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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Leslie Nielsen: "In Praise of Silliness"

paranoidwriter waves hello

19:29 / 11.06.05

I was just watching 'Wrongfully Accused' (how did that one pass me by?), and for some reason I was giggling like a drunken child. Sometimes this kind of humour doesn't get me, but today it got me by the throat and slapped me silly. It made me think about Eric Morecambe, Tommy Cooper, 'Airplane!', 'Weird Science', 'Mon Oncle', etc; and I suddenly realised this what's kept me alive all these years. I suppose a lot of it is down to personal taste:

e.g Leslie Nielsen's successful answers when hacking into a computer:

Login: Login
Password: Password

But it's Leslie Nielsen's genius delivery that gets me the most though. He made the following line funny:

"Holiday? Sure we can go on holiday. We can pack light. Everything we need is right here in my briefs."

Seriously, how can anyone keep a sombre attitude when faced with the silver haired maestro? (The same could be said of Eric Morecambe, etc). Sometimes I wish I had an uncle or a friend like him, so I could go round when I'm depressed and have a cup of tea (no doubt with the sugar substituted with salt). But then, there's that whole thing about comedians being manic depressives (e.g. Spike Milligan), so who knows, maybe not?......

So what do you reckon Barbelith? Would we be a race of Borgs without silly comedy? Is silliness actually helping to save the human race?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

20:44 / 11.06.05

I reckon so. If anything saves us, it'll be our illogical natures. And yes, our downright silliness.

And on a Leslie N tip, I know it was a fairly shit joke, and it was about fifteen years ago, but there's a scene in an episode of Police Squad where he turns up at a locksmith's that's been broken into. There's a hole in the window where the "L" in "locksmith's" used to be, and abhout half-way through the scene a guy turns up with an ox. Okay, I was doing a LOT more acid back then, but every time I think of that, I smile at the very least. More often than not I actually hurt myself from laughing. Not sure why, but that joke REALLY gets me.

paranoidwriter waves hello

20:51 / 11.06.05

There's nothing shit about that joke! Nice. Did Lesley then give that look he's so good at? You know the: "Eh? Hang on, is there something in my left ear, talking to me?"-look.

21:07 / 11.06.05

Airplane and police squads get me every time.

Favourites are the Lloyd Bridges entrance, as he shows how in control of everything he is, then half way through giving orders to his control tower crew, he takes a call from his wife telling her to 'get the kids in bed by eight, lock the back door and leave a note for the milkman...NO MORE CHEESE!' that line always cracks me up.

As for Police Sqaud/Naked Gun - well, the entire first episode of Police Squad is great, the 'had a little hunch back at the office...and brought that hunchback with me' line and the 'officers book her and take her away' (to which someone shakes hands with Officer Booker and Officer Takeraway) - the best from Naked Gun is the woman with the big breasts saying to Leslie 'is this some kind of bust?' - it's his perfect deadpan return of 'very impressive' that seals it for me.

paranoidwriter waves hello

21:40 / 11.06.05

Excellent!

I swear even in day to day life this kind of humour serves me well. The other night whilst stumbling home from feeding my friend's cat, at random points in the journey, I spotted three separate banana skins on the pavement, each of which could have easily been my undoing. I was laughing about it as I rounded the corner near my house, when I literally bumped into someone and guess what? Yup, they were eating a Hamburger.

But at the same time, I guess it's a fine line and a dangerous one to tread, don't you think? Look at Mr Bean. Tragedy.

Brigade du jour

17:20 / 12.06.05

This is my kind of thread!

Airplane! is still the daddy, possibly the funniest film I've ever seen, anyway. Plus I agree that it is important to let go of that tough intellectual veneer now and again and laugh at the daftest gags in the world, cf. Tom and Jerry, Road Runner etc. Although I suppose those examples are heading more into surrealism - damn it, there I go again, trying to understand comedy! I'm spoiling it, sorry all.

19:07 / 12.06.05

Leslie Nielson makes me laugh, even when he's not supposed to: A few years ago a friend 'made' me watch the Poseidon Adventure (one of her very favourite films) and got quite angry when me and my flatmate got the giggles just from looking at LN's face when he was standing silently, as the captain.

