Comedy Archeology - Why A Duck?

The preceding stuff was all comedy that was viewed with the whole family - parents and grandparents (Grandad was always happy to watch a good cartoon) - and today’s entry is no exception. It’s not only formative comedy for me but formative screen comedy in general…

Harold Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy, The Marx Brothers
From silent to silent plus talkie to really very talkie indeed, these iconic stars of the black and white era were and continue to be an influence. “Not Chaplin, Keaton or The Three Stooges then?” Nope, none of those really did it for me. With Chaplin and Keaton, I can see that they are technically very impressive and they have certainly put in an incredible amount of thought and effort into what they do but they don’t make me care about them. There’s something about both of them that just leaves me cold. Not so with these.

Harold Lloyd
There’s a charm and likeability to Lloyd that’s not present for me with Chaplin or Keaton. There’s also a genuinely thrilling element to his films with the knowledge that he performs all his own stunts, the most memorable of these being hanging off a clock face on the side of a building for Safety Last*.

Laurel & Hardy
The original comedy double act** and proof once again that characterisation is one of the cornerstones of comedy. It’s a time-honoured tradition - the two buffoons; one of whom is, in his mind, higher status than the other but is still a buffoon nonetheless. As with most of the other comedians of the era that have endured, Laurel & Hardy were always pushing the boundaries of what was technically possible and producing some good results. And, much like Bugs Bunny, there’s the occasional moment of cross-dressing.

The Marx Brothers
I loved Laurel & Hardy and Harold Lloyd but these were my favourite. They covered a number of bases - wordless slapstick from Harpo, the buffoons of differing status (Grouch over Chico over Harpo but not always like that) and very silly, conceptual wordplay. That, for me, was the kicker - combining surreal with silly and a love of language. Groucho Marx has always counted as one of my comedy heroes and was an influence of other people whose comedy I would come to admire...


* While it both impressive and dangerous, it’s not quite as dangerous as it looks. The part of the building that he’s hanging off was built on the rooftop of another building to create the impression of great height. He is still a couple of storeys up without a harness, though, so not exactly “safe”...

** I’m sure someone more versed in classic film comedy will probably point out that there was an obscure double act well before they came to popularity but, let’s face it, if you have to go and look them up, they haven’t exactly stood the test of time, have they?