Learning from Animation

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Book Review: Comedy for Animators by Jonathan Lyons

Most clowns I know love cartoons, often having the same reverence for Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny that they have for Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Comedy animators have borrowed a lot from the (human) physical comedy tradition, but there's a lot we can learn from animation. And a good place to start is the creative and historical work of Jonathan Lyons.

Jonathan has worked for over 25 years both in traditional animation and 3D, with an array of impressive credits that include the first four Pirates of the Caribbean films; Pillsbury Dough Boy commercials; two Clio awards while working at Industrial Light & Magic; his own independent films featuring Floyd the Android; and much much more. He has taught animation at the university level and for years has authored a blog, Comedy for Animators, which you should dive into headfirst at your earliest convenience.

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"To get laughs with animation, you have two choices. Gags and jokes. A gag is intended to create laughter with visual humor. A joke uses words for the same purpose. Tex {Avery} was right, gags are hard to come by, requiring considerable time to develop and integrate into the action in a natural way. American television animation has relied on verbal jokes because they are far more efficient in production. A group of writers can sit around in a room and pitch storylines, then fill in some jokes, and before you know it the script is ready and there is only limited expectation on the artist to make it look good. Visual gags require much more time to invent, develop, and work into action. Jokes don't really affect the storyline, whereas visual stunts will physically change the situation for the characters. Gags need careful timing and acting, which require more time than lip-synching words... One aspect of visual comedy does make it easier, though. A joke heard once is used up, whereas a good sight gag can be successfully recycled."

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Jonathan's blog led to the book of the same name, which is targeted for animators who know how to draw funny characters but don't understand the craft of physical comedy. Thus there are chapters on characterization, comedy teams, context, gags, and storytelling structure. Not all of this is new, but it is pulled together with a unique slant and analyzed with the precision of a creative artist who uses these concepts day to day and not that of an academic on the outside looking in. The book should be an essential source not only for animators trying to tell stories through images, but also for the readers of this blog engaged in live performance. Jonathan offers strong insights for performers telling stories through their own extreme physicality, making very useful connections between live action and animated movement. Highly recommended!

You can buy the book here
and check out his web site here.

And if you want proof that Jonathan knows his stuff, just check out these videos...
his demo reel
one of his Floyd the Android short films

And here are two wonderful video compilations Jonathan has put together analyzing physical comedy:

10 Types of Comedic Entrances

Eating

LearnSlapstick.com

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Christopher Lueck, producer and host of The New York Downtown Clown Monthly Revue, has a new project, teaching slapstick comedy by means of instructional videos offered through his new website, LearnSlapstick.com. Here's the infomercial you'll see if you go to the site.



From there you have to sign in with your e-mail address to receive a link to view a free sample video on comic tripping, which as it turns out has less to do with LSD or magic mushrooms than it does with the path of your foot being interrupted, not that the two are mutually exclusive. You'll also learn (spoiler alert) that Christopher is selling a 40-minute DVD teaching slapstick basics. I'm out of the country and have not yet seen the DVD, so you're on your own here. Meanwhile, here's Christopher and fellow NYC clown Joel Jeske slapping each other silly in their touring show, The Hey-Ya Brothers:

Click here to see the rest of this promo video.

And speaking of slapstick, I can't resist reposting this rambunctious, no-holds-barred "rough house" act posted yesterday by Jonathan Lyons on his excellent Comedy for Animators blog  — which you should all be following! Not sure yet who this is or what movie it's from, but it was put up on YouTube just four days ago by Stephen Worth of the Hollywood Animation Archive.  (I have written Mr. Worth to see if he has more information for us.)



Update:  Jonathan Lyons writes:  "Stephen says it's from "Let's Go Crazy", 1951, with Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers in his first film appearance."

