“The Joys (and Horrors?) of Slapstick Comedy!”

“The Joys 

(and Horrors?) 

of Slapstick Comedy!”

Joy because the comedy makes us laugh. Horror because of the dangers faced by some of slapstick’s best practitioners as shown in the video clips below.

The formula for the oldest gag in the world is simple: Present an obnoxious character. Usually a banker or politician, definitely well-to-do, which fuels his delusions of grandeur. This snooty person walks with his nose in the air because he feels so superior to everyone else. But this style of walking causes him not to notice the banana peel tossed on the sidewalk in front of him. He slips on the banana peel and crashes down. You show he’s arrogant and then rob him of dignity.

This actually demonstrates a Proverb from The Holy Bible:

Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV): 

“Pride goes before destruction, 

And a haughty spirit before a fall.” 

Which through the centuries became shortened to the adage: “Pride goes before a fall.”

The formula for the second oldest gag in the world is even more simple: Present an obnoxious character. Make sure he or she wears expensive clothes. Tuxedo. White evening gown. Throw a pie in his/her face.

Slipping on a banana peel and throwing pies in someone’s face come from a type of boisterous, anything-goes, downright destructive form of comedy known as slapstick.

Above and beyond bananas peels and custard pies, the following videos present some iconic moments from the Three Silent Film Comedy Greats: Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd.

Hear Charlie Chaplin’s own voice as he narrates this classic scene from the re-release of the film some critics call the greatest comedy of all time: “The Gold Rush”:

Without C.G.I. or any other special effects; and with only about 2 inches to spare on either side as a wall weighing at least half a ton falls on him, Buster Keaton risks his life in this brief clip from “Steamboat Bill, Jr.”:

So dedicated was Buster Keaton to his craft, he once broke his neck while filming but  kept on performing anyway. He didn’t even know he broke his neck until a doctor told him years later during a checkup.

Harold Lloyd hangs on for dear life in this brief clip from “Safety Last” which is possibly the most iconic scene from the silent film era:

Harold Lloyd performed such feats of derring-do while missing three fingers on his right hand after an unfortunate prop bomb explosion.

     

Slapstick

The word slapstick comes from a device made with two flat wooden boards strapped together at one end with a small rod or piece of wood between them to create a gap at the other end. When smacked, the “slap stick” would make a loud slapping sound. Used in humorous theatrical productions before the film era for fight scenes.

Slapstick comedy began when the Alpha Male Zogg slipped on a steaming pile of Mastodon dung and landed  upon his buttocks. Although fearing for their lives, the “followers” in his tribe whooped and hollered with delight. Especially when a Saber-Toothed Tiger leapt upon the fallen Zogg and ate him for lunch. 

Perhaps primitive comedy could be deemed cruel and sadistic, but Zogg didn’t win popularity contests with his constant bickering and clubbing of insubordinates and unwilling dates. 

The Three Stooges

The Three Stooges’ main game was slapstick. 

Men often like the Three Stooges because their comedy was so physical, action-oriented, kind of sporty. (Or because of the Incongruity and Superiority theories of comedy.) 

Women usually dislike them, possibly because they empathize with the “injured” characters too much to laugh. (Or they just roll their eyes and think it’s stupid.) If someone really yanked your nose with pliers, you wouldn’t laugh. You might even cry. Probably bleed. And for some reason, women don’t find that funny. 

But with the Three  Stooges, silent film comedies, and other uses of slapstick, the comedy works because the slapstick takes place in a human “cartoon” world. The films aren’t drawn, but their worlds are still quite “animated” and cartoony. No one “really” gets hurt. Moe might yank Curly’s nose to the side of his face, but in a future scene, his nose will soon be back in place. Violence without consequences isn’t real violence. No pain. All gain. And thus we laugh. (Or we just roll our eyes and think it’s stupid.)

Perhaps such cartoon violence provides a type of wish-fulfillment. When someone gets on your nerves. Like an overbearing boss or an annoying busybody. Haven’t you ever wished you had a pair of pliers, so you could yank his nose to the side of his face? If so, I highly recommend psychoanalysis. Possibly high dosages of Valium or Lithium. Maybe even Electro-Shock Therapy. Or better yet, watch slapstick comedy and feel a cathartic release of such hostile desires. After all, it’s all just fun and games. 

I'm not a Three Stooges fan, per se. I prefer the subtler slapstick arts of Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd.

      

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No matter what you may be after, may your journey and search be filled with joy and laughter.

Blessings & Joy,

Dean Burkey