LETTER: Funny thing with comedy
Today, nobody even comes close to the masters – I refer of course to Laurel & Hardy, the very pinnacle of comedy.
No swearing, lewd remarks, vile personal comments or any actions or dialogue that could upset anybody, in any way.
Comedy today seems to be focused on bodily functions, political misdeeds and verbal demolitions of TV and film personalities, politicians, and sports players.
There are very few comedians that you could take your children and grandparents to see without being extremely embarrassed.
The last of the family entertainers passed away a few weeks ago, Sir Ken Dodd.
He personified all-round family fun, everything that the modern mainstream TV and stage ‘funny men and women’ lack.
The nearest we have on TV that fills the slot of good all round entertaining smut free comedy is Have I Got News For You – sometimes near the knuckle on occasions, never outright filthy, and always laugh out loud funny.
All those black and white comedy heroes of yesteryear all have a common theme – pure innocent pratfalls, the things that occur in everyday life, walking into lampposts, falling down holes, and exploding gas cookers, these we can relate to.
That is why I will tune in to channel 81 on Freeview, and enjoy Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy.
Tony Levy
Wednesfield
