alison Date: 01 Jul 99 - 09:17 AM Did they rerun Taxi in the US.. I only remember it being shown once in the UK... which was a pity. always reckoned that once the cast all became big stars they might not have wanted it repeated. slainte alison |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Mike Billo Date: 01 Jul 99 - 10:00 AM Funny; Buster Keaton, W.C Fields, The Three Stooges, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Christine Lavin, Spike Milligan, Spike Jones, Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, Lord Buckley, Carol Leifer, and all of the Fleischer Bros. Cartoons (Boop, early Popeye, etc.). Not Funny; Charlie Chaplin(talented, but not funny), Peter Sellers, Bill Cosby, Jerry Lewis, Sinbad(his career is an enigma to me),Paula Poundstone. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: annamill Date: 01 Jul 99 - 10:03 AM Good morning, I'm better now. Benny Hill. Yes, Alastair Sim in "The Belles of St. Trinians". I love it. Thank you Bert, Alison. BSeed, I have The Lavender Hill Mob on tape. It is wonderful. Alec Guiness did genius type work in Kind Hearts and Coronets. Of course he is a genius. Very, very NOT funny. I think it's incredibly sad. "Married with Children".I don't find even one of the characters funny. I scares me that it's a hit. I used to find Roseanne funny when she first started. I actually laughed out loud. Recently, though...oh well. Have a wonderful day. Love, Anna
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Rick Fielding Date: 01 Jul 99 - 11:37 AM Funny: Abbott and Costello AND Flanders and Swan. Now do you see how messed up I am? |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Rick Fielding Date: 01 Jul 99 - 11:41 AM Ahaa! I think Gargoyle feels our "left of Attila the Hun" political stances are what makes us funny. Oh well, I'm in good company! |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: LEJ Date: 01 Jul 99 - 11:53 AM Why are leftwingers so much funnier than right wingers? P J O'Rourke is the only funny conservative I can think of. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: Jeri Date: 01 Jul 99 - 12:07 PM LEJ, a lot of conservatives are funny, it's just not intentional. Dan Quale, f'rinstance is a hoot and a half. Nobody's mentioned Dave Barry, yet. Who's the guy who sings those political songs and plays piano on PBS specials - Mark Somebody? And Capitol Steps, and Dilbert. |
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Subject: RE: Who's funny? Who's Not? From: moonchild Date: 01 Jul 99 - 12:37 PM Have to admit I still watch I Love Lucy almost every night and still laugh. Gracie Allen was dry, funny, and brilliant. Tom Waits, George Carlin. "Are You Being Served" "WKRP In Cincinatti" "Taxi" "Mad About You" Freddie Prinze stand-up. Early Bill Cosby. "Dennis Miller Live" I'm not an afficiado of comedy movies. Very unfunny ... Eddie Murphy and most of today's comics' stand-up. moonchild |
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