I don't find the Beverly Hillbillies offensive. Why should anybody find David Chappelle offensive. The comedy show I attended in Dallas was Mitch Hedberg followed by Dave Chappelle followed by Lewis Black. Chappelle was great though Mitch was the best of the 3. Sad Mitch Hedberg died do young.
Could the movie "Airplane!" be made today?
- Thread starter Aloha Hoosier
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Are you a city elite? That is who the Beverly Hillbillies were making fun of, bankers, studio heads, doctors, etc. Jed and his plain common sense always knew more than the rest.
To be clear, I was referring to the GOP operatives on this board only. My opinions on the wing nuts and the "Dims" out there and their influence on culture are not addressed, mainly because I don't really care. That's not to say I care that much about it here either, but at least on here, we are talking one on one (relatively) and I'm not assigning my judgement to the world at large. This place wears me out as it is.
Zucker is an expert, and I understand his point, but you had to know where this was going when you posted it, what with the "woke" hunters on here. And I do agree with Zucker, mainly because he knows a heck of a lot more about the subject than me (my score would be zero).
That being said, I seem to remember hearing/reading about the battles between comedy writers and network censors back in the 60's/70's, the Smothers Brothers being a good example. So, are these early instances of "wokeness"? Rob and Laura, who were married with a son, couldn't even sleep in the same bed, and we couldn't hear a toilet flush until "All in the Family". Were those lines political at all? Did one party care more than the other? Who was most outraged by Jeannie's bellybutton?
I think my point is that the being "woke" is not unique to one group, regardless of what the GOP operatives on this board would have us believe.
Curb Your Enthusiasm is a show still running that I constantly gasp at what they get away with. The fact that Larry David plays kind of the lovable fool helps. New season starts tonight!
You posted an opinion piece about "wokeness" as something other than a discussion about politics? That's some interesting gymnastics, Aloha. How did you imagine that conversation was going to play out?
BTW, David Zucker has been complaining for several years about the death of comedy, particularly coinciding with the time when studio executives weren't as interested in making the comedies he was pitching because they didn't find them funny. I loved the Naked Gun stuff, but that is ancient history and David Zucker is a prime example of the "Be Funny" rule. 🤷♂️
P.S. Would I'm Gonna Git You Sucka or The Hollywood Shuffle get made now? How about Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song? Smokey & The Bandit? Every Which Way But Loose? Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!? No, no, no, no, no, and no. And none of it has anything to do with "wokeness".
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My son is a producer/ mixer of beats and such for the hip hop crowd. After the lockdowns were lifted, they had a birthday performance. He informed me the crowd was lacking interactive skills. it is a Covid generation thing.
I know my social skills have declined in the Covid years. Curious to see how Larry treats this situation.
I just don't think there is a lot originality in hollywood either. probably half the movies i watch, somebody is taking a road trip b/c they found out they have cancer.
My solution, we need to teach comedy in school, starting in 3rd grade. These little shits need to watch R. Dangerfield, E. Murphy, Mulaney, Dave Attell, and so on........figure out how and when it is ok to give someone a hard time.
My solution, we need to teach comedy in school, starting in 3rd grade. These little shits need to watch R. Dangerfield, E. Murphy, Mulaney, Dave Attell, and so on........figure out how and when it is ok to give someone a hard time.
Since the thread has wandered afar, who is everyone's favorite comedian? I'm going to go with Groucho. I've seen his movies, You Bet Your Life. even his appearance on What's My Line. Much of what was in the movies was improv, one of the writers of Cocoanuts said on opening night that he thought he heard one line from the script in the movie.
Second, I have a huge soft spot for Bob Newhart. The Button Down Mind is sheer genius.
Second, I have a huge soft spot for Bob Newhart. The Button Down Mind is sheer genius.
Richard Pryor. Then, Buddy Hackett, Jonathan Winters, Jack Benny.
As a comedic actor, gotta go with Belushi, especially his SNL and Animal House days.
I never got into Pryor as much as most did. I liked it, just didn't love it. But I will say Hackett's appearances on Carson were always brilliant.
A person I forgot, Tim Conway. Those skits on Carol Burnett, and him on McHale's Navy, were seriously funny.
Comedy gold when he'd crack up everybody in a skit and they tried their best to keep a straight face.
Many years ago (think 25) I was in a bar and there was a guy we were playing pool with. He had a copy of a book that was essentially letter the Marx brothers had written to each other. Hilarious. Some of the funniest stuff I'd ever read.
I was drinking though. Tried to find the book for years and I can't.
Maybe I imagined it.
Again, i was drinking.
Different folks have different different senses of humor.
For the most part...jokes, slapstick, poking fun at people, and many television sitcoms (especially with recorded laughter) don't generally appeal to my sense of humor.
On the other hand, the mixing of comedy and tragedy as the Coen brothers do in movies such as Fargo is very much to my liking. In contrast my wife who has a good sense of humor cannot stand the Coen movies from the standpoint of being humorous.
When it comes to comedy, just like a lot of things, we should be grateful that we all aren't alike.
For the most part...jokes, slapstick, poking fun at people, and many television sitcoms (especially with recorded laughter) don't generally appeal to my sense of humor.
On the other hand, the mixing of comedy and tragedy as the Coen brothers do in movies such as Fargo is very much to my liking. In contrast my wife who has a good sense of humor cannot stand the Coen movies from the standpoint of being humorous.
