Life Imitates Art or Too Funny to Be True?

[post 373]

Do the Keystone Kops ride again? This "dumbest cops" video has gone viral, billed as "actual bank robbery in Detroit."

You know me, I love examples of physical comedy in real life, and this sure would be funny if it were true, but it ain't. (Darn.) It's actually footage shot by an observer during the filming of this 2008 Chevy Mailbu commercial!



That choreography was just a little too perfect!

But this one, on the other hand, is more likely legit, and almost qualifies as a perfect three-part gag — except that there are four crashes. Well, we could edit that!

Keep your eye on the motorcyclist in white first visible in the upper-right-hand corner; first crash is at 7-second mark. Be sure to watch till the end....

Push to Add Drama

[post 261]

And comedy...



Thanks to Vanita Nadaraj for the link!

But That's How I Make My Living....

[post 240]


Sign in the New York City subway.

What Will They Think of Next Department: Mimes Directing Traffic (for real)

[post 201]

Associated Press, Caracas: Mimes gesture as they stand in a crosswalk in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday Oct. 7, 2011. The mayor of the city's eastern district of Sucre has launched a unique program aimed to encourage civility among reckless drivers and careless pedestrians, putting 120 mimes at intersections to politely and silently scold violators. The campaign kicked off this week as mimes posted at busy intersections mocked people who jaywalked or acted brutish behind the wheel. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Click here for the full article. Thanks to Marisol Rosa-Shapiro for the link!

Japanese Photo Prank

[post 185]

I was in Tokyo for 3½ days but spent too much of it figuring out how to get home in the middle of a hurricane. So no physical comedy report, but here's a clever sight gag I think you'll enjoy.



Clearly the guys are walking behind the van rather than hopping out, and I imagine you can rig a Polaroid-style camera to pop out a different photo, but still I'm suspicious. How, for example, did they get the camera angle for this close-up shot of the photo taken by the woman in purple? Was there a camera above the woman?? Or were the volunteer photographers actually actors? Of course it could have been legit except that they added in the close-ups of the photos just to sell the joke. Either way, I'm not complaining. Funny is funny.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up! — The Maeklong Market Train

[post 143]

This looks like a wacky sight gag in some movie out to over-emphasize its exotic locale, but the amazing thing is that it's not only real, but a regularly scheduled occurrence.  If you have 44 seconds to spare, travel with me to Thailand's Maeklong market....



I especially love the ending!

Here's another clip, with a view from the back of the train.



Thanks to Harold Rabinowitz for the link! For more on the market and train, click here.