Julissa Pena
E. Wiley
History of Theatre II THTF 4317-01
11 May 2018
It was funny then, but is it still funny now?
In the medieval and New age times, Comedy meant, “A play or narrative poem in which the main characters manage to stop an approaching disaster and gave the story a happy ending.” Comedy back then was not the same as it is now. Comedy used to be serious in tone and did not necessarily have to be funny. It wasn’t until the 19th and 20th century that ‘comedy’ changed meaning and quite possibly opened its doors to what comedy in film and theatre is today. A short 4 second film captured by Thomas Edison’s kinetoscope featured Edison’s assistant, Fred Otts, making himself sneeze, although it was a short film it was considered funny. Of course, if this film were to be re-made today, I’m sure Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Creators of South Park and the Book of Mormon, would have an absolute blast making this innocent flick into something more graphic and mask it as ‘art.’ Comedy has grown and it is not just about physical comedy or witty jokes. Comedy has changed significantly since then and comedians both on screen and in Theatre have turned to profanity and obscenities to get a laugh.
Some may not know this but one of the sneakiest ‘comedians’ is none other than William Shakespeare. His writing may be the best work ever written but for some, like myself, we may have never really looked into what his writing consisted of. His jokes may be hidden underneath the “Shakespearean” language, but the references to vaginas, boners and anal sex are definitely there. Take Romeo and Juliette for instance. Mercutio tells Romeo: “If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark. Now will he sit under a medlar tree and wish his mistress were that kind of fruit As maids call medlars when they laugh alone. O Romeo, that she were! Oh, that she were An open arse, and thou a poperin pear.” Mercutio, looking out for his best friend Romeo, basically advises him to find someone that will “leave the back door open for him.” As well as mentioning a non-existent ‘Popering pear.’ Which is actually a ‘three syllable euphemism meaning “Pop-her- in.”’ Shocking and Hilarious all at the same time. Another example from a hidden filthy joke is a piece from Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 151.’“My soul doth tell my body that he may Triumph in love: flesh stays no further reason. But rising at thy name doth point out thee. As his triumphant prize.” Shakespeare basically admits that just the sound of a woman’s’ name makes his body react a certain way. If either of these pieces were a film today, I am almost quiet certain Sacha Baron Cohen or Seth Rogen would make sure we were aware of what was happening with a pan down to their pants area. Although, it is a quite amusing, it is still a little too much. Obviously we all have different opinions on what is funny, but why is it that we think it is funny? Maybe it is unexpected? Or expected? Maybe it was something that happened to you and made you laugh at the time?
In the early 1920’s comedy was at its prime with the most iconic of Slapstick comedians, The Three Stooges and Charlie Chaplin. The Three Stooges; Curly, Larry and Moe were known to play construction workers who spent their days whacking each other across the face with various objects. The Three stooges were considered the “Kings of Slapstick” comedy during this time and are still an admired group today. Around the same time, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton were two of the greatest silent film actors around. Although they both were silent film actors, Chaplin and Keaton, had their own way of getting a laugh from the audience. Chaplin focused more on a story line, but relied on his facial and body movements for laughs. While Keaton used his emotionless expressions and violence.
In the 1940s comedy took the less violent route of Situation Comedy. Though slapstick was still popular, I Love Lucy (1951-1957) fans would tune in to see what shenanigans Lucy and her friends would get into. Although all these genres of comedy are still around today, this is where it has changed quite a bit from the 1950s. Situation Comedies were based on the situation the character would get into. Therefore, in the 1950s it was considered ‘too sexual’ for a married couple to share a bed, even if the on screen couple were married in real life like Lucy and Ricky. Sexuality or doing anything too risqué was censored; this included using words that today do not seem like a big deal. Lucy was refrained from using the word ‘pregnant’ when she became pregnant with hers and Rickys’ first child, Little Ricky. Instead was asked to us ‘Expecting.’ It is safe to say that the shows form this era avoided having bedroom scenes. If any show characters did have a bedroom scene, it was not uncommon to see two twin beds on either side of the room. Now a days you do not see this anywhere. Since then, more creative words have been created for ‘pregnant’ and seeing a unwed couple living together and sharing a bed, whether a same sex or straight couple, is not uncommon.
Comedy thrived in the 1950’ and 1960’s. Sitcoms were directed toward making fun of ourselves. Shows such as “My three sons” and “Leave it to Beaver” represented this. And although around this the ‘suits’ from Leave it to Beaver were fighting to show a toilet on Television, this decade also acknowledge the sexual uprising. One major movie of this time, The Graduate. Another win for on screen couples? They were finally allowed to share beds! And although all they were only allowed to do was sit and talk and nothing else, it was still a big deal. In the 1970s’ sitcoms explored all forms of comedy. In the 1990’s Comedy seemed to spiral out of control. Writers were having a hard time pulling in the ratings their previous projects had drawn. With the rise of cable, topics that had been banned from television like sex and drugs became their own story line and began to thrive.
What makes comedy so great? It does not matter if it is on stage or screen, comedy has always been successful because we can relate to it. Comedy can teach its viewers how we all can have the same thoughts, we can all catch ourselves in sometimes weird and awkward situations. All in all comedy, laughter, is a good form of medicine. It can get you through the day no matter the situation and if an the audience can relate to a character then all that is left is to sit and laugh along with them.
The Current trend in Hollywood films and some Theatre shows is to see who can basically out do the other character or movie. Although these ‘gross out” movies often cause many to cringe, they are still profitable at the box office. Film Directors like Judd Apatow love to shock their audiences. Take for instance one of his biggest hits “Knocked up.” We see everything from the conception of the child to the birth. An while most view child labor as beautiful, Apatow makes it anything but beautiful.
From Shakespeare to Lucille Ball to Sacha Baron Cohen . How did comedy become what it is today? Is it possible for comedy to not be so obscene and still be a success? Absolutely. There are many comedy writers today that have decided to try to keep their work ‘safe.’ One big name comedy writer that has successfully avoided using profanities and sex as the punchline is Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld, an actor and comedian best known for his leading role in the 1980s sitcom, ‘Seinfeld.’ The show is best known for having the best team of writers and although it did reference sex and had a few naughty scenes, it was nothing too graphic and had a reason for why it made it on the show. When asked about keeping his career clean, Seinfeld compares himself to a baseball player. Focusing on his skills to find a new way to hit the ball out of the park. Keeping this work free of profanity and sex says is part of his “Athletic challenge” since it keeps his work from getting the “easiest laughs.” "A person who can defend themselves with a gun is just not very interesting. But a person who defends themselves through aikido or tai chi? Very interesting."
Comedy has significantly changed throughout history and in recent years has just become more vulgar and obscene. The longing for easy laughs and cringeworthy moments are what writers are after. Its meaning may have changed but comedy seems to be doing fine both on film and on stage. It has changed in meaning and humor. It has changed the way it was meant to reach its goal. The three stooges have become the cast of ‘Jackass’ while ‘The Graduate’ became ‘Friends with Benefits.” It is no longer shocking to see an unwed couple laying on a bed. The word ‘pregnant’ is allowed.