Guest Post: Jonathan Lyons on Cantinflas & Bullfighting

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Jonathan Lyons is a top-notch 3D animator, with major credits working for, amongst others, ILM and Imagemovers Digital. Yes, you've seen his work, and you can see his demo reels here.  Most recently he worked on Pirates of the Caribbean 4 — On Stranger Tides and, better yet, just finished his own short film, Floyd the Android, already entered into several film festivals. Jonathan is an aficionado of physical comedy who has graciously shared his insights and enthusiasms with this blog's readers on several occasions.  And to top it off, he has recently launched his own blog, Comedy for Animators, which I can't recommend highly enough.  Great stuff, with very specific and valuable analysis of the movement details essential to understanding physical comedy.  Definitely check it out!  — jt
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I’m sure that some time ago I must have seen the 1956 version of Around the World in 80 Days.   But when I recently watched it on Netflix, I recalled virtually nothing about it.   Although it features numerous cameos by famous actors, for me it was primarily an opportunity to sample the work of Cantinflas, the legendary Mexican dancer, actor, and comedian.  He plays Passepartout, the gentleman's gentleman to Phileas Fogg (David Niven).   Passepartout is French for “goes everywhere.”

Cantinflas was the stage name of Fortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes (1911-1993).  He began his entertainment career as a dancer, performing with Mexican carpa (traveling tent) shows.  He made his film debut in 1936, in No te engañes corazón .  His 1941 bullfighting film Ni sangre, ni arena (Neither Blood nor Sand) broke box office records.  The title is a play on the gladiator phrase “Blood and Sand.”   His work in “Around the World in 80 Days” was nominated for an Academy Award, but it was followed by Pepe, a box office flop.

He admitted the language barrier was too much to overcome.  It is a shame his work is not more accessible.   The DVD of the film included a commentary track by a film historian, who had nothing much to say about Cantinflas, unfortunately.

Charles Chaplin once called Cantinflas “the world’s greatest comedian."   From my viewing of Around the World in 80 Days, I must say that he stands well in the company of great film comedians. His appearance simulates Chaplin, but he chases women like Harpo Marx.  It is during the visit to Spain that he really shines.   Visiting a flamenco club, he can’t help but take the dance floor with a beautiful Senorita.  His dance is quite skilled, and just a touch eccentric.   Despite his shabby clothing and small stature, he becomes quite a powerful and sensual partner.  He snatches the red tablecloth from the local strongman’s table, and performs some matador moves with the woman acting as the bull.



The strongman is so impressed he insists Passepartout take on a real bull in the arena the next day.

The bullfight was the very first sequence shot for the film, and it was given lavish attention.  Of the many set pieces created to bring the world into the theater with the very wide angle Todd AO lenses, this is the best.  Filmed in the town of Chinchon, it features all the 6500 inhabitants, plus 3500 extras.  All fully costumed.  While many scenes feature long shots of beautiful landscapes, this scene also stands out for Passepartout and his interaction with the locals.

The bullfighters parade in, with Cantinflas scurrying along at the end, doing his best imitation of the toreadors proud stride.   A famous matador takes his bow before the Mayor and his wife, and they release the bull.  The excellent footage of the bullfight shows the audience how this should look.  It becomes clear that once a bullfighter can fool the bull with the cape, it becomes a matter of style.  Finally, turning his back on the bull is the ultimate act of courage. 

The frightened Passepartout is then pushed into the ring, claiming this is the first time he’s seen a real bull.  (Cantinflas was actually a bullfighting aficionado).  His first tremulous steps sideways before the bull, and the first passes of the animal, eventually lead to moments of flare.  When the bull steps on the cape and Passepartout loses it, the other bullfighters step forward, like rodeo clowns to help, but  Passepartout doesn’t back down, and it is now clear that despite the comedy, this is a real bull, and this is a real bullfight. 



The danger of a wild animal makes this a unique piece of comedy.   If Chaplin wanted a bullfight, it would probably involve a pantomime bull and 60 takes to rehearse.  In Buster Keaton’s “Go West” when he wanted a bull to charge at him, they mounted the camera on a fake bull, and ran it toward him while he casually walked out of the way unaware of the “danger.”  Of course it’s hard to top Bugs Bunny’s bullfighting turn in “Bully for Bugs.”

