I’ve been a big Monty Python fan for over 30 years. Little did I know that some of my favorite movies as a kid like A Fish Called Wanda and Yellowbeard which I saw in the 1980s had that Pythonesque humor to it. (Ok, Yellowbeard is not so good once you get older.) And IContinue reading “‘Spamalot Diaries’ Is The Book Equivalent Of You Just Had To Be There”
Tag Archives: comedy
‘Simpsons’ Christmas Special Turns 35
Some things don’t work out the way they should and it’s better that way. The evolution of The Simpsons from some crude sketches Matt Groening made as shorts for The Tracy Ullman Show on the fledging upstart Fox Network would eventually go on to be one of the show’s cornerstone programs. Groening was approached byContinue reading “‘Simpsons’ Christmas Special Turns 35”
All That ZAZ: Thanks For The Laughter, Jim Abrahams!
Some movies seemed to just come around at the right time. When Airplane! opened in the summer of 1980, the Irwin Allen-produced era of the disaster movies that dominated the 1970s had ended with the atrociously bad When Time Ran Out… and it seemed the movie could’ve been a parody that was a few yearsContinue reading “All That ZAZ: Thanks For The Laughter, Jim Abrahams!”
Hank Hill Wouldn’t Support Trump I Tell You What, As That Man Ain’t Right
When King of the Hill premiered in January 1997, Bill Clinton was about to be sworn in for a second time as President of the United States. The show made some jokes about Clinton, with Hank Hill locking his truck doors, when he sees he’s entered Hope, Ark., the former President’s birthplace. However, I don’tContinue reading “Hank Hill Wouldn’t Support Trump I Tell You What, As That Man Ain’t Right”
‘Brothers’ Is A ‘Twins’ Clone
Several years ago, I was discussing with some friends how Hollywood is remaking/rebooting movies or doing too many legacy sequels. I told them I could imagine a sequel or remake of Twins but this time it’s Peter Dinklage and Dwayne Johnson. I’m sure the idea went around the Hollywood executives. But the talks fizzled. However,Continue reading “‘Brothers’ Is A ‘Twins’ Clone”
Teri Garr, Gone But Not Forgotten
Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, it seemed Teri Garr was in just about every other movie that was popular. She started out acting in 1963 mostly as a background dancer in musicals when she was a teenager. But mainstream success didn’t happen until a decade later when she was cast by Francis FordContinue reading “Teri Garr, Gone But Not Forgotten”
‘Babes’ Never Matures Past Infantile Uneven Plot
A movie like Babes could’ve been a great comedy. Unfortunately, first-time director Pamela Adlon doesn’t have the abilities to squeeze together a coherent story as leads Ilana Glazer (who-co-wrote this cringefest) and Michelle Buteau never really make themselves into likeable characters. Tommy Chong joked that when the production of their first movie Up in SmokeContinue reading “‘Babes’ Never Matures Past Infantile Uneven Plot”
‘Memoirs And Misinformation’ Is A Muddled Mess
In his memoir Gasping for Airtime, actor/comic Jay Mohr talked about the cultural divide between the writers and performers on Saturday Night Live during his tenure in the early to mid-1990s. It was obvious he observed so many of the people were trying to be more smart and sophisticated than they actually were. And readingContinue reading “‘Memoirs And Misinformation’ Is A Muddled Mess”
‘Newhart’ Pulled Off One Of The Best Ever Finales On TV
Only a comic/actor like Bob Newhart would’ve dared to pulled off the series finale of his second TV sitcom Newhart. Spoilers Alert for anyone who hasn’t seen or heard about it. Newhart had rose to prominence through the 1960s with his deadpan, but clean-cut stammering delivery of humor. In 1972, he appeared in his firstContinue reading “‘Newhart’ Pulled Off One Of The Best Ever Finales On TV”
Martin Mull’s Dry Humor Entertained Millions For Decades
With a name like Martin Mull, you’re either going to be an ancillary comic-book villain’s sidekick or a character actor/comic with a dry, sharp wit and delivery. It’s a good thing, he chose the latter. The word “mull” is something that you ponder over with great thought. You don’t jump at a decision. And maybe’sContinue reading “Martin Mull’s Dry Humor Entertained Millions For Decades”
Zane Says 