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Post by beccabear67 on Nov 27, 2018 13:55:53 GMT -5
Peter Cook & Dudley Moore (not counting the later Derek & Clive stuff anyway) would possibly be my runner up to Laurel & Hardy. I have all the old Decca LPs and what's left of the tv shows on DVD, plus various movies and solo Peter Cook on radio etc. Of the Goons I really like Sellers and Milligan a lot, but Secombe and Bentine were weaker... though I liked Bentine with puppets (almost as much a Harry Corbett and Sooty, high praise indeed), haven't seen much of his Square World shows, would really like to though! Actually Moore wasn't so hilarious either... but now I'm thinking about The Two Ronnies... make it stop...  |
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Post by Nowhere Man on Dec 1, 2018 8:52:27 GMT -5
I love the Stooges and the Marx Brothers, they're my two favorite classic comedy teams, but I must admit to being a bigger fan of the Stooges. I think of all the great comedy teams, the Stooges at their best (say 1936 to 1944) were the most purely funny comedy act I've ever seen. I admit that they got virtually nothing to work with script wise, but a riveting plot isn't really the point of a Three Stooges short.  It's not just the slapping that amuses me, but the situations they find themselves in, the things they say, etc. Without question the Marx Brothers were wittier and aimed a little higher intellectually, but I'm just a much a fan of well constructed slapstick and absurdity as I am sophisticated comedy and witty wordplay. As far as the other teams go, I haven't seen much of Laurel and Hardy but what I have I've enjoyed. I just need to see more. Now when it comes to the likes of Charlie Chaplain and Buster Keaton, my experience with them is even more limited. Once again, from what I've seen I can admire their talent, but I've always felt that those two were slightly overrated. I won't stand by the comment too strongly because, as I've said, I haven't really watched enough of them to make a full critical assessment. I WILL stand by my opinion that Abbot and Costello are, were and will remain overrated and unfunny. I don't get the appeal. Hell, Lou Costello (according to Moe Howard in his book) lifted a lot of his persona from his observations of Curly's performances. I just never found Costello funny...something always irked me about him, even as a kid. I think even as a kid I detected that he wasn't as original or as naturally funny as Curly. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2018 9:03:15 GMT -5
I remember when I was in elementary school after church and dinner on Sundays my parents would go lay down for a Sunday nap and I would watch a block of comedy on a UHF channel (either 17 or 29 in Phila). It featured an hour of 3 Stooges (2 Curly shorts and one Shemp short) followed with an Abbott & Costello movie.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 6, 2018 8:03:33 GMT -5
I've only had very limited exposure to the Marx brothers and some of the other stuff people mentioned here (before my time). but the Stooges are fantastic. When I was a kid the local UHF channel did a marathon every New Years Eve that was always great.
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Post by brutalis on Dec 6, 2018 8:17:56 GMT -5
I've only had very limited exposure to the Marx brothers and some of the other stuff people mentioned here (before my time). but the Stooges are fantastic. When I was a kid the local UHF channel did a marathon every New Years Eve that was always great. Same here where a local channel would marathon Stooges on New Years as kids programming against all of the sports for adults. Always a great way to spend the day! Attention MARX Fans: coming out on DVD ($12.19) and Blu-Ray ($19.99) on December 12, 2019~ The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection (The Cocoanuts / Animal Crackers / Monkey Business / Horse Feathers / Duck Soup). The Marx Brothers – Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo – are the reigning kings of comedy and remain one of the most iconic comic teams of all time. From their early days on Vaudeville and Broadway through their wildly popular motion pictures, the Marx Brothers kept audiences of all ages laughing out loud with some of the most hilarious routines ever imagined. The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection captures the very best of the comedy team and includes the only five movies to feature all four brothers. Filled with unforgettable comedy sketches, musical numbers, witty dialogue and plenty of gags, this must-own collection includes The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers and their most popular film, Duck Soup. |
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Post by String on Dec 8, 2018 11:53:05 GMT -5
Three Stooges for me, mainly because I saw them the most as a kid.
Yeah, their shorts may all feature a variation of the same plot (with the same bit actors) but that's not the point, it's the physical comedy and routines which were, are, and remain hilarious. Local channels used to air blocks of their shorts on the weekend and it was almost like watching WB cartoons come to life with all the hitting, poking and slapstick.