In my superficial research on this topic, I checked out Wikipedia for “Bullfighting.”  In among all the information I found this:

Comic bullfighting
This section requires expansion.
Comical spectacles based on bullfighting, called espectáculos cómico-taurinos or charlotadas, are still popular in Spain and Mexico, with troupes like El empastre or El bombero torero.[14]

Ay Caramba! That sounds like fun.   As the explorer of the fringes of physical comedy, this is right up my alley.

Guest Post: Jonathan Lyons on The Harlem Globetrotters

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by Jonathan Lyons


The same weekend I was catching Aurélia's Oratorio in Berkeley, our intrepid reporter and master animator Jonathan Lyons was in Oakland enjoying a performance by the Harlem Globetrotters, who I am embarrassed to say I have never seen perform live. But talk about physical comedy!

You can click here to read other posts by Jonathan and to view his impressive bio, to which I will add that he is currently working on the film Mars Needs Moms for Disney/Image Movers Digital. — jt
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Milton Berle is quoted as saying, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”

Abe Saperstein loved sports. When he failed to make the basketball team at the University of Chicago, he left school. But he didn’t let that stop him. He just formed his own team. He assembled five African American basketball players and made himself coach. They were hired to play demonstration games at the Savoy Ballroom, in an attempt to lure people to stay and dance after the game. The “Savoy Big Five” weren’t so successful at attracting dancers and the program ended, so Abe took them on the road.


It was 1927, and all sports were segregated. The idea of playing for a professional team was out of the question for all of them. In an effort to make a career out of sports, they went barnstorming around the Midwest. Saperstein had the sense of a showman, and he thought a special name would be more likely to bring in spectators. Harlem was the center of African-American culture, so he appropriated the name, and added “Globetrotters” to give the impression of having traveled great distances before arriving in whatever small town they would play. Vaudeville performers of the day would routinely get booked for a week at a time; the Globetrotters moved on daily. They would take on the local team and show them how the game is played in the big city, for money. Of their first 106 games, they won 100.



Eventually they became so good, they would build up a comfortable lead in the score, and then relax and have fun at the expense of their opponents. The spectators laughed. This would be the ingredient that would make them more popular than they ever dreamed. As the crowds grew, so did the recognition of their tremendous skill in the game of basketball. The comparison to white players was inevitable, and soon the question of who would win in a game became too great to ignore. In 1948, a game was arranged with the champion Minneapolis Lakers. The game ended in classic movie style. A Globetrotter takes one last shot just before the final buzzer goes off, and he wins it. In 1949, they beat them again. In 1950, Chuck Cooper became the first African-American drafted onto a white team. The Globe Trotters now had to compete with the professional teams for the best players.

While Abe Saperstein deserves full credit for founding and building the Harlem Globe Trotters into an internationally renowned group, he is also remembered as a tough business man, who’s treatment of his players was sometimes less than fair. But putting that aside, the greatness of the players eventually overcame his shortcomings, and they are responsible for earning the victories and generating the laughs. Hundreds of great players have played with the team, and these five had had their numbers retired: Wilt Chamberlain, Marques Haynes, Curly Neal, Meadowlark Lemon, and Reece Tatum. In 1993, Mannie Jackson, a former player, became the first black owner of the Harlem Globetrotters.

A fun vintage bit.

Having the honor of a 7-year old basketball player in the family, I recently had the opportunity to see the 2010 Globetrotters. It would be my first time seeing the real thing live. Previously I had only seen video, and the Canadian knock-off version “The Harlem Diplomats.” The Harlem Diplomats had an advance team put up those cheap 1 color posters around my hometown. They were a real traveling novelty act, performing in the high school gymnasium. I was quite young at the time, and what I recall most about the game was feeling rather sorry for the team of sad sacks they brought with them to humiliate.

