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Darth_Mauve, you will note, that I included only George's part of the dialog, not the imagined response. George, did say what I quoted. Gracie would then generally respond, "Goodnight" as they backed up to behind the curtain line (well, not on the radio presumably).
But I was just trying to jog Lyrhawn's memory, not give an exhaustive description.
Posts: 11187 | Registered: Sep 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Darth_Mauve: THEY NEVER SAID "Say Goodnight, Gracie." "Goodnight Gracie."
Are you sure they didn't do it one of the final radio shows? I grew up listening to them (one of the local news stations plays (played, anyway) old radio shows every night; Saturday night was Jack Benny and George & Gracie), and I really thought they did it, but just once.
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quote:Originally posted by Aros: Mr. Bean, though flawed, is the greatest pure physical comedy series.
The only flaw in Mr. Bean is that there is not more of it.
No, the first movie is also a flaw. Too bad it was comprised of recycled jokes mashed upon a frame of a bad tv movie. The second movie, Mr. Bean's Holiday, was the send off it really deserved.
OK. I can agree with you on this.
For some reason, the scene in the second movie where he's on the train and the coffee girl compliments his French left me laughing for days.
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Unfortunately, I'm only 23 so I don't have a wealth of comedy sitcoms, but to think of a quick list that I think you could sit down at any point and crack up at it, best TV comedies are:
Fresh Prince of Bel Air The Office Always Sunny in Philadelphia Seinfeld Everybody Loves Raymond Friends
There are others that I enjoy watching, but don't think are on the same creative level as some of these shows. I instantly think of Two and a Half Men, which is a funny show, but I feel like the comedy/humor gets overused and is telegraphed too early (I know which joke is coming).
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I can't sit through an episode of Two and a Half Men. One of the TV websites said that the only purpose of the show was to "tell dirty jokes to your mom". I'm inclined to believe them.
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quote:Originally posted by Willster3282: Unfortunately, I'm only 23 so I don't have a wealth of comedy sitcoms, but to think of a quick list that I think you could sit down at any point and crack up at it, best TV comedies are:
Fresh Prince of Bel Air The Office Always Sunny in Philadelphia Seinfeld Everybody Loves Raymond Friends
There are others that I enjoy watching, but don't think are on the same creative level as some of these shows. I instantly think of Two and a Half Men, which is a funny show, but I feel like the comedy/humor gets overused and is telegraphed too early (I know which joke is coming).
Willster, how can you be 23 and not put Community on your list? I think you're in its target demographic. And compared to shows like Everybody Loves Raymond...
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quote:Originally posted by Darth_Mauve: THEY NEVER SAID "Say Goodnight, Gracie." "Goodnight Gracie."
Are you sure they didn't do it one of the final radio shows? I grew up listening to them (one of the local news stations plays (played, anyway) old radio shows every night; Saturday night was Jack Benny and George & Gracie), and I really thought they did it, but just once.
George Burns said that they didn't though it was such an obvious response that others (Rowan and Martin for example) did.
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quote:Originally posted by katdog42: MASH, without a doubt, is my favorite comedy series ever.
*high-fives*
MASH is probably the only long-running TV show that I've bothered to watch every episode of. I can attest that it is the greatest TV entertainment I have ever consumed, though, since I don't watch much TV, that's not saying much. Also, I watched them on DVD, not on TV, and the commercial-free and laugh-track-free perks to that probably helped.
There are some things that annoy me about MASH. Frank Burns devolved from someone you love to hate to someone you just simply hate depressingly fast. His character was a sore thumb amongst an ensemble of greatness, and it really tore at the show, especially in seasons three and four. Winchester took a while to settle in, but in the later seasons, he assumed a wonderful role as the aloof and arrogant gentleman who nevertheless had the capacity to perform the occasional tear-jerking act of decency. Hawkeye and Trappers' frequent debauchery and adultery got tiresome in the early seasons, but the addition of Potter and B.J. gave more balance to the cast, showing people who were fundamentally committed to family values alongside the more reckless Hawkeye. Sometimes the show got a bit too pretentious and artsy, like in Dreams, but most of the artsy episodes were actually really good, presenting insights to the characters and depicting tense and all-too-real wartime situations that the characters had to cope with. To say the least, I love this show. It starts out good, sort-of dips around seasons 4 and 5 with enough diamonds in the not-too-rough rough to merit watching, and then becomes absolutely classic as the writers realize Winchester doesn't have to be the antagonist for everything and that nobody liked watching Hawkeye mess around with random women for 20 minutes. Where the show really shines is where it gives every character an off-screen family and history, which gives context to their actions as they struggle day-to-day in a hostile setting far away from home. Every major character besides Frank Burns has depth, and it's moving to see them not only survive in the horrible environment they've been forced into, but make light of it and crack jokes.
