Humor

Some authors have ventured to suggest that it's humor that sets humans apart from the lower animals. I don't know about lower animals; if you've ever owned a dog, you could not have possibly missed the grin of anticipation on its face as it waits for you to discover its latest practical joke. 

Cats are different. They always regard you with this look that seems to say, "What? Are you looking at me? Is something wrong?" Humor seldom comes into it. I remember the wonderful day --back when I was in grade seven I believe it was-- when a bunch of buddies and I decided to delight our friends in boarding school with a play. It was a home-made drama about a troubled kingdom, where the Prime Minister was plotting against the King. I was starred as the villain of the piece, but somehow I had to drink wine laced with poison, I remember. (It seems to me that I should have been lacing the wine, not drinking it. Obviously the plot must have been more subtle than I recall.) 

It was a Methodist school (lord love 'em) and we were all, what, eleven or twelve, and not permitted to drink spoiled orange juice, let alone wine. I was supposed to be brought a glass of Portello (a distant ancestor of Dr Pepper). On the evening of the performance, I settled down onstage, and called for the wine. The glass was duly brought out by the Butler (who hammed it up, as expected), and, possibly out of a desire not to be upstaged, I grossly over-acted the innocent task of drinking the wine. Instead of writhing on the floor with pain, though, I finished the glass, and called for another, showing every indication of appreciating the drink. The audience, who had been expecting at least a decent belly-ache, roared with laughter. (We were usually bored out of our minds on Saturday nights in boarding school, and would have roared at practically anything.) Thus a clown was born. 

Clowning, of course, isn't really the kind of humor we want to talk about when we're feeling intellectual, so I'll let it go soon. But some of the greatest comics we have known have also been clowns. It seems to me that someone with a sense of humor should write a piece about Clowning. Clowns are such dreadfully serious people that you can't trust a clown with the job. I'm not knowledgeable enough to be the one to do it myself. In the rest of what follows, I would like to describe some of the funniest people whose work I'm familiar with, and hope that if you like some of these, you might want to check out the rest.

Woody Allen. We know Woody from his brilliant movies, though younger folk who browse the internet might not be familiar with them. If you think about it, the humor in those movies is very literary; and if you suspected that Woody Allen was a brilliant humorist author, you would be right. I found an anthology of humor one time, and his was one of the funniest pieces in it. I wish his brand of humor would come back in fashion! If you do want to try one of his movies, it might help to have the subtitles on, so as not to miss a single syllable of his humor! 

Mel Brooks. Oh, where to begin? If you plan to end your life tonight, just hold off until you watch Blazing Saddles, one of the funniest western spoofs ever made. It features a star cast including Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman, Mel Brooks himself, Madeline Kahn, a very young Alex Karras, John Hillerman, Dom de Louise, Count Basie and Slim Pickens. It's worth watching if only for Madeline Kahn for her vintage performance parodying Marlene Dietrich, for which alone Madeline Kahn deserves a Nobel Prize. This is a keeper. It was one of the first DVDs I bought for my personal film archives, and every time they come up with a super deluxe anniversary edition of the same thing, I buy another one. Warning: the ending is a preposterously sophomoric cop-out right from the pages of MAD Magazine, but what the heck.

Groucho Marx. The Marx Brothers, a bunch of real brothers who emigrated from Hungary, were dragged along in the wake of the comedic genius of Groucho. Harpo and Chico were talented comic actors in their own right, but Groucho was also an amazing literary humorist. I don't know whether there is a lot of Groucho writing available today, but it is certainly worth reading. It takes you back to the mad old days of the 40s, but they're good days to go back to, even if they weren't that much fun to live in. (I was not around in person.) As Groucho might have said, you can have your big game hunting, but in Alabama the Tuscaloosa. Stupid, right? But funny! Here's another one: Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. (Inside of a dog, it's hard to read.)

Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicky Lawrence, and Tim Conway. These four actors were absolutely inspired, especially as they appeared in the Carol Burnett Show. For sheer physical humor, none of them could be surpassed. If you need one episode to try before you make up your mind, try the spoof of Gone with the Wind. A good DVD to invest in is their collection called Show Stoppers, which singles out the moments where the cast of the show lost control at their own jokes. the culprit was usually Harvey Korman, an incorrigible giggler! 

Danny Kaye. Danny Kaye was a physical comedian, and a comic actor. He appeared in a number of movies, including the Court Jester, the Inspector General, and Knock on Wood. Towards the end of his life, he appeared as a crazy Russian dentist in the Cosby Show, an absolute triumph! He was also incredibly musical, and has appeared with symphony orchestras, (I believe the New York Philharmonic was one) for fund-raisers. The brilliant writer of Danny Kaye's patter songs was Silvia Fine, later Silvia Fine Kaye, and some of her best stuff is in Court Jester, where Danny is trying to learn which drinking vessel to avoid. "The vessel with the pestle, not the chalice from the palace." (Danny Kaye's friend is a lady spy, played brilliantly by Glynis Johns, who subsequently appeared in an equally brilliant role in Mary Poppins, as the suffragette mother of the two little kids. [Added later: I just discovered that it was for Glynis Johns that Steven Sondheim wrote "Send in the Clowns."] Also, watch the unforgettable Gypsy Song in Inspector General, in which Danny Kaye sings, dances, and either plays the violin, or pretends to do it very well indeed.  

