13 Comments
User's avatar
Kathy Farrelly's avatar

Your description of your comedic taste makes me think you might like “Detectorists”, a discontinued British TV series. The two main characters use their metal detectors searching for small treasures in fields where Saxons once fought. They mostly find buttons and pull tops. It’s available on Acorn TV and maybe Amazon. You can also get it (on disk) from the library. Everyone’s a straight man.

Brian Fies's avatar

Thanks for the recommendation!

Frank Mariani's avatar

Oliver Hardy moves with the “Big Man Grace” I saw in Jackie Gleason. Picture Jackie and Art Carney doing this routine; it would evoke laughter and applause for sure. The funniest thing about Popeye was his obscure mutterings.

Lex Fajardo's avatar

I love "Way Out West" and that dance routine in particular :)

Mike Harkins's avatar

Ah, the memories, chuckles and laughs, Popeye, Ollie and Stanley, oh gosh...love 'em so much I spend my birthday every year with them to this day.

Brian Fies's avatar

That's a nice tradition.

Christopher Manson's avatar

Thanks! Now I get to watch the Way Out West dance again 😀

Mike Peterson's avatar

I got beaten to the punch -- It did sound like that scene from Sullivan's Travels. A movie about something else, but definitely, absolutely about that.

Sonja Bedford's avatar

Thanks for the smile!

comicsprof, Your Trans Grandma's avatar

This reminds me of Sullivan’s Travels, the Preston Sturges dark comedy ( with small slapstick overtones) about a director who wants to make a “serious” film instead of yet another comedy.

There’s a key scene near the end ( trying to avoid spoilers) when a chain gang is watching a Mickey Mouse cartoon.

The joy on their faces touches on a universal part of the human condition.

Brian Fies's avatar

It's a great movie I haven't seen in a long time. I'm probably due for a re-watch. Thanks!

Connie Sun's avatar

One of the best explanations I've heard about why humor is so hard to land is that comedy requires context. Shared context is harder and harder to come by these days, but I'm hopeful that human creativity rises to the challenge. I enjoyed your post!

Brian Fies's avatar

That's a terrific insight. Thanks for reading and commenting!