As for the Marx Brothers, to this day, I've yet to watch fully any of their films. Channels in my area back then rarely aired them and the few times I've caught snippets of one over the years, I wasn't engaged enough by what I saw to continue watching it.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2018 1:49:54 GMT -5
I've only had very limited exposure to the Marx brothers and some of the other stuff people mentioned here (before my time). but the Stooges are fantastic. When I was a kid the local UHF channel did a marathon every New Years Eve that was always great. Same here where a local channel would marathon Stooges on New Years as kids programming against all of the sports for adults. Always a great way to spend the day! Attention MARX Fans: coming out on DVD ($12.19) and Blu-Ray ($19.99) on December 12, 2019~ The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection (The Cocoanuts / Animal Crackers / Monkey Business / Horse Feathers / Duck Soup). The Marx Brothers – Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo – are the reigning kings of comedy and remain one of the most iconic comic teams of all time. From their early days on Vaudeville and Broadway through their wildly popular motion pictures, the Marx Brothers kept audiences of all ages laughing out loud with some of the most hilarious routines ever imagined. The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection captures the very best of the comedy team and includes the only five movies to feature all four brothers. Filled with unforgettable comedy sketches, musical numbers, witty dialogue and plenty of gags, this must-own collection includes The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers and their most popular film, Duck Soup. Thanks for this info. |
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Post by tingramretro on Jan 6, 2019 18:53:16 GMT -5
I have never understood why any of these people were considered funny. Maybe it's just an American thing.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2019 2:24:16 GMT -5
I have never understood why any of these people were considered funny. Maybe it's just an American thing. I understand that and one more thing ... I had a hard time understanding British Humor too ... the only British Comedy that I liked was ... Are You Being Served was the only one that I understand and I pretty much watched the entire run in the late 90's on Public Television. I'm kind like you ... |
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Post by beccabear67 on Jan 7, 2019 17:08:55 GMT -5
I always thought Groucho at least would find fans in England. Laurel & Hardy seem to have been bigger in Britain than America where they were based, at least going by the membership of a long running fan club named Sons Of The Desert (after one of their best films). I love Hal Roach films generally which includes Our Gang and Harold Lloyd as well as L&H.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jan 7, 2019 21:07:38 GMT -5
I always thought Groucho at least would find fans in England. Laurel & Hardy seem to have been bigger in Britain than America where they were based, at least going by the membership of a long running fan club named Sons Of The Desert (after one of their best films). I love Hal Roach films generally which includes Our Gang and Harold Lloyd as well as L&H. <iframe width="24.200000000000045" height="3.8000000000000114" style="position: absolute; width: 24.200000000000045px; height: 3.8000000000000114px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none;left: 15px; top: -5px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_88271783" scrolling="no"></iframe> <iframe width="24.200000000000045" height="3.8000000000000114" style="position: absolute; width: 24.2px; height: 3.8px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 1149px; top: -5px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_94165375" scrolling="no"></iframe> <iframe width="24.200000000000045" height="3.8000000000000114" style="position: absolute; width: 24.2px; height: 3.8px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 15px; top: 130px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_32278826" scrolling="no"></iframe> <iframe width="24.200000000000045" height="3.8000000000000114" style="position: absolute; width: 24.2px; height: 3.8px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 1149px; top: 130px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_39972588" scrolling="no"></iframe> Lloyd's Safety Last! (produced by Hal Roach) entered the Public Domain Jan. 1. |
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Post by urrutiap on Jan 13, 2019 13:36:44 GMT -5
I was a little kid in the early 1980s so I grew up watching Three Stooges when they were on TBS. THeir humor was funny and still funny to watch.
Three Stooges were still popular in the early 1980s
Marx Brothers though they were kind of dull and not even haha funny
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Post by brianf on Jan 14, 2019 3:27:23 GMT -5
As a kid I thought the Stooges was the funniest thing in the world, along with Bug Bunny & Tom n Jerry cartoons.
While I still like the Stooges, the word play in the Marx Bros films is much more enjoyable.
I think the first two thirds of MONKEY BUSINESS (when they're stowaways) is one of the funniest movies ever.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2019 13:58:22 GMT -5
I have never understood why any of these people were considered funny. Maybe it's just an American thing. Nope it's not - I'm a fellow Brit and I appreciate (some of) the Marx brothers - some of the wordplay is inspired, though a lot of the physical stuff, and just about everything with Harpo, left me cold. The stooges on the other hand, were vacuous garbage, IMHO. |
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It's not just the slapping that amuses me, but the situations they find themselves in, the things they say, etc. 
