The comic arts; Episode 1 of 13

Ladies and Gentlemen this is Al McGuire convening the case for comedy. Sir would you please make an opening statement emerge in search of your drink a bottle log. Michigan State University radio presents the comic arts and essay and sound on the humor of our times featuring the comic the humorist the joke writer the clown the Dauntless individuals who work in the world of comedy. Once long ago it was wisely said. Laughter is good for the soul. In this ancient insight holds true today for men still prize the art of the clown. To all who savor the spice of life laugh is a precious thing. A laugh is good and worthy an end unto itself but the scholar of humor must peek inside must look behind to laugh and ponder certain questions that he scarcely knows how to ask. He lives with

pleasant perplexity until it comes to pass that he may talk with those who live by their wit the humorists of the land who make the people laugh. To take a prime example. Asked Sam Levinson for his appraisal of the American sense of humor. But there is no such thing as an international sense of humor. I think you might has a time and a geographical space. Superstructure of ideas and ideology which is related to it. I don't think I could step into a. Newly evolving African nation today. And be much of a hit with them her local local American jokes. It's not eternal. Styles change the content changes. So the sense of humor which we call American would have to be you know because of the American scene. That changes to every decade. The pioneers of one kind of humor. There was a humor during the American Revolution.

The humor that was brought to America came from Germany. Came from the Scandinavian countries. Came with immigrant groups like the Italians and the Jews. And I think the greatest force for giving us a e. Rather than 30 geographically humors is radio television which now has a group of men who are writing you most for the people. And after a while people begin to repeat the jokes that were written for them as though they had happened to them. So they adopt a complete folklore of jokes. From the airwaves and they go back into the mainstream of American life. My problem is my stand and. That I don't think that the writers are taking the jokes from the country but they're just giving them to the country. There was a time when the jokes came from the country. See when it was a growing country in that sense. The Pioneer people didn't have radio TV and they didn't even have much avoidable. So if a guy stepped into the

general store to tell a funny thing happened to me on the Somme Oh back at the cabin that was for real. That was authentic. But today we have a writer who will sit down and write rulebook jokes. But they're not rude jokes. You said they are New York's drugs. And they are Hollywood jokes about rubes. It's easy and I found that out when I worked with writers. But I said Is this an authentic thing this is where will we will write you an authentic thing we say here it's a little strange it's like you know the conflict in making an antique. Guns. While Mr. Lamson do you think that. The public. Perception. Of humor the view of it by your audiences. And by the general public around the country has has changed considerably since World War 2. Not so much since World War 2 but I would say in the last 30 or 40 years

it's changed I think the state has been a speed up as there is in everything else. I think this is the era of the quick joke rather than the slow joke. There were times involved to write in the 1931 231 voidable guide. When a monologist was stand up and tell one story for eight minutes. Lou Holtz and Will Rogers and. Frank Fay and others. No audience doesn't sit still that long anymore. TV has accustomed to just a word from them a quick commercial and a quick thought. And even the best of my knowledge is has to have quick lines you can do well too long on one line. Sam Levinson's admonition. Well not too long upon one line mirrors ancient wisdom again with meaning for our time. Brevity is still the soul of wit when we speak of a sense of humor in our own day and age. Perhaps we need a long range book from an observer of the comic scene like George to

Lewis in New York who feels there is some cause for concern. It seems to me actually the attitudes of people are changing and the philosophies of people are changing and where it once in the past we were happy go lucky people we have ceased to maintain that image and know more and more people are becoming more and more tense about conditions today and so the essence of humor sort of decreases the people no longer seem to have that happy to go lucky attitude and more and more you find when you discuss with people their sense of humor they talk about other things they talk about the troubles we have and the sense of humor sort of disappears. It's our feeling that we have to work at developing a sense of humor that you have to try if you can to work within yourself each day trying to exchange pleasantries and humorous way with

people so that your sense of humor will increase that like everything else. If you don't practise it it disappears. You feel that this has implications that isn't just the entertainment world for our social wellbeing too. I think it has international implications and I think that the world should become aware. Of these. I don't want to sound like I'm a prophet of doom. I don't want to say my gosh we're going into an era where no one will laugh they will have to get lamp pillows and we have to have your dispensing machines at the corners. If anyone wants a sense of humor you have to go to the corner and put a quarter in and sort of push a button and out comes your suggesting for you or for the day. But we might be here. We're going into a computerized living. And naturally I think Man and the his way of thinking his way of living room changed.

