Low Comedy

Farce: Slapstick comedy centered around improbable and ridiculous situations.

Slapstick: form of low comedy relying on boisterous action, horseplay, and physical pranks.

Low Comedy: Slapstick & Farce

Charlie Chaplain:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79i84xYelZI

 Three Stooges:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yJBhzMWJCc

The Pink Panther:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPyDY5aZyXs

High Comedy: reliance on expression of ideas and criticism of social and human faults

and situations. Requires more thinking by audience.

Satire is a form of high comedy

High Comedy

Mark Foire’s site comments on percieved ills of societyhttp://www.markfiore.com/

The onionhttp://www.theonion.com/video/obama-replaces-costly-highspeed-rail-plan-with-hig,18473/

Most closely associated with Ancient Greek Old Comedy. Topical: tied to specific time, place, events.

Stock Characters

Town drunk, greedy miser, wacky neighbor, naïve immigrant,

incompetent dad, the bitter in-laws…

The Simpsonshttp://www.hulu.com/watch/23458/the-simpsons-becoming-an-alcoholic

Family Guyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJCfUm21BsI

Some of the great sitcoms of all time use a combination of high and low comedic elements to get laughs. Hmmm… what am I forgetting???

Cheers, M*A*S*H, All in the Family, Seinfeld, I Love Lucy, Roseanne, Coach, Married with Children, The Golden Girls, Full House, Taxi, Friends, The Odd Couple, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Cosby Show, Gilligan’s Island, The Wonder Years, Welcome Back, Kotter, Newhart, Mork and Mindy, Get Smart, My Three Sons…….

Which of the clips watched used which of these elements

and how?

PhysicalSituationalImitationCharacter