I was thinking about Police Squad just the other night (surely it should be given a shiny DVD release...?). It was always the quick, simple and stupid jokes I liked best:
"Cigarette?"
"Yes, I know"

paranoidwriter waves hello

12:37 / 13.06.05

Although I suppose those examples are heading more into surrealism - damn it, there I go again, trying to understand comedy! I'm spoiling it, sorry all.

I don't think you're spoiling it at all. In fact, I agree and I reckon you might be onto something about the relationship between "silly" and "surreal". For example, one of my favourite sketches of all time is from a Paul Merson TV sketch series, years and years ago. He's standing behind the counter of one of those confetionary/tobacconist/newspaper kiosks serving a kind of human/dolphin hybrid, a human but with a dolphin's head. When the transaction's over the "dolphin" walks away and Paul Merton turns to the camera and says (something like):

"He just gave me a twenty and I gave him change from a tenner. And I thought dolphins were supposed to be intelligent."

Hits me squarely on the silly bone everytime. But there's a "intelligence" behind such silliness, so maybe that's what makes it surreal. I dunno, I'm not an Art Historian, so I don't want to start a row about the definition of "Surreal" or "Surrealism", but they both have a way of changing your perspective, know what I mean?

Keep the examples coming, by the way, they're really chearing me up, and I reckon I'm not alone in this either. And Leslie Nilson as a straight man!? Isn't that a contradiction in terms? MInd you, I'm sure I also remember him as the murderer in a particularly funny episode of the legendary TV series 'Columbo". Hmm....

Brigade du jour

15:02 / 13.06.05

Not to mention playing the young, handsome starship captain in Forbidden Planet. But there aren't really enough close-ups on his face for you to keep giggling every time you look at him.

I'm sure the dude had a lengthy and comfortable career playing slightly uptight authority figures for real before 'Police Squad!' chose him as their image-subverter-in-chief.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

15:06 / 13.06.05

His straight-facedness has a lot to do with him being funny, as far as I'm concerned.

Imagine Police Squad, shot for shot, joke for joke, but with Jim Carrey mugging his way through instead of Our Les.

It'd be shit. Really, really shit.

15:28 / 13.06.05

That’s absolutely right, I think.
I read an interview with Leslie Neilsen years ago in which I he made that explicitly clear. He said that he always played those roles as if they *weren’t comedies*.
I was reminded of this more recently watching and old Fry & Laurie sketch - which I’m sure Stoatie and others will know - called Hard Man’s Record. I piss myself at that sketch every time, but it only works because Hugh Laurie is so amazing at delivering the lines absolutely stone-cold straight. There’s something about silly that, for me, only works when it’s done seriously.

Scrambled Password Bogus Email

16:03 / 13.06.05

I remember that sketch (Fry & Laurie)...twas funny.

Even the original Python Cheese Shop sketch has that wonderful line at the end...

(20 minutes later, having forced a customer to go through every make of cheese on the planet trying to guess what cheese is available in the shop):

"So, do you, in fact, have any cheese here at all?"

"YYYYYYYYYY...No"

"No?"

"No sir. I've been deliberately wasting your time".

It's the pride and sense of achievement in that last line that hits the spot.

paranoidwriter waves hello

20:09 / 13.06.05

I read an interview with Leslie Neilsen years ago in which I he made that explicitly clear. He said that he always played those roles as if they *weren’t comedies*.

I can see this, but that's got to be a half-truth, no? For example, the "Eh? Hang on, is there something in my left ear, talking to me?"-look I mentioned earlier. I know he can do straight (which was weird to get used to, as I'd been introduced to him through his comedy), but isn't his comedy stuff more like deliberate ham-straight acting, like the variety you see in bad but good soap operas? Also, I bet at some point in that interview he used his infamous little hand-held fart-effect maker. Whenever I've watched his straight acting, like Meem when ze watched 'The Poseidon Adventure', I was always half-expecting to hear a suspicious noise and see his eyes dart to the left...

Also, thinking about it, how old was the interview? Maybe he developed his style of ham-dead-pan over time, and at the beginning he was just doing it straight? What do you reckon?

Oh, and "nice beaver."

paranoidwriter waves hello

20:15 / 13.06.05

Also, I love Fry and Laurie, despite the advertising. Thanks for the script!

I'm Rick Jones, bitch

20:45 / 13.06.05

GUEST STARING WILLIAM SHATNER (Shats is promptly dispatched before the Credits even finish)

paranoidwriter waves hello

21:53 / 13.06.05

GUEST STARING WILLIAM SHATNER

"Excellent." Can you remind me which movie the above example was from?

