Humor,
or humour in British (Python) English is the tendency of experiences
to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the
humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance
of fluids in the human body, known as humours controlled human health
and emotion. Other ancient clutures thought it was a troll living in
your stomach. People of all ages and cultures respond to humor. They
are amused, smile or laugh at something funny and thus are considered
to have, a sense of humour. The hypothetical person (you know who)
lacking a sense of humour would likely find the behaviour inducing it
to be inexplicable, strange, or even irrational. Though ultimately
decided by personal taste, the extent to which a person finds
something humorous depends on a host of variables, including
geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education,
intelligence, context and the size of the fish (see above right). For
example, young children may favour slapstick such as The Three
Stooges or Tom and Jerry cartoons. By contrast, more sophisticated
forms of humor such as satire require an understanding of its social
meaning and context, and thus tend to appeal to a more mature
audience who prefer The Three Stooges and Rick and Morty.
Humor can be verbal, visual, or physical
and usually contains at least 15% sillyness. Elements found in humor
include surprise and misdirection, contradiction and paradox,
chickens, ambiguity, puns, farce, irony, insults, dead fish, sarcasm, self-deprecation,
satire, deadpan delivery and just enough vulgarity to cause some trouble.
Notable highlights in humor
in the 20th century includes Mabel Normand (above left) being first
to do the pie-in-the-face routine in the movies. Ernest Scribbler
(above right) is seen working on one of the earlier versions of his
"funniest joke in the world". The finished joke was so
funny that anyone who read or heard it promptly died from laughter.
The British Army used the joke to help defeat the German's during
World War II. In the early days of television, comedy writers for the
short lived The Admiral Broadway Revue (1949) work on a prop (bottom
left) for a comedy sketch. Goldie Hawn (below right) explains to
Laugh-In host Dan Rowan what a Bibby is.
Back in the day we got our comedy from
highly respected literary publications such as Mad Magazine, Cracked
and the National Lampoon. On the TV machine we watched The Smothers
Brothers, Monty Python and Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (and we all
wanted to be invited to that cocktail party or be a part of the joke wall).
Sadly today we have the Internet and
professional comedians and comic writers have been replaced by any
idiot with an Internet connection and the basic skills required to
make an Internet MEME.
In our Hall of Fame AV Club File Room,
Senior Deputy Assistant Manager of File Stuff, Rowan Daniels doesn't
have a clue what a MEME is (he doesn't care) and prefers classic
comedy with a side order of Spam. His partner, Executive Vice Manager
of Silly Communications, Deke Martin (pronounced Eric) keeps up to
date on what is going on on the internets and has been collecting
MEMEs and filing them in the bottom drawer of the second file cabinet
on the left (under his lunch).
Although initially dismissing MEMEs as
very silly and a waste of time (it is the internet after all) Rowan
made a startling discovery, "Some of these so called MEME's are
actually funny, even satirical or dare I say it, thought
provoking." Rowan pondered, do these "internet things"
deserved to be showcased or just filed away and forgotten? We said
forget them but Deke suggested presenting them along with any other
funny or classic comedy gems we may find in a sort of virtual Laugh-In
style cocktail party. Rowan was all for it (he's a bit of a drinker)
and the Hall of Fame Laugh-Net page was born.
Some of the items presented
on this page are rated E for EVERYONE. Not that everyone would want
to see them but if you should we expect no lasting mental or physical
distress. Though none of us are doctors so what do we know.
Some of the items presented
on this page are rated M for MATURE and may contain naughty words or
themes. If you feel you are mature enough to view a naughty word and
remain a functioning member of society please feel free to continue.
Again we are not doctors so proceed with caution and at your own risk.
Some of the items presented
on this page are rated S for SILLY and may contain nuts or be
extremely silly. Again we are not doctors, but I did play one once in
a Mexican Soap Opera. Dr. Manual Labor, head of Unnecessary Surgery
at Mexico City General.
Presenting some Internet MEMEs, jokes,
gags, cartoons and very silly stuff.
Views expressed are those
of people we found on the internet and are copyrighted by their
original owners. Read and use at your own risk. The My Neat Stuff
Hall of Fame is not liable for damages arising from use or misuse.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is unintentional
and purely coincidental. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. Batteries
not included. Beware of dog. Caution: Do not read while operating a
motor vehicle, watercraft, or aircraft. Caution: May cause
drowsiness, nausea, dizziness, or blurred vision. Consult your
physician if fever persists for more than 3 days of if pain continues
for more than 5 days. May contain material some readers may find
objectionable; parental guidance is advised. May contain nuts. May
irritate eyes. Now available without a prescription! Not to be used
as a personal flotation device. Tumble dry on low heat. We collect no
personal information about you when you visit. Your mileage may vary.
Void where prohibited except where not prohibited. Viewer discretion
is advised. Any reproduction, retransmission or rebroadcast without
the expressed, written consent of Major League Baseball is strictly prohibited.
GREETINGS
OVER YOUR ORTHICON TUBE DEPARTMENT
Untitled
Ernie Kovacs with Groucho Marx on You Bet Your Life, March 31, 1958. The other contestant on the show was Sanita Pelkey, actress, showgirl and Miss New York, in the 1957 Miss USA pagent.
The Nairobi Trio was a comedy skit that Ernie Kovacs performed many times for his TV shows. The skit was a live-action version of a child's animatronic wind-up music box. Always experimental, Kovacs combined several existing musical and comic concepts with impeccable timing for a unique and memorable result. The middle gorilla was always played by Kovacs with a cigar and conducted the musicians with either a baton or a banana. To the left stood a gorilla holding two oversized timpani mallets. This character was played by different actors including Jack Lemmon and Frank Sinatra. Seated at a piano was a female simian who robotically thumped her hands up and down on the keys. This part was variously played by Barbara Loden, Jolene Brand, and Kovacs's wife, Edie Adams.
Humor,
or humour in British (Python) English is the tendency of experiences
to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the
humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance
of fluids in the human body, known as humours controlled human health
and emotion. Other ancient clutures thought it was a troll living in
your stomach. People of all ages and cultures respond to humor. They
are amused, smile or laugh at something funny and thus are considered
to have, a sense of humour. The hypothetical person (you know who)
lacking a sense of humour would likely find the behaviour inducing it
to be inexplicable, strange, or even irrational. Though ultimately
decided by personal taste, the extent to which a person finds
something humorous depends on a host of variables, including
geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education,
intelligence, context and the size of the fish (see above right). For
example, young children may favour slapstick such as The Three
Stooges or Tom and Jerry cartoons. By contrast, more sophisticated
forms of humor such as satire require an understanding of its social
meaning and context, and thus tend to appeal to a more mature
audience who prefer The Three Stooges and Rick and Morty.
