Jean Stapleton (1923-2013)

All in the Family was the top-rated series on television from 1971 to 1976 for good reason. The writing was sharp and funny, each episode dealt with contemporary controversial topics, and the principal characters, though they began as stereotypes, became richly fleshed out over the series' run. Above all the actors were outstanding, none more so than Jean Stapleton, who died today at the age of 90.

Ms. Stapleton played Edith Bunker, the "dingbat" whom Carroll O'Connor's Archie Bunker verbally abused but deeply loved. Edith was the naive innocent who always assumed that everyone had pure motives. With great discipline the magnificent actress Jean Stapleton never broke character and always delivered her lines with wide-eyed innocence. By never revealing that she was in on the joke, she sometimes got the biggest laughs.

In honor of current events, below is an excerpt (2:33 on the YouTube clip [update 6/7 oops, removed due to copyright claim]) from Archie's Fraud, when Archie didn't report income on his tax return:

Archie, reacting to daughter Gloria and son-in-law Michael greeting each other with a deep kiss: "you don't see me coming home and slobbering all over your mother."

Edith: "that's right, Gloria, your father was never much of a slobberer.....He's more of a pecker!"

Jean Stapleton in 1972 sounded very much like a college-age feminist in 2013: "What Edith represents is the housewife who is still in bondage to the male figure, very submissive and restricted to the home. She is very naive, and she kind of thinks through a mist, and she lacks the education to expand her world. I would hope that most housewives are not like that." R.I.P.

Clean Comedy is Hard

Jerry Seinfeld, on working dirty vs. clean:

"if you have a bit, and it's got swear words in it, and it gets a huge laugh, it may or may not be funny. But if you have a bit that has no swear words, and it gets a huge laugh, it's definitely funny. Maybe it's like a spice that a cook might use in a recipe that has a very strong flavor."

A well-timed four-letter word in a more circumspect age would often garner huge laughs from a surprised audience. Now that formerly taboo subjects are family-hour fodder, the shock is gone. Skilled "dirty" comedians recognize the difference:

Gilbert Gottfried, known for the weapons-grade raunch of his often-hilarious TV-roast monologues, says when he was starting out in comedy, he'd skip vulgarities to see if his lines were fundamentally funny.

"I'd say 'have sex with' rather than the four-letter word. I wanted to see which bits actually worked by themselves," he says.

IMHO, raunchiness obscures humor like pyrotechnics in a concert: put the singer on a stage alone with a guitar or piano or no accompaniment at all, and let's view the talent without all the bells and whistles.

Photo from Jeff's Blog

But back to comedy: in a jaded age comedians like Jim Gaffigan are attracting notice.

Jim Gaffigan works clean. He resists profanity. He doesn't rip celebrities with crude insults. He won't reveal everything you didn't want to know about his sexual urges and private parts. At a time when comedy is as filthy as it's ever been—the industry euphemism is "edgy"—Mr. Gaffigan, working clean, has become one of the hottest comedians in the country.

Like any artist, however, Jim Gaffigan strains against typecasting:

" 'Clean' and 'family-friendly' are supposedly these positive attributes," he says. "But I sometimes feel like it's an asterisk next to my success, or whatever. Maybe I'm being sensitive. I just want to be known as funny. I mean, when you hear about a family-friendly restaurant, you know it's going to be horrible."

Let's not be in such a hurry to evolve, Jim. You're still ahead of your competition. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

No Shadow, Early Spring

Reuters photo 

Punxsutawney Phil failed to see his shadow, and, according to legend, spring will come early. The Groundhog Day tradition in Pennsylvania is over a century old and was famous enough to merit a mention in high school history books of the 1960's.

However, Groundhog Day's popularity really took off in 1993, when what was received originally as a lighthearted movie of the same name became regarded as "one of the best films of the past 40 years." (For the record, your humble observer led some discussion groups during the 1990's on the philosophical issues raised by Groundhog Day.)

Roger Ebert:

"Groundhog Day" is a film that finds its note and purpose so precisely that its genius may not be immediately noticeable. It unfolds so inevitably, is so entertaining, so apparently effortless, that you have to stand back and slap yourself before you see how good it really is.

G-o-o-l-l-y!!

Hawaii resident Jim Nabors married his longtime male partner earlier today. Although his sexual orientation was known by seemingly everyone in Hawaii since he moved there over three decades ago, Jim Nabors, surprisingly until now, "has never confirmed to the media that he is gay." (His reticence seems quaint, does it not?)

Jim Nabors played the title character in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., one of the nation's most popular comedies in the Sixties. Gomer was a naive, good-hearted private who unintentionally got the better of drill Sgt. Carter, who never could drum him out of the Corps. On a few occasions Jim Nabors would step out of his bumbling character and belt a ballad in a powerful baritone. His singing talent led to a successful musical stage and TV career, but to the public at large he will always be Gomer Pyle. We hope that he and his partner have much happiness.

Et Tu, Dave?

You know that Wednesday's debate must have gone really badly if one of your staunchest supporters makes jokes about it.

David Letterman's Top Ten list for Thursday, October 4th:

Top Ten President Obama Excuses 

10. "I haven't slept an hour since 2008"
  9. "Romney's hair is mesmerizing"
  8. "Didn't want to wake Jim Lehrer"
  7. "Haven't been the same since I quit smoking"
  6. "Honestly, I thought the debate was next week"
  5. "I live with my mother-in-law, what do you want from me?"
  4. "Kept blanking on what percentage of the country Mitt's written off"
  3. "Skipped rehearsal, just like Letterman"
  2. "Why don't you ask Bin Laden how I did?"
  1. "It's Bush's fault"