… something is still making people laugh almost 60 years later. My 12 year old son was telling us about a video his cousin showed him online today. The conversation went something like this:
Son: There were these two guys. One was a fat guy. They were talking about baseball…
Husband: (trying not to laugh) Yes, that was Abbott and Costello. The Who’s On First skit.
Son: Yeah, that was it. Who’s on first, What’s on second…
Husband: That’s a very old, famous thing. Its been around a very long time.
Son: Well, I thought it was really funny.
Husband: Yes, it really was.
Then huband proceeded to tell him about all of the Abbott and Costello monster movies (son likes monster movies) and about the “Hey Abbott!” scene in Men In Tights. How cute was that? 
Just goes to show that good, quality humor is ageless and timeless. Makes me wonder how some of the stupid crap that passes for humor these days (i.e., Jim Carrey slapsticky crap, etc.) will hold up through the ages. I’m guessing not very well.
I wonder the same thing about music. We still listen to Bach. In another 300 years, will “our” music still be around? I’m guessing not much of it. Even the modern music that I enjoy, I’m not silly enough to think will stand the test of time.
By: lawyersrighthand on July 6, 2007
at 9:42 pm
Very little comedy survives the test of time. I suppose it’s astonishing that any of it does – comedy is usually rooted in a specific time and place. But the best comedy – IMHO – can make you laugh while also providing an insight into the culture. (The best way to learn about ancient Rome is to read the comedies of Plautus).
And then there are the gags that transcend all cultures. “My dog has a cold. How does he smell? Terrible!” (I slay myself.)
By: partyofthefirstpart on July 8, 2007
at 6:55 pm
Ok, that was bad.
I think quite a bit of the humor from the black-and-white era remains relevant and funny. Stuff from George and Gracie, Abbott and Costello, the Three Stooges, etc., is still very funny today to the younger generations just discovering them. And some of the more “colorful” stuff as well, such as Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Red Buttons, and others of that ilk and time remain quite funny today. Give me Richard Pryor over Chris Rock any day! I don’t find Chris Rock funny at all, just profane, whereas Richard Pryor was profane but also very funny at the same time, and could be funny without the profanity. Take away Rock’s profanity, and there’s nothing left.
By: litassistant on July 8, 2007
at 8:18 pm