"Who's on First?"

Okay, so if I'm going to have a blog dedicated to clean comedy, I can not possibly ignore one of the funniest skits ever by that classic comedy duo, Abbott and Costello! Their popularity may have been in the 1940s and 1950s but their comedic legacy lives on! Their routine "Who's on First" is still making people roar with laughter today and has inspired generations of comedians. The first time I heard it, I had tears in my eyes, I was laughing so hard. Actually, I think I heard it after I saw an Animaniacs cartoon entitled "Woodstock Slappy" which was based off of Abbott & Costello's original routine. I had tears in my eyes then too. I'm just a regular fountain of tears aren't I? At least they're the happy ones! :*D The skit first appeared on their radio show. Yes, people actually gathered as families and sat around listening to the radio. Ooh, novel concept isn't it? ;-) I am presenting the radio version instead of their tv version because it seems (to me anyway) to be the best one. As a special bonus I am including part of the Animaniacs cartoon as well. If you have not heard "Who's on First?" before, well crawl on out from under that rock you've been living under and enjoy! :-D

Below you will find a scene from Animaniacs entitled "Woodstock Slappy." To sum up the plot quickly, two squirrels Skippy and his crabby Aunt Slappy, have just found a home in the country in order to get some peace and quiet and to get Skippy away from the hippie movement that was sweeping the nation (The sketch takes place during 1969). They awake the next morning to find that it has been invaded by a bunch of hippies and they are right smack dab in the middle of the Woodstock Music Festival. Slappy is determined to get rid of them all so she's trying to get to the stage to figure out a way to do so. Halfway there they have the following exchange (quick side note for those unfamiliar with some of the names of rock bands during that time period and that are mentioned in the skit. There were bands called The Who, Yes, and The Band) Okay this time I mean it... enjoy the clip! ;-) :

Jesus on the Mainline

Well, it's Sunday once again– the day of rest, the day of worship, the day when all the churches try to beat each other to the restaurants after service! ;-D Being a church day, I decided to feature one of my favorite routines with Mark Lowry and the Gaither Vocal Band performing the song "Jesus on the Mainline." I am a rascally creature by nature (no, I am not a rabbit ;-D), so I can fully appreciate the antics of Mark Lowry in this clip. The beginning starts off a little slow, but wait until they get to the song – so worth the wait! I think I had tears in my eyes the first time I saw this performance. Great music (if you like Southern Gospel) and great comedy, enjoy!

Christians Don't Have Curse Words

In my search for my next featured comedian of the day, I came across Brad Stine. He's a Christian comedian (yes, there will be a lot of those featured on this site, so get over it! ;-) ), and he has some pretty strong opinions. I had never heard him before, but he is absolutely hilarious! I chose to feature this particular video today because I like how he explains why, as a comedian for 20 years, he has never used curse words or gratuitous sexual references. He says, "Creativity is funnier than crude." I LOVE that – very well put! Also he says, "It's natural to curse; nobody has to learn to curse, they have to learn not to." Which just goes to prove to me it takes more talent and creativity to keep comedy clean. So to those who say that comedy has to be dirty, I say, "Nah na na na na na...!" ;-D Ain't I mature? ;-) Enjoy today's video!

Unruly Kids

A friend of mine was cracking up at the video in my first post "Let the Joybreak Begin." She said she could totally relate to Ken Davis' description of getting the kids ready for church. She said when she had kids she had a whole new appreciation for what her parents went through trying to get 5 kids ready for church. She had me rolling with her description of all 5 kids sitting in the backseat saying things like, "She's touching me!" and also describing how her parents tried to keep the kids from squirming or misbehaving in the hard pews at their Catholic church. Well, this reminded me of another routine by Ken Davis (I told you he was one of my favorites! ;-D), so I decided to post a series of videos from him this time. I don't even have to have kids to know he speaks the truth in these videos! Too funny! Hope you enjoy!

Let the JoyBreak Begin!

I heard someone say that they couldn't become a stand-up comedian because there are certain bad words that you have to use in order to become a successful one. I was like, "Say what!?" I was absolutely flabbergasted at that statement. Why have people come to accept that comedy must be crude, coarse, and vulgar in order to be funny? That is entirely NOT true! Some of the most successful comedians in the world have kept their acts clean– Jack Benny, Bill Cosby, Red Skeleton, Bob Hope, etc. Those are just the ones that pop into my head at the moment. I know there are many more. Of course, looking at the names I just mentioned you might be thinking, "Well, those comedians were from a different era. Times have changed." Times may have changed, but that doesn't mean there are not some absolutely hilarious clean comedians out there today. 

Some people are under the impression that if comedy is clean it won't be funny.  Oh, please! Any 3-year-old can use the same vulgar words and do the same crude acts as most of those unclean comedians today. It takes real skill and wit to come up with the clean stuff. I heard a comedian talk about how he had a run in with Red Skeleton after a performance. This particular comedian used cuss words in his act. He said that Red told him that when you use bad language in your comedy act, you are poisoning the medicine. The comedian stopped using that language and his act is now more enjoyable and successful. "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…" Proverbs 17:22. I don't know about you, but I want my "medicine" pure. That is why I am dedicating this blog to showcasing only clean comedy. So take a break, have a laugh, get some joy, and be sure to check back often. Not quite sure of my posting schedule yet. My goal is to post at least once a week but it may be more. To kick off my first post I present to you one of my favorite comedians, Ken Davis, as he shares his thoughts on humor. I hope you enjoy!