Posted on 08/08/2016 3:24:30 PM PDT by gigster
Who do you think is historically our greatest actor and comedian?
There may be more -50 than you think.
For sheer genius, gotta go with Harpo. But Groucho and Harpo and Chico together? Fuggedaboutit!
Yes, he was classic.
The first name that jumped into my mind was Robin Williams.
I haven’t read the thread yet, so I can probably change my mind, but I still miss the man. He was so talented.
Pope Francis?
Not sure who is the funniest, but this is fun - Totie Fields https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=velqgpw6PTY
Oliver Hardy.
W.C. Fields is my runner up.
Phil Silvers deserves a mention.
He would be in my top 10.
You beat me to it. I also picked Buster Keaton.
Mae West as a little provocative for her time, no? :)
The Charlie Chaplin skits sounds cute.
My cousin and I did the Honeymooners :)
Yet he submits that Islam itself is a problem.
We have a few people on this forum who still refuse to admit that.
Cleese is to the left of most of us on this forum, but he is not terribly left by UK standards.
My rating would be Bob Hope, then Cleese, then Gracie Allen.
Dick van Dyke great at physical comedy. I rad that Fred Astaire said that Dick Van Dyke was the greatest dancer
Do you remember that one about “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor”?
Oh! That was a knee-slapper. I'm still giggling over that one!
LOL!
OTOH, Irene Ryan only played one role successfully, and Bob Denver two. Keaton, Williams, and Martin were successfully comedic in multiple roles.
Everyday is a holiday! Great movie!
I can only go by what I have seen so here goes. Best Comedian, Bill Cosby. Best Actor John Wayne. Best Comedic Actor, Peter Sellers...but he was British. American comedic actor, Cary Grant...he was British also? Eddie Murphy has been in some of the bust your stomach funny movies ever, and he is the star so I go with him.
Jonathan Winters has made me laugh the hardest as a straight comedian. Jackie Gleason could do it all...comedy, and serious acting.
All John Ritter did was stare at the camera and do half-assed pratfalls. Worthy of high school or junior high school.
1) Stan Laurel
2) Richard Pryor *
(Asterisk for un-PC language and some adult content, more than offset, IN MY OPINION, by his unique ability to get white people and black people to laugh at each other all in good fun. Where is he now when we need him?)
3) Lucille Ball
4) Cheech Marin
5) John Belushi
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However, (I'm sure I'll get scolded over this but here goes...) I believe that The Lord Jesus, when he wanted to, was really good for a good hilarious laugh whenever he really put his mind to it, the kind you remember the rest of your life, and that this might be (hey, it's just MY SUPPOSITION, and who am I to say for sure?) the most under-rated part of his ministry on earth. Why would he not have been?
John leaves the door open in the last sentence of his gospel, when he says that there (at least at the time) weren't enough books in the world to write down all the good things Jesus did for people. How about helping a kid out who's got a thorn in his foot by getting him to laughing first and then pulling the thorn out while the kid's laughing... then a minute later when the kid asks when he's going to pull the thorn out saying, "Oh, you mean this one?" I saw a man do that once and had to leave the room, why wouldn't Jesus have been able to do the same thing in the same situation?
Also the time that Jesus talked about the Pharisees being "concerned" about the mote in "your" eye, but being ignorant of the plank in their own eye? I believe (okay I know I'm gonna get it) that in the sensibilities of the times that he was just cracking them up, the faithful that is, and that having no sense of humor had a little to do with the Pharisees being unable to accept criticism.
Putting on my flame suit... fast...
Did you just leave out Buster Keaton? Seriously?
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