Bill Cosby. It's hard to classify Bill Cosby, because his interests seem to spread wider than his niche as a comic. One wonders whether he is a reformer stuck inside the body of a comic, or a comic stuck inside the body of an educationist. Still, this should not distract us from admiring his humor, which is not only an insightful commentary on the condition of being black in a white world --actually a rather minor concern for him-- but being a man dealing with women, and being an intelligent person dealing with lovable idiots. I laughed myself sick at one of his shows. A funny, funny guy. 

P. G. Wodehouse. Wodehouse is a member of a generation of Brits who decided that the USA wasn't as bad as they had thought back in 1776. A lot of his humor had to do with hyperbole, and using American slang in odd ways. The British don't find Wodehouse particularly funny, but out in the Commonwealth, Wodehouse provides an opportunity to peek in on the early 20th century in Britain, and keep company with Wodehouse's own brand of lovable nuts. Wodehouse provided some of the words and lyrics to Guys and Dolls, a Broadway musical which was later released as a movie that starred Marlon Brando, for you Brando fans. It's full of the 40s gangster talk that Wodehouse loved. If you like Wodehouse, you might also try S.J. Perelman and Stephen Leacock, both funny writers of the same period, from New York and Toronto, respectively.  

Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. The late Douglas Adams was a very funny writer. His language was not dreadfully funny, but his ideas were. Even his choice of names (e.g. Ford Prefect) would make me laugh out loud. He could dream up one funny situation after another. The new movie version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a worthy addition to his collection of books. Also very funny are The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul, and the other Dirk Gently book(s). Terry Pratchett, in contrast, in addition to being someone who could create comedic situations, is also able to squeeze a laugh even out of a description of a perfectly ordinary scene, like P.G.Wodehouse could. In addition, he has a brilliant knack for parody, which is probably a survival trait among Brits, so weighed down by superior literature. One way to keep sane after a dozen years of Shakespeare is to parody it. Try Wyrd Systers, one of his classic works, which parodies not only Macbeth, but also Hamlet, and heaven knows how many other plays. 

Monty Python, Saturday Night Live, and Second City These jokesters were comic ensembles, so it's hard to know where to give credit for their hilarious stuff. Monty Python's writing was done by the fellows themselves, and Saturday Night Live had writers, one of whom is a great comic in his own right: Al Franken. Second City is an unknown quantity for me; all I know is that the few shows I have watched had me in stitches. (Aren't they Canadians? You've gotta have a sense of humor to live over there.)  

Ellen DeGeneres. I wish there were more nominees to be the Carol Burnette of this century. Ellen DeGeneres is a leading contender, and if you doubt me, watch Finding Nemo, and listen to the manic lines of Dory, the confused female buddy who helps Nemo's dad to rescue the youngster. I can't tell how much of the dialog is the screenplay and how much is Ellen, but her humor and her personality shine through. I must read her stuff; it is probably very funny. She should really get into Burnett-like skits; maybe she does, and I just haven't seen them. She's a tad too self-conscious to be totally effective; but that could be a matter of extreme youth. (I don't know how old she is, but she does look young.) 

Paula Poundstone. I had never seen this lady do her stuff (until a few seconds ago), but she is a hilarious panelist on Wait, wait, don't tell me! one of the few funny shows on NPR. I like her awkward humor, but she does have a good feel for comedy. The important thing for a comedian is to spot things that an ordinary person should find funny, but maybe has not noticed yet. Click on the title of this piece, and you should get a YouTube clip of Paula on Letterman.  

Garrison Keillor. I almost feel bad to include The Garrison as a humorist, but arguably that's what he is. Conservatives might not find this funny, but one of the most hysterical moments in public radio was his monologue right after the 2004 elections. It encapsulates many aspect of this genius's work and personality and style. His weekly program called A Prairie Home Companion is a good place to call Home, for those who lead a nomadic life.  

Charlie Chaplin. I'm going to stop here, but Chaplin has almost defined comedy for generations, and if you can find a collection of his shorts, you should watch them. The Kid is a good choice. Other wonderful actors of this generation are Laurel and Hardy (Flying Deuces), and Buster Keaton (The General). I have left out some comedic stars such as Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin, and Gracie Allen and George Burns. Carey Elwes has acted in a few fabulous movies, as have Michael Myers, Rowan Atkinson, and Christopher Guest, and numerous young people whose names are constantly in the news. My intention was to focus on my own favorites, in particular those who might be overlooked by younger readers. 

[Added later] Steve Martin's Father of the Bride series is hilarious, not least for the contributions of Martin Short, and Diane Keaton. 

[Added later:] Jackie Gleason, Art Carney and Audrey Meadows were an incredible team, and I do not want to leave out Seinfeld and his team, either.  And finally, I wish to note the talents of Sarah Silverman, Chelsea Handler, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and the maniacal Kate McKinnon] 

Archimedes