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“All the honors go to the tragedian for chewing up the scenery, while the comedian, who has to be much more subtle to be funny, is just loudly criticized when he doesn’t come through.” — Edward Gwenn

The man’s right. What can you say?

Comedy is one of those things where a bad joke leaves a taste in your mouth for weeks, while a good one can still have you giggling 10, 20, 30 years after the first time you heard it. A lot of this is the whole “you had to be there” thing that makes a joke about a Leprechaun that would fall flat upon the page turn into something that is knock down funny when it’s told by a 6-year old who says “weppicon”. A lot of it is purely cultural. If you were lucky enough to go to a school with an exchange student, you probably remember having trouble explaining a joke that had you slapping your side a moment earlier. (“Well, there is this band called KISS and they have this bassist…”)

There are, however, a number of themes that keep showing up through cultures and throughout history. The, ahem, impetuousness of youth. The crankiness of the elderly. The hypocrisy of the powerful. A funny song. Slapstick. (Of course, ribald versions of all of the above.)

These jokes worked in Ancient Greece, they worked in Ancient China, and they worked in Shakespeare… more importantly, we can see how they work even today. There are a lot of little things that are comedy that were *HUGE* hits at the time but are confusing or fall flat today. Punch and Judy shows provide an example of comedy that I just don’t get. Kill the baby, kill the wife, kill the police officer, kill the hangman, kill the devil. Well, maybe I get it. I don’t think it *WORKS* today, though. A more recent example can be found in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Audrey Hepburn seriously needs to eat a lot more and it’s obvious that the pastry she’s eating at the beginning of the movie is the first one she’s ever eaten, ever. There was also a scene involving Mickey Rooney that doesn’t translate well to 2011.

At the time, however, these had people in the aisles… goodness knows what “works” today that will also “work” tomorrow, but I’ve got a hunch that the stupid hucksters who somehow manage to help the underdogs while singing the occasional clever song with a dance full of physical comedy will have people laughing the way we do at Aristophanes or Speed and Launce in Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Which brings me to The Marx Brothers.

Over the past year or so, I’ve re-watched Night at the Opera, Day at the Races, Horse Feathers, and Duck Soup. Each one of these has at least one example of brilliant jokes that rely on impeccable timing, at least one skit of physical comedy that has me holding my breath because I don’t want to laugh lest I miss something, and at least one funny song that has me both charmed by the skill of the performers and the wordplay of the writers.

I’ve found two box sets in the last year with tons of films in each set and each set containing *NO* overlap with the other. This one has Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, and Duck Soup while this one has Night at the Opera, Day at the Races, Night in Casablanca, Room Service, At the Circus, Go West, and The Big Store.

After the cut, there will be be a handful of youtube videos that I’m sure you’ve seen but still have me in stitches. Get the box set and watch with your friends and some booze. You’ll be amazed that your ancestors were funny too.

So that’s my recommendation for you this week.

Here’s an example of the perfect timing:

Here’s an example of a perfect little comedy song:

And here’s an example of physical comedy that will have you holding your breath lest you miss something: