[PJ-Comix]

The funniest TV show was Russian by way of Canada's SCTV. It was a satire of My Mother The Car where Nikita Khruschev comes back reincarnated as a tractor on a commune. Anyway, Khruschev as the tractor was giving romantic advice to a lovelorn communal farmer. Absolutely the most HILARIOUS skit I've ever seen. It was part of C3P1 TV which was the SCTV satirical Russian TV channel.

[Revolting cat!]

I don't know about the Germans' sense of humour and I'd probably agree with the prevailing sentiment. But the French and the Italians produced what this country hasn't produced since the early Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd (and others to be sure,) great talkies comics, Fernandel, Bourvil (France,) Toto, Alberto Sordi (Italy.) There were others too.

I'm talking 1950s and 60s, past the era of vaudeville comics like the Marx Brothers, and similar acts. We never seemed to develop (I think) decent sound movie comics. One liners, like the quoted above lines from early Woody Allen? That's television, radio stuff. Big screen requires physical comedy like that of Laurel and Hardy or of the Honeymooners. Fernandel and Toto had mastered it! Check them out!

[Revolting cat!]

I think that the Eastern Europeans, as far as I know, excel at cutting satire, skits and such. When I was there this past summer I saw some of it on the tube, and I can tell you that our SNL, as good as it can get, has nothing on them. The politicians are mixed with dirt, totally contemptuous humour with no holds barred (Needless to say, I didn't quite understand most of it!) In any event, the years under communism helped them develop the most subversive kind of humour, that we can never equal.

[driftless]

People who think John Candy wasn't funny should watch old SCTV episodes. His Johnny LaRue, Doctor Tongue, and Billy Sol Hurok (he blowed up good) characters were works of comic genius.