Jack’s Winning Words 11/29/17
“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.”  (Victor Hugo)  I’ve never thought of Victor as having a sense of humor.  “Les Misérables,” for example.  But, who knows?  We’re each born with a “funny bone,” but not all laugh at the same thing.  Molly said to Fibber, “’Tain’t funny, McGee”  (Only a few of you will get that one.)  I laughed at Steve Martin in The Pink Panther the other night…Oh, and Monte Python’s Silly Walk, cracks me up.    ;-)  Jack

FROM PASTIE PAT:  I got it😏!====JACK:  Do you have a closet like Fibber's?  I do.====PAT:  No --- even people who like me think I'm a neat freak😉!

FROM LP IN PORTAGE:  Didn’t know fibber McGee was a real character. My grandma just used to say it when we tried to trick her. “You’re just a Fibber McGee”. And I adopted it with my kids. Will have to google that.====JACK:  Thanks to YouTube you can show your kids a picture of the "real" Fibber.  And while you're at it, show them Monte Python's "Silly Walk."

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  i get that one... 😉  dad & i howled when steve martin first appeared on johnny carson w/the arrow through his head... and never stopped.====JACK:  I liked his movie, "The Jerk," a comedy with a message.====LIZ:  dad LOVED monty python. i never got their humor, however.====JACK:  Don't tell me you've not laughed when watching MP's Silly Walk.====LIZ:  monty python is “boy humor,” as i tried to explain to my dad as to why i never cracked a grin. ====JACK:  I don't see "Silly Walk" as boy humor, unless you might refer to the scene where a man asks the secretary to bring coffee...but she adds to the skit when she comes back with the coffee, doing a silly walk. ====LIZ:  we loved national lampoon vacation... you?====JACK:  I liked it.  Lots of funny scenes.  But, I liked Christmas Vacation even better.====LIZ:  i know of no women who find monty python funny.====JACK:  I came across this article..."Why do only smart people find Monty Python funny?"  That's a silly headline, isn't it?====LIZ:  i resent that... tee hee! ====LIZ;  ok. i will youtube it, & get back to you...(Getting back to you)...sorry, i never cracked a smile. dad would be rolling on the floor over this, however.  no, “one thin mint” doesn’t work either.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  have you noticed that Trump never laughs??  he may crack a smile or smirk once in a while but i have yet to see him truly laugh.  another possible sign of a mental instability....====JACK:  The old song seems to apply here..."Smile, thought your heart is breaking."
====PAUL:  Are you sure the guy even has a heart??====JACK:  That's referring to you...and I'm sure that you have a heart.  I read an article today that says you rarly ever see Trump smile or laugh.  It's a sign of something or other.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Ah Yes, Fibber McGee's disastrous closet! In the early days of TV we thought they were hilarious.:-) Most of us love a good laugh, but as you say, some are more inclined than others...I can usually see the funny side of most situations, which sure saves the day many a time!: Something that cracked me up recently was the story of a man walking into a New York Public Library, marching up to the librarian at the desk, and saying, "I'LL HAVE A CHEESEBURGER WITH EVERYTHING, CURLY FRIES, AND SMALL COFFEE.." She, aghast, replies, "Are you crazy?! This is a public library! He:"Oh, sorry! then whispers, "I'll have a cheeseburger with everything, curly fries,etc....You don't even have to finish it to start smiling!====JACK:  You've pointed out one example of why something is humorous...Incongruous juxtaposition!====OAKS:  Not familiar with that phrase, but it did make me laugh!====JACK:  I think that the recent quote of a baseball headline is an example:  "Whiffs of Colon too strong, 7-2."

FROM RJP IN NAPLES:  Fibber mcgee wow you are old although I think the show ran into the early fifties====JACK:  Fibber and Molly were an actual married couple...Jim and Marian Jordan.  Do you recall these recurring characters on the weekly show...Gildersleeve, The Old Timer, Mayor La Trivia, Nick DePopulis and Myrt?  You sort of remind me of Gildersleeve.====RJP:  As the water commissioner he was very important his town as I am here sooooooo heeeeee heee  as he said, yes Feebee.====JACK:  What was funny, then, is corny, now.  Each age has its own humor.

FROM MT IN PENNSYLVANIA:  Good morning, Jack.  Steve Martin’s ‘comic era’ was a thing of wonder. Back when he was just beginning to be famous (early 1970’s), I saw him live at the Meadowbrook outdoor theatre. The audience was mostly seated and buzzing with anticipation as the clock inched toward start time. At one point, a minor rustling of the curtains sent the audience into a roar. Then another rustling, with even greater impact. At least a minute passed…and then, almost shyly, the toe of a white shoe peeked out between the curtains and the audience (no kidding!) when berserk. It was as if the Beatles had just materialized. People were waving their arms frantically, jumping up & down, and running up and down the aisles wearing balloon hats or arrow-through-the-head clip-ons. The toe wiggled, and the activity soared even higher!  Talk about knowing how to work a crowd.  Not to be outdone by his toe…Steve's performance was flawless, and a total delight. I think that his opening line (spoken with convincing disdain) was “I’m so mad at my mother…she wanted me to give her ten dollars for some food!”(punch line: We worked it out. She got the 10 bucks for doing a brake job on my GTO.)  Many of his movies — both comic and serious — are quite extraordinary. If you haven’t seen them, I would suggest ‘Roxanne'' (in which 'Cyrano gets the girl’), and 'L.A. Story.' It’s a semi-autobiographical comedy/fantasy built around the courting of Steve’s first wife, Victoria Tennant, who plays the female lead. Unique among his cinematic works, the generally comedic storyline incorporates philosophical and intensely romantic elements. And then, for sheer fun, there’s ‘My Blue Heaven.’   p.s. Here’s a great quote from another Victor (Borge) —   “The shortest distance between two people is laughter.”====JACK:  Roxanne was a message-movie, too.  another things that makes me laugh is when Martin and Dan Aykroyd (as Yortuk and Georg Festrunk) call out, "We are two wild and crazy guys."

FROM HUNGRY HOWIE:  Abbott and Costello “ Who’s on First?”====JACK:  What?  Oh, that"s right.  What's on second.