[Political Junkie Too]

none of the jokes involving White characters specifically involve them being White. The identity of the character in these gags is irrelevant; the identity of the character in the jokes involving People of Color is pertinent.

This is where this author, who admits that "I watched this film on Netflix for the first time the other night" loses it to his ignorance.

The author is apparently too young to realize that the "One of the White passengers turns out to be “fluent in Jive” was Barbara Billingsley, who played the mother in Leave It To Beaver. The "joke" was not that some white lady spoke jive to black men, it was that Barbara Billingsley spoke jive to black men. The "identity of the character" was the joke, and was not "irrelevant" as the author presumed.

-PJ

[Chaguito]

“...none of the jokes involving White characters specifically involve them being White.”

If this constipated twit can’t see that the Peace Corps gag was a pointed jab at whiteness, then he’s beyond hopeless.

[Crolis]

And to extend the joke, Barbara Billingsley’s character June Cleaver was probably the “whitest” character on TV.

I think the movie will be come less digestible by future audiences who don’t understand that many jokes were derived from cultural touchstones that were familiar to audiences at the time. The more curious ones will dive deeper into the jokes and probably laugh a second time when they realize what original material was being parodied.

I love the fact they got the same actress who did the Yuban coffee commercials to play the housewife. “Jim never has a second cup of coffee at home...”