Part of 'The Hunting of the Hare' poem in the Heege Manuscript (p.4 verso), featuring the killer rabbit. The first lines read: "Jack Wade was never so sad / As when the hare trod on his head / In case she would have ripped out his throat."Credit: National Library of Scotland
Ya ... that line always cracks me up ... sheeee
But on topic ... I would imagine that the monty python group drew heavily on the old lore and tells. Truth be known, drawn on more then they would care to admit.
THis comes as no surprise. There were a few off color jokes which survived Bowdler in Shakespeare’s works, but apparently they were stripped of much of the humor to make them presentable to “respectable” folks.
Mores the pity, as they were there for the penny stinkers and royalty alike.
Thanks so much for posting!
Re "splapstick"...this goes back to Ancient Roman theatre and the name refers to two joined at the bottom only pieces of wood and used to hit another player or players. When an actor whacked someone else, the sticks made a "whack" sound.
Punch and Judy puppet shows used this device very early on, as did the traveling players of Medieval and the early 16th century Italian Commedia dell'arte ( which was also heavily based on Ancient Roman plays and characters! ) and spread across much of Europe.
And that's why we call comedy that relies heavily on physical "rough stuff"...."SLAPSTICK"!
She's not bad, she's just drawn that way!
"Bringeth forth the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch!"
Dr. James Wade must be happy to see a relative mentioned!
These are probably one comedian’s notes, stealing material from another comedian.
I think I hear the distinctive sound of “Yakety Sax.”
"Dave of the Dale is soooo dumb......"
AUDIENCE: "How dumb is he?"
"Here we have a self-made entertainer with very little education creating really original, ironic material. To get an insight into someone like that from this period is incredibly rare and exciting."
>>>
Dr. Wade says, "Killer rabbit jokes have a long tradition in medieval literature.>>>
There could be more evidence to be found but Wade emphasizes that minstrel writing is unlikely to have survived and that we should look for other kinds of evidence...
It's the kind of humor that can really destroy a temple (I never know when this stuff will come in handy):
A Wild Hare is a 1940 American animated comedy short film directed by Tex Avery, produced by Leon Schlesinger, and distributed by Warner Bros. as part of the Merrie Melodies series. The film was released on July 27, 1940, and features Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny, the latter making what is considered his first official appearance.[2][3]
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The line, "What's up, Doc?", was added by director Tex Avery for this film. Avery explained later that it was a common expression in Texas where he was from, and he did not think much of the phrase. But when this short was screened in theaters, the scene of Bugs calmly chewing a carrot, followed by the nonchalant "What's Up, Doc?", went against any 1940s audience's expectation of how a rabbit might react to a hunter and caused complete pandemonium in the audience, bringing down the house in every theater.
Bugs' Hebrew Wiki page (horrible place!) provides the Hebrew translation:
"?מה המצב, דוק"
What's the status [המצב], Doc?
מַצָב
situation, state, status, condition, position, occasion
Which is a short hop from:
מַצֵבָה
gravestone, monument, tombstone, stone, pillar, column
***
What's Up, Doc? What's the status?
Still Not Dead (Official Video)
Thanks, Willie, for providing evidence that anything in this mundane, corrupted physical world can be lifted right back Up. That really irritates the crypt keepers.
"Don't bury me I've got a show to play."
Tombstone (typography) (מצבה)Where have all the LEVites gone, anyway? They're the ones supposed to be in charge of the LEVity, and they don't even know where the hare it is...Q.E.D. It's a veritable mashal [מש"ל].
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He pondered our world from every side and every angle, and he realized something must have gone wrong. Something at the very beginning. Something before Time had begun and there were moments to count; before the laws of nature had been established and matter had yet a chance to form. Something at the very core of reality, and if he could find it, all the cosmos could be healed.
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Who invited *that* guy? There goes the neighborhood.
Worse yet, will be the realization that "What's up, Doc" is an extension of the "Who's on 1st" skit (out of the park, the PaRDeS). Someone obviously lost a vowel, just for starters.
"Observe my statues!"
"I warned you! I warned you, but did you listen to me? Oh no, you just *knew*, didn't you? Oh, it's just a harmless little bunny, isn't it? Well, it's always the same. I always told them, but do they listen to me? Oooh, no..."