I knew the Trotters would play against a team of stooges, and I wondered if I would feel the same about their opponents, “The Washington Generals.” But they solved this problem, by making the General’s coach into a sort of villain. The Generals were introduced first, jogging out in house lights and cheesy fanfare music. Then the coach was introduced, and his behavior begged the crowd to dislike him. Dressed in a gaudy yellow suit, and using a bullhorn, he loudly proclaimed he had a “secret weapon” that would allow him to finally defeat the Globetrotters.

I had also wondered what kind of crowds the Globetrotters could attract, and I was surprised to see the Oracle Arena in Oakland nearly filled. And it was the first of two games. By the way, for many years now, the Globetrotters have had multiple teams touring at any one time. You can buy tickets to games on the same night in different cities. Their roster includes enough coaches and players for 4 teams.

When the Trotters enter, the house lights go down, the spotlights shine, and loud hip hop music booms, while they take a lap around the court, and are introduced one by one. When they form up the “magic circle” and begin the warm-up tricks, and the whistling of “Sweet Georgia Brown” is played. It was then that I really felt the history of the show coming to life.


After the lengthy warm up, the game begins. But before the initial tip off, one of the Trotters determines the ball is flat, and goes to the side to get a fresh one. When the new ball is tossed for the tip off, it turns out to be a balloon filled with helium, and floats off to the roof. I love the gag balls. I won’t go into detail about every gag, but I certainly recognized some of the old standards. The splashed water cup that escalates to a bucket of water in the refs face, and ultimately confetti flung at the audience. It wouldn’t be a Globetrotters game without it. Of course somebody got pantsed. I really do wonder if somewhere they have a big book of gags to pull from. The coaches are all former players, so I’m sure they act partly as coaches, partly oral historians, partly as directors. It would be very interesting to interview one of them.

It’s important to remember that the players take great pride in their basketball skills. Like all great clowns, the Globetrotters are highly skilled to the point of being spectacular. Every year, they still hold an exhibition game against the NCAA college all-stars. When the Generals have the ball, they are expected to play to very best of their ability. Except perhaps the General wearing the tear-a-way uniform, who ended up running to the locker room in his boxer shorts. When the Globetrotters have the ball, they just have to play along. Foul shots are only called for to get in the related jokes.

The “secret weapon” the Generals coach used was hypnosis. He brought out an umbrella with a spiral design on it, which he twirled before a Globetrotter. After this, the player would do his bidding. The only way to free him of the spell was to do something “spectacular,” which usually meant one of their fantastic “alley oop” baskets.

Like most clowns, they interact with the audience, bringing children onto the court to spin balls on their fingers, and take successful shots at the hoop while the Trotters kneel and pray. They flirt with moms. They fill out the show with a very funny mascot, “Big G,” a character who is mostly a giant inflated globe head. His antics are available on youtube. My only criticism of the show was that the audio system wasn’t the highest quality. I was only able to understand about half the spoken jokes.

After researching the history and attending a game, I am now seriously impressed with the entire enterprise. They have existed since the latter days of vaudeville, and are going as strong as ever. They have a proud history in integrating American culture and sports. They are an impressive business, with courtside seats selling at a premium, and a very long line at the merchandise stand. They are wholesome family entertainment all decked out in patriotic uniforms. What’s not to like?

This video is a fun compilation piece

A documentary The Harlem Globetrotters: The Team That Changed the World. [Posted in segments to youtube; complete DVD also available for sale and to rent on Netflix.]

A bit of a fluff piece, but it includes Senator Barack Obama.

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Editor's Note: Can't resist adding this spoof from the Onion to Jonathan's post; click here for full article. —jt

Wacky Japanese Commercials

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We all know how hard it can be for a Hollywood star to make ends meet these days, what with the economy and all, which is why so many famous actors and directors have to choose between waiting tables and doing Japanese commercials. These commercials are so demanding that only a select few choose to go this route. Thanks to guest poster Jonathan Lyons for alerting me to a practice that recalls the slave trade of centuries past.

If you think I'm exaggerating, just look at Brad Pitt being forced to lift a 600-pound sumo wrestler in this Softbank commercial directed by none other than Spike Jonze.