I love early Star Trek, but there's a man who must have found the transition from acting to comedy acting easy. I love his entrance in' Airplane II: The Sequel'. Remember it?

However, for me he lost his appeal with that dodgy cop show in the 1980's (who's name we must not speak), but then seemed to rediscover a sense of humour and now laughs at himself which has made him far more endearing.

paranoidwriter waves hello

22:09 / 13.06.05

I could just pinch his silly little cheeks!

12:15 / 14.06.05

Ooh, he's on Columbo tomorrow. Must tape it.

paranoidwriter waves hello

19:09 / 14.06.05

Oh.... Am I going to miss the little cosmic imp?.... Oh...

Hmm...Thinking about Mr Shatner, he has to go down as a bit of a hero after taking part in the first interracial Kiss on US TV. I don't know the full details surrounding the episode (e.g. the story-line, or what Mr Shatner is on record as saying about it), but for that he's just been included on my screen-saver shrine (which I once mentioned here, if you're bothered that is.)

Talking of not taking yourself too seriously: from 'It'll Be Alright On The Night 15", tonight, an out-take from the badly fated recent rebirth of Crossroads. The scene was between a blonde actress and a famous, moustachioed, male baddy from the 1980's series. The male actor has (to my knowledge) had little work on UK TV since the Crossroads motel burnt down years and years ago, and I was thinking this as I watched the scene unfold (note; the following dialogue is not verbatim):

Woman: (defiantly) "I know what you are, you're a washed up has been, living in the past. "
Man: (pause) "You've been talking to my agent, haven't you?"

Class.

Hmmm.... Talking of such "clip" shows (BTW, I'm not defending them), does anybody know how easy it would be to get hold of an old clip from 'You've Been Framed?' The clip I want is of a (seemingly) stray dog in an alley who, seeing the camera, rears up onto his hind legs and proceeds to prance up and down as though he's mocking humanity. A stranger even walks past and the dog follows him down the alley for a while! I REALLY WANT THIS CLIP! PLEASE?!

Help? "Miss Diane?"

paranoidwriter waves hello

18:36 / 05.07.05

Anyone watching:Denis Norden's 9th Laughter File on ITV (UK) at the moment?

That table tennis footage sent me into a fit. I laughed so hard I'm still coughing. Also liked the 'Family Fortunes' game show clip:

Host; "Name any animal with three letters in it's name."

Contestant: "Alligator"

23:56 / 05.07.05

That table tennis footage sent me into a fit. I laughed so hard I'm still coughing

Thing is, I didn't get that. Isn't Denis Norden's show meant to be out-takes ('or "mistakes", that we here in televisionland get so embarrassed about')? What's the background to that clip? I mean, who wasn't in on the stunt? Just the audience? (*Even* the audience?)

I saw it though, oh yes. Is it shameful to admit that I really like blooper shows? Alright On The Night, Auntie's bloomers, You've Been Framed... Even the combined powers of Norden, Penk and Reilly can't deter me.

08:42 / 06.07.05

Usually the links between clips annoy me so much I don't watch clip shows, but ITV have now replaced Reilly with Harry Hill, who is far less annoying and makes "you've been framed" watchable.

paranoidwriter waves hello

14:24 / 06.07.05

What's the background to that clip? I mean, who wasn't in on the stunt? Just the audience? (*Even* the audience?)

I know what you mean, and I thought the same thing. My guess: it was an exhibition match (like they do in Tennis and Snooker), maybe at tournament, and only the crowd didn't know. As for whether it's an out-take or not, I guess the producers got away with including it because of the title of that particular Denis Nordans show. Whatever, I'm just glad I saw it.

As for Harry Hill?.... I can't get enough of him. I REALLY miss his 'TV Burp' series at the moment, and my dream job would be to spot scenes from the week's telly to include in the next series of the show. I always seem to spot many of the same things he (or his researchers?) do, and I'd swear to the fact that choosing to watch "crap" TV with that kind of perspective definitely reaps humorous rewards for the viewer. Also, getting Mr Hill to do 'You've been framed' has probably saved the show from being axed. Who was that guy from Bolton (?) who had a bash at presenting it for a couple of series? Poor sod was hopeless.

