Saturday 29 October 2016

The Best of Funny Part 2

Rainy cold days in the fall are the perfect time to find the humour in life.  After traveling down memory lane and having some discussions on the subject with some like-minded folks, we came up with several more examples of tear-jerking hilarity.

1. Pebbles' Birthday Party

In this episode from Season Five of The Flintstones, Fred had to arrange two parties on the same night: his daughter's first birthday and a gathering at the Water Buffalo Lodge.  Unfortunately the planned entertainment for both parties ends up in the wrong places, much to Fred's chagrin.

2. The Elephant Story

The Carol Burnett Show was a staple of the 1970s and included a series of sketches known as "The Family".  In one episode of the final season, cast member Tim Conway ad-libbed a story about Siamese elephants that he saw at a freak show.  The other actors were very hard-pressed to keep their composure when they realized they weren't going to get back on script.

3. Phonetic Punctuation

I first discovered the musician and comedian Victor Borge through a sketch from the 1970s version of The Electric Company kids' show.  Here he describes how his "phonetic punctuation" works by telling a story.  Similar routines were a staple of his performances.  Another of his well-known bits was the "Inflationary Language".

4. Sharing Pillows

This classic skit from the first season of Sesame Street has Ernie trying to take a nap but is interrupted by Cookie Monster who has his eyes on Ernie's fluffy feather pillow.  One isn't supposed to ask how Cookie Monster got into the apartment in the first place...

5. Aunt Clara's Powers

The show Bewitched had many magical characters who created havoc with witch Samantha's marriage with Darrin, a mere human.  One such was the bumbling but lovable Aunt Clara who whose powers never worked properly.  One day Samantha's mother Endora has an allergic reaction after touching a Macedonian Dodo bird, and Clara mysteriously ends up with Endora's powers.

6. Broomstick Bunny

Looney Tunes needs no introduction.  Bugs Bunny is an easygoing rabbit who doesn't hesitate to completely humiliate whoever bothers him.  Since it's almost Halloween, here's a short from 1956 where Bugs is trick-or-treating and mistakenly visits the home of Witch Hazel.  She tries to put a spell on him but he expertly turns the tables.

What other shows struck you as funny?

1 comment:

  1. I love Victor Borge! He has such a funny view of ordinary things.

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