Serving you any way necessary, indeed! Apparently Brad did have some help from wires, but I suspect that was meant to protect Mr. Sumo and not our beloved Brad.



And as if that weren't enough, Brad was forced into a second humiliation, humbling himself as the wrestler's nursemaid in plain view of the clientele at a fine dining establishment.




I know what you're saying: what's next, changing his diapers?

Well, they do say bad luck comes in threes. Big-Shot director Wes Anderson, who happens to be a Big Fan of Jacques Tati, filmed another one of these Softbank commercials, this time forcing Pitt to wear a hideous yellow outfit and do a weak imitation of Tati's Monsieur Hulot character. Bad idea. If you read internet comments — and they are like The Bible to me — no one knew who Pitt was imitating or why he was stiffly bending his torso like that.



I should stop there, but as it turns out Brad Pitt isn't the only inglourious basterd being forced to make a fool of himself on the other side of the globe. Even Quentin Tarantino needs to rake in some occasional chump change.




I told you we shouldn't have let SONY buy MGM.

Guest Post: Jonathan Lyons on San Francisco's Flying Actor Studio

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by Jonathan Lyons

[Jonathan Lyons is an animator at Imagemovers Digital, and you can see his latest work in Disney's A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey, in theatres everywhere right now. You can read his other guest posts here and here.]



When I was an adolescent living in New England, I was told that Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus ran a clown college in Florida. To me, that sounded like an excellent institution of higher education. Just about my speed.

Alas, one thing leads to another and the decades go by. I never made it to Clown College. I think perhaps it’s a good thing, as I am somewhat injury prone. I probably wouldn’t have lasted many years in the profession. Still, my love of physical comedy, and my curiosity about the art remains undiminished. I practice it in a virtual form, animation. Recently however, I had a chance to sample the real-world training of a physical actor.


I live in Marin County, California, and this past summer a new school opened up in San Fransisco, just across the Golden Gate Bridge. The Flying Actor Studio, operated by James Donlon and Leonard Pitt. They offer “physical theater training with world-class master teachers offering: movement, mime, mask, clown, circus arts, improvisation, voice, new performance.” They have an impressive list of guest instructors, including Geoff Hoyle, John Gilkey, Bill Irwin, Judy Finelli, and Suzanne Santos.

To kick off the opening of the school, they held a special performance with Donlon, Pitt, and Cirque du Soleil alumni, John Gilkey. The show was called “The Zany and the Surreal.” It featured rotating solo performances from the three actors. Donlon delivered some of his deeply felt mime, Pitt introduced some mask techniques and told an entertaining Jewish tale. John Gilkey’s pieces included his signature coat rack juggling routine, which I enjoyed watching in the Cirque du Soleil show Quidam.

The Flying Actor Studio is a full-service training facility offering everything from one-day workshops to a full-time, 28-week conservatory program. They also arrange special guest shows and workshops. This October they welcomed the International Czech Theater Festival, and held a clown workshop with Steve Capko. Among the workshops and classes they had the ideal opportunity for a working family man such as myself. “Meet the Flying Actor Studio Drop In Class”. Held on a Sunday, 10 am to 4pm, it is described like this:

“A survey of the Flying Actor Studio methods including improvisation, imagination, time, movement, mask, and mime. This class is offered on a sliding scale to make our classes accessible.”

I was happy to pay the high end of the $25 to $40 suggested price. It was more than reasonable for the experience. I and a handful of other participants warmed up with stretches in the bright loft space. Some of them were actors, at least one other was just curious like myself. James Donlon ran the morning half of the program. Among Mr. Donlon’s many teaching credits, was the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Clown College. Finally, I would have my day! We did a variety of basic exercises in movement. He introduced the idea of “neutrality,” which I found intriguing. Neutrality in this case being a way of moving (or being still) that would offer no clues about the person. You wouldn’t be able to determine age, sex, state of mind, state of health, anything. Half of us would wear black hoods, to hide the face, while walking around the room in whatever fashion felt neutral to us, while the others would discuss what they saw. We did the same thing with sitting in a neutral position. While I would have thought that the class would be all about creating character, this exercise in removing character was just as informative. After that we practiced a variety of mime exercises, and by this time, I was beginning to sweat. It was a workout, and I would be sore the next day.