Tangentially, I've recently watched almost all the Futurama episodes with my roommate, and while it isn't the same kind of show as MASH, I'll put it up there in my top comedies. I have the same complaints about Zapp Brannigan as I do about Frank Burns, though. He exists solely to act as an antagonist to the main cast through his character flaws and outrageous stupidity, and this gets tiring fast. He does, I'll admit, have some genuinely funny moments at the end of the day. But I really do get annoyed with these comedy characters who have no motivation except a legion of character flaws that only get in the way of the heroes.
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Frank had his funny moments, and for that matter, the pranks they pulled on Frank could be funny, but Winchester absolutely blew him away and fundamentally improved the show in a number of ways. He was interesting, he had depth, he was highly skilled, he was the perfect foil for Hawkeye, he was hilarious, and he could easily and believably shift between insufferable prig to heartwarming doctor from episode to episode without making you feel it was out of character.
I like B.J. for the same reason. Trapper was funny, but he was only funny. B.J. was funny and actually had more going on.
I prefer Potter to Blake, but there was nothing wrong with Blake.
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quote:I love the Big Bang Theory. I tend to agree that they really overdo the audience participation, but I still think it's hilarious. The only thing I'd chance other than the laugh track is to either delete or downplay Howard a lot more.
I cannot for the life of me understand how people enjoy it even beyond the stilting laughtrack pacing. It is a nerd minstral show. They dress them up in nerd face and throw them up on stage to sing songs of the long forgotten days of toiling in the nerd fields. If you're an actual academic nerd or whatever the sensation of watching it is usually analogous to being a computer sciences major watching CSI:Enhance.
I also probably hate on BBT more than I usually would hate it just for being bad, because I can't stand that it's successful at the expense of things that aren't bad pump'n'dump joke comedy based on formula generalization mockery. BBT being bad in a vacuum, I don't care much about, I just don't watch it. But when someone reminds me that ten times as many people prefer BAZINGA to "You are the AT&T of people." I just want to call for a tv crusades, spearheaded by the segway Gob cavalry.
Anyway, I'm not prepared to put an Ace High on anything on this list, but at least in terms of contemporary tv comedy, it's Arrested Development, Community, Parks and Recreation. If you can't stand the sensation of verguenza ajena (I wish there was an english version of this word; it's basically that cringing ugh feeling you get when you watch characters like the Bluths act completely shameful and inflict cascading dysfunction on their own life due to their own stupidity, ignorance, and striking lack of composure, decency, and good sense) then strike Arrested Development, as genius as it is, from this list and avoid it like the plague (or, I guess, like the american Office)
First of all, this should be on every page of this thread for truthiness.
Second of all, my partner just watched a 3 minute clip of BBT for the first time ever and sent me a text saying "Ugh gross I'm watching a clip from the big bang theory and it feels so ingenuinely nerdy."
Sam, I had to find your post to share it with her immediately.
Edit: I originally typed it as "Big Band Theory."
... That would be such a better show.
Posts: 3580 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Probably the greatest on a cost-hilarity ratio would be Sifl & Olly. i don't think they spent more than a couple hundred bucks over the course of 20-30 episodes.
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quote:Originally from Dan_Frank: Edit: I originally typed it as "Big Band Theory."
... That would be such a better show.
I type that almost every single time I try to type out BBT, I don't know why.
But I think it'd be an awesome show. Like a cross between Glee, Drumline, and the Glen Miller Story, only without the sad ending.
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quote:Originally posted by C3PO the Dragon Slayer: But I really do get annoyed with these comedy characters who have no motivation except a legion of character flaws that only get in the way of the heroes.
I could probably make a decent argument that all of the main characters are in fact in possession of a legion of character flaws which get in the way of the heroes. They constantly get in their own way and in the way of each other for the sake of comedy. Bender is one of the most celebrated characters, and he's almost entirely characterized by his flaws.
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quote:Originally posted by LargeTuna: I admit there are a lot smarter shows around, and I like a lot of shows mentioned earlier, but It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is the most laugh out loud show I've ever seen.
Agreed.
Also, Louie's new show on FX is super solid.
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The new FX version is some of the best TV ever, IMO. It's not formulaic, it's generally pretty honest, and it's funny.
Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005
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This proves that I am ancient, but The Carol Burnett Show had moments of truly side-splitting hilarity.
And as for sitcoms, I agree with the MASH fans. I haven't watched a new sitcom in years so can't comment on any of the current ones.
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I'm no expert or anything, particularly for the reason that I don't watch a lot of television programs, but my husband and I really loved the Canadian sitcom Corner Gas . A Canadian friend of mine gave us the first season, and we completed our collection as they DVDs became available. Many friends and family members have since become fans, too.
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quote:Originally posted by C3PO the Dragon Slayer: But I really do get annoyed with these comedy characters who have no motivation except a legion of character flaws that only get in the way of the heroes.
I could probably make a decent argument that all of the main characters are in fact in possession of a legion of character flaws which get in the way of the heroes. They constantly get in their own way and in the way of each other for the sake of comedy. Bender is one of the most celebrated characters, and he's almost entirely characterized by his flaws.
The difference between Frank Burns and Bender is that Frank was created for the audience to hate, whereas Bender was created for the audience to love.
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