When Did Comedy Become a Naughty Word?
I cannot believe I have almost completed this challenge. Muse: don’t fail me now!
I often look for comedies to watch on television. Where did they go? Humor used to be a mainstay of American entertainment. Recently, humor has been replaced by political correctness, which while hilarious, was not intended to be so.
I know some will think I am crazy. Perhaps that is somewhat accurate, but not enough to make up for the stuff that I see all too frequently. I love stand-up comedy. I try to watch those shows and get barraged by some formerly funny person sharing his political views. What? With the nation thirty-one trillion dollars in debt, politics is definitely not funny, regardless of your party preference. It is likely a ruse. Each side of the political class gets us angry at the other side so we neglect what truly matters: The government continues to spend money they do not have. Meanwhile, all the politicians get rich.
I am not here to bash the political class, although they deserve it (both sides). Instead, I want to recall some of the incredible comedy that used to entertain us. I know we have different tastes. I do not expect anyone to agree on every program I grew up with. I imagine you could come up with your own list. Go for it. It is tons of fun to remember the laughter and happiness comedy brought us.
Some of my favorites (in no particular order): The Carol Burnett Show; F Troop, McHale’s Navy; The Jeffersons; Gilligan’s Island; Three’s Company; The Big Bang Theory; Mork and Mindy; all Hanna-Barbera cartoons; Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in; That Girl; Friends; The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson; All in the Family; Married with Children; The Office; The Red Skelton Show; any comedy routines/ programs with Rodney Dangerfield, Robin Williams, or Steve Martin; and Saturday Night Live (with the original cast). I know there are many more that I will recall later.
From my English comedy years: Monty Python’s Flying Circus; Are You Being Served; Keeping Up Appearances; and Waiting for God.
Through most of my life, comedy has been everywhere. I know some great stuff is still out there (anything with Ricky Gervais, for example). I never had to look for it before. There still are a few comedians who refuse to surrender to what is happening now, probably none more capable than Dave Chappelle.
I really wish the great age of comedy could start again. Trust me, with our political class, we need something to make us laugh.
I am more of a paranormal/suspense kind of girl, but you mentioned many that I loved back in the day: Three’s Company, The Jeffersons, Mork & Mindy, and the cartoons.I loved Robin Williams. I like real life funny stuff, but I am not a fan of exaggerated funny (I can’t stand Jim Carey’s movies). I enjoy stand up comedy. So, I guess I do like comedy; it’s just not my first pick, I guess. Great post, Karl!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Yvette, you are more like my wife and daughter. They love suspense and true crime shows. Comedy matters to me because it separates us from the daily dose of life’s ups and downs. For a short time, we can just laugh. To me, life is much better when I feel happy and have forgotten any negative stuff that happened today.
Karl, I agree wholeheartedly!
Yes we do, Karl! One of my FAVs was Lucille Ball…oh my goodness, that lady sure could make me laugh! By the way, I’ve been wondering where all the comedy went to as well. I find all this political nastiness to be unsettling. I feel like they (whoever “they” are), spend their time dreaming up new ways to divide us. Great post! : )
Best wishes,
Donna M Atwood
D M Atwood
https://www.dmatwood.com
That is so true, Donna. There is a tiny cadre of online warriors who view our world as sick and depraved. All sane people know this is garbage. Sure, the world is not perfect and magical in every way. No place is. They just want to sow discontent. I believe only a tiny piece of humanity is on board. It is all smoke and mirrors.
Karl–I still remember that Carol Burnett show take-off on “Gone with the Wind,” where she grabs curtains from the window, with the curtain rod still in it, to make a new dress. Someone compliments her on the dress, and she says, “Oh, it was just somethin’ I saw in the winder.” I still chuckle when I think about this. Everyone I quote this to also remembers it. One of the finest pieces of TV comedy ever, in my opinion. I also loved MASH (it was part comedy, part seriousness) and Mork and Mindy (Nanu Nanu). I don’t watch as much TV these days as I used to. I’m either writing or previewing new CDs for my radio show, it seems. Or replying to blogs, especially over the last 27 days!
Wanda, I appreciate you reading my words too. I do recall that Carol Burnett sketch. When Carol, Harvey Korman, and Tim Conway were on together, magical things happened. I still watch those sketches online when I find them. I too do not watch that much television. There really is not much to watch anymore. That is a shame. Wishing you all the best.
Karl, loving this walk down memory lane! You mentioned some of my favorites – Carol Burnett (Tim Conway was a genius – remember the scene where he’s a dentist and injects his own arm with novocaine?), Johnny Carson (we never knew which politics he favored, he skewered them all!) I remember the older ones, too, like Jack Benny and Lucy. I loved most of them you mentioned, but also loved Seinfeld and Cheers. We still watch reruns of those, as well as The Office. Laughing is good for our bodies as it releases endorphins. I remember looking up ways to help my Mom when she had cancer, and laughter was one of the ways.
Maura, I know I missed a lot of great programs in my post. Still, to think back on those days feels very good. So many great talents have graced our TV and movie screens. Much of that greatness may never return. Seinfeld and Cheers were two of the programs I neglected to include. All the best.
Hi, Karl,
With what is going on in our world, there is more than enough to laugh about. Especially the political scene has lots of jokesters that don’t know they are comedians. Maybe, I’m being sarcastic but you have to laugh or cry about some of the decisions they are making.
Shalom aleichem
Pat, our government officials remind me of the Keystone Cops (Wow! That really ages me, right?). They act like fools, even though they are spending OUR money. It is a sad state of affairs indeed.
I too love comedy on the T.V. and not the politics which we over here are just as deluged with as you appear to be.
The comedy I loved was ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES.I hope that you have been able to see that on your TV’S.
You know, on a plane journey returning from a visit to the states.I met Steve Martin who was coming to the U.K. to appear on the Des O’ Conner show.We were both in the smoking part of the plane.Yes, they had that in those days.He was young and so was I,and sadly I never did see the show.To busy raising my kids and working a full time nursing job.
Joy, that must have been an amazing experience. Steve Martin is one of my favorite comedians. I will look for the program you mentioned. I have not heard of it before. Two awesome English comedies I missed were Yes, Minister; and Yes, Prime Minister. TV used to be a joy to watch.
I enjoyed this post so much, Karl! Loved so many of those shows, especially Mork and Mindy and the Carol Burnett Show. I also loved M*A*S*H and I Love Lucy. Lucille Ball always reminded me of my mom, who could be just as zany and quirky as Lucy. I agree with you about the politician class. So out of touch with reality.
Blessings!
Patty
Thanks for the comments, Patty. I neglected to mention many other programs in my post. Television used to be a playground for the comedic arts. I wish it would come back.
I watched all the shows you mentioned. I loved Rodney Dangerfield and George Carlin.
I often get old videos on FB of Rodney being interviewed by Johnny Carson. I make the time to watch them all. It feels good to laugh.
You skipped I Love Lucy.
Susanne, I skipped a lot of great shows, not intentionally. If I had found a way to list them all, I would probably still be writing that post.
Laughter is good for you. I love good comedy. Making my rounds Karl. Keep laughing.
Laughing is wonderful medicine. It can make concerns and fears fall away. Have a great day.