After a lunch break, Leonard Pitt took over the class. During Mr. Pitt’s 40 years of experience he has studied with Etienne Decroux, written several books, and been a movement consultant on major motion pictures. We started with an exercise between pairs of people locking eyes and moving back and forth as though on a rail. Building on that we expanded it to random group movement, quickly switching to pairs. The exercise involved focused attention, and physically grabbing attention from others by just turning towards them. I can see where it would be a useful exercise for the stage movement. Following that, Mr. Pitt introduced us to the basics of using masks. It was interesting to learn that mask work is not so much about movement, but about posture and posing, and also eye direction. This is useful stuff for an animator.

Thanks to James and Leonard for setting up such an accessible, educational and enjoyable program. Good luck to them and their venture.

Click here for more information about the Flying Actor Studio.

Guest Post: Jonathan Lyons — The Strange Case of Alice Cooper

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A Guest Post by Jonathan Lyons

Back in 1979, while I was stationed at a Navy training center in San Diego, I attended an Alice Cooper concert. For those who don’t know, Alice was known for putting on an elaborate stage show, including simulated hanging and beheading. He’s been called the Godfather of Shock Rock. This show had an electric chair.

To open the show, a full size movie screen hung center stage, and a film of a vodka bottling plant plays to the live warm up music of Alice’s band. In the last shot of the film, a bottle falls over toward camera, with the tip very close. At this point, as though coming out of the bottle, Alice Cooper jumps through the screen. Not tearing it. The screen had slits cut vertically across the entire area. I think the screen material was also elastic, to make it easier to pass through. I have learned that was referred to as the “magic screen.”

Later on the magic screen was an integral part of a remarkable bit of physical comedy. On the screen, they projected something that I remember as a chase film, very Keystone Kops, with Alice escaping from a mental institution, being pursued by men in white coats. But it was the magic screen that made this so special. The performers on the stage synchronized to the movie, so they could literally jump through the screen, and magically appear in the movie! It was like watching “Sherlock Jr.” performed live. I recall there being a bomb, as in a cannonball, with a lit fuse, and the word “BOMB” in block lettering on it, that was tossed into and out of the movie. The effect was fantastic. There was music composed specifically for this event. This song was called “All Strapped Up.”

While looking for references for this blog post, I discovered a concert film was recorded and released on VHS. The tape is no longer available, but it is fully viewable on Youtube, in 8 parts. On youtube I discover, it was the very show I attended! I am somewhere in the front, pressed up against the boards, with only glowering security guards between myself and Alice. Though I’m never visible, it’s a treat to see the show again.

Unfortunately, the magic screen segments were not included in the video. Since it would have been a video of a projected film, it may not have looked good. The opening of the film, the vodka bottling plant, was original footage, not the projected film. When Alice jumped through, they just cut to the live shot In this video, when the cut to the stage happens, you can see the screen recovering from his entrance.

In researching this piece, I have come to the conclusion that Alice Cooper has a little bit of clown in him.

EXHIBIT A. The opening to the concert film “The Strange Case of Alice Cooper.” Alice personally introduces the film, and he says: “In any disastrous situation there’s something funny. I mean, somebody must have slipped on a banana peel right before the bomb hit in Hiroshima.”

EXHIBIT B. During an earlier live show, Alice had a pineapple upside down cake thrown into his face, and he handled it very professionally. Most rockers would have gotten angry at the crowd.

