46 thoughts on “Reader Friday: That’s Funny”

  1. I like goofy comedies.
    TV show: The Carol Burnett Show
    Movie: National Lampoon’s Vacation. I find Chevy Chase so funny because of the contrast between his preppy good looks and unself-conscious buffoonery.

  2. Laurel & Hardy. “You just leave everything to me!” “Why don’t you do something to HELP me?!” I was laughing as I typed those words.

    My older son’s high school physics teacher showed the class “The Piano” to illustrate how a rope and pulley worked. My son was apparently the only student with foreknowledge of L&H. The others said, “Aw, we don’t want to see that old slavetime stuff!” The teacher told them to STFU and watch. Three minutes in the same clowns who had complained were literally rolling on the floor. I would have been with them, and I’ve seen that short and all of the others hundreds of times.

    Great question, Jim. Thanks.

  3. I’m with Truant Librarian. The Carol Burnett Show, especially the Tim and Harvey sketches are gut-busters for me.

    For a movie – I’d probably end up sitting down if the Hubster put on Blazing Saddles.

  4. The easiest answer is the Carol Burnett Show with Tim Conway and Harvey Corman both trying to make Carol and the others break up during their skits. I could also always count on George Carlin to make me laugh, as did Mash and All in the Family.

  9. Great question! Hands down my go-to source of good, solid laughter is Mystery Science Theater 3000. So many hilarious one-liners, callbacks, and comedic situations created by the riffers. The Jack Palance riffs alone in “Outlaw” are comedy gold. And Crow T. Robot’s answer to Joel’s question about what he wants for Christmas: “I want to decide who lives and who dies.” Never fails to get me to laugh out loud.

  12. Call me unsophisticated – The Three Stooges. I got swats in junior high, telling a friend about a skit of theirs, and not being able to stop laughing.

    • And I forgot to add Three’s Company. All time best episode is the one where Jack, who was afraid to fly, took a tranquilizer. The outcome was epic.

  16. Yes! Some Like it Hot!

    But for true, gut-exercising laughter, I go to YouTube to find some Carol Burnett Show skits and outtakes. You can’t go wrong with Tim Conway and the rest. Whose Line Is It Anyway? is also good. Kids in the Hall had its moments, too.

    Any comedy with Tim Conway, Colin Mochrie, Robin Williams, Bill Murray, Nartin Short, or Monty Python will do. Steve Martin and Martin Short have a series out now that I haven’t seen yet – Only Murders in the Building – but I may be getting a TV soon, so I’ll have to watch it. And if course, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis… so many…

    And then you get the old movies… When I was a teenager, I’d stay up late sneak-watching late-night comedies like the On The Road movies or the Carry On gang movies.

    If you’re ever looking for musical humour, I’ll suggest Canada’s own Arrogant Worms.

    • My dad was Buster Keaton’s lawyer in the latter years. Buster threw out the first pitch at my Little League…and was hilarious (though I think I was the only kid who knew who he was!)

  18. I’m also voting for the Carol Burnett Show. The skit where she plays Scarlet O’Hara is priceless.
    Also loved Fawlty Towers, especially the episode where the Germans came to stay at the hotel.

    For movies, I vote for City Slickers. I thought they hit the bulls eye with a mixture of hilarity and poignancy.
    Also, Buster Keaton in The General.

  19. A lot of mentions of Carol Burnett and Tim Conway, etc. When Mrs. B was waitressing Tim Conway came in for lunch one day, alone. The benches in the restaurant were soft, and each time Cindy came by Conway would be a little lower. When she served him the meal only his eyes were visible. He gave my wife a private comedy sketch…for no other reason than he loved to make people laugh.

  21. My, my, what a timely question . . . by the end of each day (these mixed up, infuriating days), I feel like my laughter tank is dry.

    I normally don’t watch comedies, preferring shoot ’em up thrillers or courtroom drama, but …

    Cheers! I loved that show. And the spin-off, Frasier. And for just belly-laughing mirth, I never got tired of Bob Newhart’s dead-pan. What a master of that art.

    Thanks for reminding me, Jim. Gonna have to drag some of these shows out and stream them. 🙂

  22. Movie – Arsenic and Old Lace, though, Some Like it Hot is also a big favorite.

    Comedian, Jim Gaffigan or Gabriel Iglesias.

    TV – Can’t beat I Love Lucy

    Guess I’m showing my age…lol.
    Rose

  23. I’m not really a fan of funny shows and movies because I don’t find most of them funny, and I’m more into clever than guys getting their crotches hit or being gross. So, my humor comfort tends toward light action movies of the Marvel type. Last night, my mouse went dead unexpectedly so I settled in to some cable ANTMAN while it recharged, and so did I.

    My daily humor is found at GoComic.com. Fun comics like “Breaking Cat News,” “Ten Cats,” “Peanuts,” “Red and Rover,” and “Ballard Street.” The comments section of many of them is very friendly and funny with an absolutely-no-politics unofficial ban. (And you don’t want a bunch of cat ladies angry at you under the cat cartoons.)

    Anyway, if you or your kids would enjoy a great Halloween-themed story arc from “Breaking Cat News,” I’ve left a link below. It’s coming to an end on Saturday. Two mice tell how they escaped a lab that was turning bunnies into green zombie bunnies, every night, and they were next. The zom-bunnies licked things, and there were no brains involved. So very suited for very small children and squeamish adults. It was such a funny and exciting storyline I was always eager to find out what happens next. (Sundays don’t follow the story arc.)

    https://www.gocomics.com/breaking-cat-news/2021/10/04

  25. Monty Python takes care of both the tv show category and the movie category. So many funny sketches and, yes, some clunkers, too. Monty Python and the Holy Grail remains one of my favorite comedy movies. As for stand up comedians, I really miss George Carlin.

  27. Movies:
    It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Jonathan Winters’ truck driver charter is the best.
    The Pink Panther Strikes Again. The Octoberfest scene.
    I will give a second to “What’s up Doc”

    TV:
    Any Bob Hope Special
    M*A*S*H, Bosom Buddies, Night Court, Cheers. Coming from a Technical background I found the science based jokes on ‘The Big Bang Theory’ superb.

  28. In Living Color. The Wayans were genius iI give it two snaps up. Stand up Don Riggles

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