Posted on 06/12/2006 9:27:43 AM PDT by aculeus
Detective work by a professor investigating the psychology of humour has revealed that Spike Milligan was the author of the world's funniest joke.
Five years ago, Prof Richard Wiseman, of the University of Hertfordshire, did an online experiment in which 300,000 people from around the world took part in LaughLab, where they voted for the best gag.
Yesterday, at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Prof Wiseman said he has now discovered that it was almost certainly written by Milligan.
The joke runs as follows: Two hunters are out in the woods in New Jersey when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed.
The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps 'My friend is dead! What can I do?' The operator says: 'Calm down, I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.' There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says 'OK, now what?'
"It is very rare to be able to track down the origin of any joke but this is an exception," said Prof Wiseman. "There is some very rare footage from 1951 showing the Goons in their first TV appearance. Just by chance I saw it on a documentary and saw a version of the very same joke."
The material would have been written by Spike Milligan and the script reads:
Michael Bentine: I just came in and found him lying on the carpet there.
Peter Sellers: Oh, is he dead?
Bentine: I think so.
Sellers: Hadn't you better make sure?
Bentine: All right. Just a minute.
Sound of two gun shots.
Bentine: He's dead.
Prof Wiseman contacted Milligan's daughter, Sile, and she is as certain as she can be that he would have written the gag. She said she was "delighted that dad wrote the world's funniest joke".
Prof Wiseman said: "I think what is interesting here is that a joke from the 1950s still works, and how it has transformed over time from a cosy sitting room to hunters in New Jersey."
He added: "Spike Milligan was clearly into surreal humour. The sort of people who like his stuff will be people with a high tolerance for ambiguity because the sketches don't really have a sense of closure."
Information appearing on telegraph.co.uk is the copyright of Telegraph Group Limited and must not be reproduced in any medium without licence. For the full copyright statement see Copyright
That us EXACTLY how a lib would react. I had a lib friend come out of his seat at a Christmas party when I said that I believed in the death penalty and I thought we should fast-track them. "That is SO WRONG" he said. Totally lost it. I just laughed. They have no sense of balance.
Wenn ist das Nunstruck git und Slotermeyer? Ja!...
Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!
Voice Over:
This man is Ernest Scribbler... writer of jokes. In a few moments, he will have written the funniest joke in the world... and, as a consequence, he will die... laughing.
Ernest stops writing, pauses to look at what he has written... a smile slowly spreads across his face, turning very, very slowly to uncontrolled hysterical laughter... he staggers to his feet and reels across room helpless with mounting mirth and eventually collapses and dies on the floor.
Voice Over:
It was obvious that this joke was lethal...
no one could read it and live...
Ernest's mother enters. She sees him dead, she gives a little cry of horror and bends over his body, weeping. Brokenly she notices the piece of paper in his hand and picks it up and reads it between her sobs. Immediately she breaks out into hysterical laughter, leaps three feet into the air, and falls down dead without more ado. Cut to news type shot of commentator standing in front of the house.
Commentator:
This morning, shortly after eleven o'clock, comedy struck this little house in Dibley Road. Sudden... violent... comedy.
Police have sealed off the area, and Scotland Yard's crack inspector is with me now.
Inspector:
I shall enter the house and attempt to remove the joke.
About now an upstairs window in the house is fiung open and a doctor, rears his head out, hysterical with laughter, and dies hanging over the window sill.
Damn!!! too slow.
|
People might be surprised how many writings, jokes, and slogans originated on FR. The "I'm a bad American" essay and "Sore Loserman", to name two. There are others as well.
Why a Dalek?
The Killer Joke.
"Der Flippermeyer!"
I thought it was a goose (longer neck) but I have to agree with you. It's between that one and the newlywed that lost half his foot.
Bartender asks, "Why the long face?"
LOL!
lol
That picture of the guy with the free mamogram box is definately in the top 10 too.
got to remember that one ping.
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHA.............fwwap....(stop breathing)
The "Duck" joke really quacked me up
It was the best. I almost remember the name of the orchestra that played during the breaks.
Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, and Harry Seacombe. (One of Seacombe's identities was Sir Cedric Sea-Goon). I think Milligan played the deranged, apparently retarded character named Eccles, among a dozen or so others.
RIP, gents. You changed the world for the weirder, and better.
Hey! He was probably working under a government funded grant!
Same as the joke that Lewis Grizzard told.
Two Georgia Bulldog fans were at a game and saw UGA V cleaning himself.
One says "I wish I could do that"
The other says "That dawg would bite you!"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.