EXHIBIT C. Although the video of the magic screen isn’t available, the music for “All Strapped Up” is available. After about 1 minute it unmistakably develops into silent comedy music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuS6gYjrxO0

[NOTE: Unfortunately this link has been removed by YouTube. —jt]

EXHIBIT D: DVD reviewer Dan MacIntosh had this to say:

“Alice Cooper almost ruins a perfectly good concert film with his lowbrow comedy”

Alice Cooper’s show, in addition to the “shock” and “death” effects, were also a bit silly at times. The “All Strapped Up” magic screen comedy was the most lighthearted of all. I think Alice knew he couldn’t be too serious, or the show would be a total downer. I have not seen a Marilyn Manson show, but I don’t believe he has learned that lesson.

Guest Post — Jonathan Lyons: Always Leave Them Laughing

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Yep, the start of another new regular feature of the blog:

The Guest Post!

I'm honored to include the thoughts of experts in the field to this blog, so let's get started with me introducing Jonathan Lyons...

After earning his BFA in film (majoring in animation) from NYU in 1988, Jonathan began a career in the VFX (visual effects) industry, working for ILM for nearly 6 years. He is currently at Imagemovers Digital, finishing up animation on "A Christmas Carol" for Robert Zemeckis and Disney. His research into clowns and cartoons resulted in a paper "Comedy, Clowns, and Cartoons." which he delivered at the first conference of The Society for Animation Studies, held at UCLA in 1989. In addition to his VFX career, he is working on his own short film which, he says, "is of course a silent comedy."

Take it away, Jonathan... and my apologies for the delay in getting this up there; this post was written 7 weeks ago right after the movie's release but was a victim of my forced blog vacation...
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Always Leave Them Laughing


“When he’s laughing good you know
That’s the time to turn and go
Always leave then laughing when you say goodbye.”

George M. Cohan wrote the lyrics to Always Leave Them Laughing in 1903, and I assume it’s where the expression began. It’s still great advice today. The title has been reused for films such as the Laurel and Hardy short Leave ‘em Laughing (1926) and Always Leave them Laughing featuring Milton Berle (1949).

One of the most challenging aspects of physical comedy is how to end the show. The stand-up comedian has it easy. He or she can simply save the best material for last, then triumphantly run off stage to the sound of applause. But how does the physical comedian top it off?

A circus or stage clown with skill in acrobatics, juggling or magic, could end the show with the best trick, but what of the character comedian? It seems performers often devise a signature style of closing. Charlie Chaplin’s iconic ending, of him wobbling down the road alone, suited his purposes, but was not in itself funny. The Three Stooges, who I’ve been watching a lot of lately, reach a certain plateau of pandemonium, then whoop whoop themselves out of the scene, escaping to their theme music. Warner Brothers animation created the Porky Pig “That’s All Folks” tag.

In feature films, it’s even more difficult to end with a laugh. The audience has expectations of resolution to the various story lines. Occasionally, films such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, or Animal House, end with humorous epilogues of what eventually became of the characters. Funny, but not physical.

What inspired me to think about this was the new movie, The Hangover. The surprise hit of summer 2009, the film has a truly remarkable ending. What follows, may or may not constitute spoilers, so make your own choice to continue. The premise of the film is obvious from the trailer. Four friends take a bachelor party trip to Las Vegas to celebrate the impending marriage of one of them. The next morning they wake to find the suite in a shambles, and the groom is missing. They have no memory of what happened. The ensuing action is quite funny, as they follow the few clues they have to find the groom and unravel the mysteries, a considerable portion of the comedy being physical. At the end the foursome is reunited, as would be expected in a comedy, and they find a digital camera containing photos of their lost night. They agree to view the pictures once, then destroy them. They gather around the camera, switch it on, then recoil in horror at what they see. Cut to the credits. During the credits, they show the photos. It is a series of still pictures, and they are everything you fear they might be. It is physical comedy in its rawest form. It’s shockingly funny. I wouldn’t argue if some of the photos were called obscene. The entire movie sets up the jokes in the photos. Many of the clues from the night before are exposed, and whole new alternative storylines flash by in seconds. It totally sends the audience out laughing.

— Jonathan Lyons (June 29, 2009)