Tickling your proverbial funny bone

Among my friends and acquaintances I'm not primarily known for my sense of humor. However, when I'm feeling good, my funny bone sneaks out. Just the other day, for example, my banjo teacher Rob complimented me on my sense of humor. But when I'm feeling out of sorts or depressed, my sense of humor flies out the window.

The first time I remember laughing so hard that I almost fell out of my seat was when I saw Charlie Chaplin do his Little Tramp in some of his early silent movies. One of the most memorable Little Tramp routines occurs in his feature-length film City Lights. It's an iconic opening scene in which the camera shows a marble statue being unveiled while a long-winded, pompous dignitary intones some unintelligible gibberish. As soon as the drape comes off the statue, you see the Little Tramp sleeping in the statue's lap. Yes, Charlie Chaplin has always been one of my favorite comedians.

Not far behind is the hilarious duo of Laurel and Hardy. One of their episodes in which they unsuccessfuly try to move a piano into a house, only to have it roll all the way down a long stairway, always leaves me in stiches. In another unforgettable scene, the two manage to demolish an entire house! In Germany, they are often referred to as Dick und Doof (fat and stupid)! The irony here is that Stan Laurel is anything but stupid. I read that he was the creative genius who wrote the scripts for all the sketches.

A third comedian that I discovered later in life is that outrageously funny Britisher Mr. Bean. I love the ridiculously small automobile that he has a hard time getting in and out of. And that weird-looking car he always runs into. I'll never forget the scene in one of his short features in which he tries to prepare a turkey on Thanksgiving for his homely girl friend. When he tries to remove the turkey's innards, it gets stuck on his head. But he opens the door anyway with the result that his girlfriend is totally embarrassed and mortified. You've got to see the clip in order to appreciate the humor.

Speaking of British humor, I'd be remiss not to mention John Cleese in Monte Python's Flying Circus. Who can ever forget that infamous dead parrot, or the scene in The Life of Brian where all the crucified victims burst out in a cheery song? Another favorite funny British series is Fawlty Towers in which John Cleese plays the part of a henpecked husband of a shrewish wife named Sybil. But he always manages to get in the last dig. I think my favorite Fawlty Towers episode is the one called "The Germans" in which a German couple dines in the hotel restaurant. John taunts them by haranging them about the war and ends up goosestepping in front of them a la Adolf Hitler.

Of course, I've enjoyed other comedians throughout the years like Robin Williams and Steve Martin. One of them is Carol Burnett. She does an unforgettable routine when she dons an entire curtain (including curtain rod) to descend down the stairs as Scarlet O'Hara.

About ten years ago, my friend Mary started a tradition at Walker Church every April Fool's Day called Holy Fool. There, people performed all kinds of comedy routines including funny songs, humorous monologs and skits of various kinds. I participated in this fun event almost every year. One year I dressed up as the Little Tramp, and did an original mime routine involving the church piano. Another time, I joined another Walkerite to do an original Laurel and Hardy skit.

My favorite Holy Fool skit was doing a Mr. Bean sketch that was set in a library. Mr Bean began the scene by ostentatiously shushing everyone around him. Then he opened his briefcase to extract some tracing paper and an exacto knife. Afterwards, he had a librarian hand him a very expensive art book. During the course of the skit, Mr. Bean managed to completely eviscerate the rare book by cutting out the pages while trying to copy the art work. All the while he tried to hide what he was doing from an annoyed library patron at the next table. After Mr. Bean dismembered the book, he put his knife and other paraphenalia back into his briefcase and left the library. The patron sitting next to him then grabbed the book and tried to return it to the librarian, only to have it fall apart.

This year, I look forward to participating in another Walker Holy Fool. I have no idea what I'll come up with this time. It may be a funny song or skit, or perhaps a mime routine. I'm debating of doing some weird dance moves. I'm sure I'll come up with something. So, be sure to stay tuned!