Comedy from a computer that might be hard to swallow. It's only a possibility but who knows about tomorrow. Though comedy styles change frequently and humor must be in tune with its time fashions do not replace fundamentals as Danny Thomas stoutly maintained its new Uma you know Grey couldn't do it it wouldn't last more than a few months because. You can't do that because I'm going to be when he was through basic prefigure one. Of the common man. Mirror him. Made him associate review let him hear about you and you've got comedy. Who are you. For pure me a man in trouble I hear you're a funny man. But Wright probably wasn't big and got a scary disease ears are going about that turning out right on a coral came out and and the pipes never and he try to pick you pick sytems up any crotch and he turned it on and a gas stove went on you know he's a man to you that sort of trouble.

Charlie Chaplin in trouble running into doorways and things and come pounding that if he had paid good $2 could be getting their member of the band give the band the $2 he would and I was not going to pay to $2 and the man in trouble he finally wound up and broke because the guy somebody died from the fact that he's going to side with a misdemeanor and fined was $2. You could get from every court all of the cars he was going to win this case. One going to pay $2. The very end somebody can drag it in for ones and died and they charged him with murder and it put him in like the chair. And then they 37 to strap him in a Jedi's And again it will any less rigid Yeah a pair but they really expect years ago you were one of those cats. But things like that were now you know it's funny even today. People can walk. Oh yeah bad for you and me can live the funniest Google in a world of

people. I always say goodnight nightclub audience I thought you know I need radio a devil of a winding you know you want to watch a neighbor. Keep your eye on your neighbor the funniest guy in the world but I will be God one of them a bag of my own you do you're so pretty but of our opinion no really can I nat me scream in it your wife enjoying it of your love to have oh you think you are I couldn't go day without your knowing it. Yeah bring pyro babble wrote a day go out all of it. All of us were just plain funny people. Now let's go back of the scenes again to a man who sweats out the script. Robert Orban prolific writer of jokes architect of modern quips right as you say the American sense of humor is like trying to bottle fog there is no such thing as an American sense of humor. If you travel about the countries the country and

the countries of the world you will find within them regional senses of humor that vary greatly from. One area to another. This is very evident to comedians who were there are certain comedians in this country who will work at the the major metropolitan areas they will read New York Chicago Miami Beach. Hollywood and Las Vegas and they will be a tremendous smash. They will not be even. Even acceptable. And in smaller rural areas if they work at the state fair. They they would be stared at because it is a real humor involving subjects and at a point of view that is just not acceptable to large parts of our population. Some of the so. This expression of horses for courses is a book about a comedy. There are comedians for a specific rooms for

specific areas and I think the American sense of humor at this point is a very broad one and in a very permissive one. And the last 10 years or so we have and get into an area of comedy appreciation that is quite a dollar quite quite perceptive. It revolves around tremendous interest and topical humor and with the advent in the late 1950s and saw there have been. Comedy performers who have made a reputation on untiringly based on social commentary. And this is very much a different type of social commentary and that of say Will Rogers back in the early 30s and late 20s is certainly was a pioneer in the field of social commentary. But he attacked broad

attack as perhaps too with too strong a word. Will Rogers really attack a much more general fund than today's satirist and he poked at broader institutions he poked at Congress let's say. He rarely would single out an individual and Congress as as a as a lot of fun. Now. In this day and age the social commentary is directed at individuals at at specifics. And and audiences by this. And so in the spirit of laughter it leads all of us on a merry chase in pursuit of the elusive game. All humor you dancing dodging hiding voiding Elle captured briefly share with me your pure delight in yourselves.

Many thanks to our good humored guests Sam Levinson George Kulish Danny Thomas and Bob Orban portions were prerecorded. This is Al McGuire. I'll be back on the next program with another seminar on America's sense of humor and the comic arts. The comic art series with Al which wire is produced by Michigan State University Radio in cooperation with the humor societies of America program consultant George Q. Lewis theme music by Gerry Tillman. Your announcer can be charter. This is the national educational radio network.