15:18 / 06.07.05

Jonathan Wilkes (although he’s from Stoke, Robbie Williams’ best mate innee)

I’m also a big fan of TV Burp (new series on its way I believe). His Kilroy parody almost made Kilroy worth it. I think it was the surprise success of that show prompted the revamp of YBF. I think TV commentary on TV works pretty well, and I reckon it’s under-exploited. Clive James did it successfully for years in the late 80s, early 90s; Tarrant On TV always rates; In Bed With MeDinner was a word-of-mouth success (although Channel 4 missed the trick ITV caught in moving it to a more accessible slot)… I’d like to see more of it.

paranoidwriter waves hello

19:00 / 12.07.05

On I'm a one-person quest to keep silly alive, so *bump*!

I was just watching 'Denis Norden's 11th Laughter File' on UK television, and (Praise Jack!) I've been introduced to 'Masquerade': a Japanese TV Talent Show with some, quite frankly, genius performances (and I'm not being all western, sarcastic, and superior). All of it was pointless, daft, but visually and conceptually amazing!

e.g. (Sorry, I couldn't find a decent link through Google) A giant foam and rubber paint roller, which rolled forward and backwards collecting and spreading "paint" on the stage floor. The "paint" consisted of about ten people dressed in multicloured rags who either held on or let go of the roller as the effect required.

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!

Weird though, as I was about to type this post good old Uncle Denis summed up the reel of clips from 'Masquerade' with the following:

"Imagine if they did that over here: tonight Matthew I'm going to be a crowded underground train!"

Ouch! Surprised none of the researchers from the show remembered that one in time. Inappropriate?

nyarlathotep's shoe horn

02:58 / 13.07.05

for the record,

Leslie Nielsen is Canadian.

and fookin' hilarious -

particularly since his twin brother is (was?) a member of Parliament, and was deputy prime minister from 17 Sep 1984 - 29 Jun 1986.

could you keep a straight face listening to the man??? Dunno how the other MPs managed.

10 IX

paranoidwriter waves hello

03:15 / 13.07.05

OH - MY - GIDDY - AUNT!

Are you winding me up? Am I being dim? His twin brother was Canadian Deputy Prime Minister? Were they identical? I've always wanted to emigrate to Canada and this is another tick in their favour, if this is true... Ireland, Holland, Alaska, etc: match that, why don'cha?

I feel some research coming on.....

paranoidwriter waves hello

03:44 / 13.07.05

Oh, and which one is the evil twin? Hmm......

paranoidwriter waves hello

04:06 / 13.07.05

They swap places and the "comedian" goes all manic-depressive and mental. He introduces new clauses into the constitution by bizarre cunning and use of a good forger, a bottle of very old but still runny Tip-Ex, a quill and cheap ink:

e.g. "No citizen at any point, whatsoever, no matter how sobre or floppy of mind, must EVER take themselves seriously. To do such a thing is out and out treason."

I'll stop now before some Studio Exec' rips me off. What do you mean, "it's too late worrying about all that now"? Who are you guys and why are you all dressed in white? Are they sequins? Where's the party? Oh my, that's big.....ZZZZzzzzzzzz.......

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

16:01 / 13.07.05

Leslie Nielsen has found a great 2nd career in a genre that was created by Zucker, Zucker and Abrams, but I don't know if it so much him, but just the fact that they keep doing the schtick from Airplane, and he's very good at it. I recently watched "Top Secret", and was struck by how much more I lughed at it, than I did at the "Police Squad" movies...and Val Kilmer was doing the same "I'm not in on the joke" style delivery and was great at it.

Too bad ZZ&A don't work together any more.

paranoidwriter waves hello

00:12 / 22.07.05

I haven't seen 'Top Secret' in ages (p.w conveniently forgets his last couple of posts in this thread), but remember it being equally as good as 'Airplane!'. I'm going to have to try and borrow my friend's copy and refresh my memory. Nice one.

Also, I was just doing a bit of research on Uncle Leslie and his "evil" Tory brother Erik. Has anyone seen and maybe even got a digital copy of 'The Canadian Conspiracy'? Apparently, the little cosmic imp is also in it. Seriously, I've gotta move to Canada, soon....

05:54 / 22.07.05

just remembered another favourite line from Airplane.

Nielsen "What was for dinner?"
Stewardess "fish or steak"
Nielsen "That's right, I had the lasagne"

it's the delivery that makes it don't you know.