When it comes to comedy, just like a lot of things, we should be grateful that we all aren't alike.
There is a fairly new show that is pretty amusing to me. It‘s called “Dave” and it is about a neurotic white guy who is convinced that he is going to become the world’s greatest rapper. His rap name is “Lil Dickey” due to his small package And his trying to be unique in the rap game. Definitely an R rated show with a blend of Larry David and Woody Allen in the style of comedy. I catch it on FXX late at night.
You could remake Airplane! easily. The jokes would be different, but the overall situation / plot could be repeated.
You could remake Blazing Saddles, It would take an expert comedy writer and you would have to have just the right kind of cast to pull it off, but the beauty of that movie was that it was self-aware of how racism was being portrayed. The comedy was on point because it WAS bringing light to how stupid that kind of racism was.
Now, the Kentucky Fried Movie? Nobody is ever touching that one ever again.
You could remake Blazing Saddles, It would take an expert comedy writer and you would have to have just the right kind of cast to pull it off, but the beauty of that movie was that it was self-aware of how racism was being portrayed. The comedy was on point because it WAS bringing light to how stupid that kind of racism was.
Now, the Kentucky Fried Movie? Nobody is ever touching that one ever again.
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anon_6hv78pr714xta
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Anyone remember Bill Hicks? I haven't seen his stuff for 20+ years (he died in the early 90s I believe) but he was a really good stand-up comic.
Read up the thread for names. My bad on the typo and misspelling Chappelle's name.
You have several individuals arguing why some comedy is across the line now. No need to be obtuse.
Re no originality movies suck but I don't recall a better time for shows/series.
What is happeneg to Dave Chappell's latest offering isn't comparable to the end of minstrel shows. Cleverly poking fun at innate human frailty and taking aim at the universal struggle is what we used to pay to laugh at. These days talking about weakness in a relatable way is too risky to people too focused on fragile feewings.
Now the human struggle is no longer fair game. Unless you want to point and life at a cis, white male. Then, by all means, laugh it up.
Sorry, but I must really be obtuse. I didn't see ONE poster on this board that I thought would have a problem with Airplane or Blazing Saddles from either side of the aisle. The only "prudes" with "sticks up their asses" (your words) are from your side.
So, would you mind giving me your acute insight and clear this up for this poor, obtuse soul...if you can?
The one with the hurt "feewings" seems to be you. Everyone must find the bits I like funny or I'll scream, "CANCEL CULTURE!"
You should hear the rock-n-rap music the kids listen to these days. You can't even understand the words like you can at the Stones show that just blew through town. Those guys knew how to write a song about REAL human frailty...not this bullshit stuff kids listen to these days! 🤣
Groucho is in a league of his own during my lifetime. The contest is for second funniest. I may have to go with Steve Martin. But Robin Williams is right there too. They're people who just think hilarious thoughts.
Difference is I'd never impinge on your right to not be funny. At least music is mostly untouchable, but the LGBTLMNOP2+2 has the rap community in it's crosshairs. Matter of time.
The one with the hurt "feewings" seems to be you. Everyone must find the bits I like funny or I'll scream, "CANCEL CULTURE!"
You should hear the rock-n-rap music the kids listen to these days. You can't even understand the words like you can at the Stones show that just blew through town. Those guys knew how to write a song about REAL human frailty...not this bullshit stuff kids listen to these days! 🤣
Robin Williams was incredible, as was Martin. The tell for Williams is listening to other improv performers talking about good he was. I know on Mork the scripts would just say, "Robin does his thing" where they wanted him to improv.
Thinking about the thread, Modern Family had episodes where Cam and Mitch were made fun of as gays, Gloria for being Latina, 2 of the kids for being dumb, one for being smart.
There was an episode Cam and Mitch were sure their daughter would get into the elite preschool because she was Vietnamese and they were gay. The lost out to a minority child with lesbian parents of which one was disabled. I think they said they "list to a pair of lesbians with a handicap kicker". Isn't that making fun of "woke"?
There was an episode Cam and Mitch were sure their daughter would get into the elite preschool because she was Vietnamese and they were gay. The lost out to a minority child with lesbian parents of which one was disabled. I think they said they "list to a pair of lesbians with a handicap kicker". Isn't that making fun of "woke"?
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anon_6hv78pr714xta
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Ice-T is wondering where you've been with your crocodile tears about the rap community. Dude got cancelled a long time ago until he got his comeback ride. Rap's one community used to being in the crosshairs for people not liking what they say and dealing with the market fallout.
Dave and everybody else have the freedom to be funny or not be funny all they want. You're just mad about who might or might not want to pay them for it. I thought that was the decision the people paying got to make depending on how the market reacted.
both are great in their own way. Always wrapped up but is on Netflix or Prime (don’t remember). I rewatched and they were even better the second time
In other words...no way in hell it could be made today.
Same with Blazing Saddles
No room for humor even if it is making fun of bigots.
If we are so certain Airplane could not be made, can anyone point to efforts to remove Airplane from streaming services? If people would be so offended by that humor it seems there would be evidence of groups fighting the original.
They did on Blazing Saddles which is why they now air something at the beginning to tell the viewer the racists are being made fun of. No such opening has been added to Airplane, and Blazing Saddles is still shown.
