Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Cinema Scope with Andy Nelson takes you on a captivating journey through the ever-evolving landscape of film. Moreover, it offers a unique and engaging perspective on the art of cinema.
Welcome to Cinema Scope, where we embark on a rip roaring journey through the world of genres, subgenres, and movements, all in the quest for cinematic enlightenment. I'm your host, Andy Nelson. And today, we're taking a step back from our recent deep dives to explore more broadly the grand uproarious landscape of comedy. From slapstick to genre bending masterpieces, we'll trace the evolution of this laughter inducing genre, uncovering how it has entertained and served as a powerful tool for social commentary, while also delivering plenty of fart jokes. So grab your popcorn, loosen your belt, and get ready for a side splitting ride through some of the most iconic films in cinematic history.
Andy Nelson:Let's discover why comedy remains an essential and enduring force in the world of cinema. Joining me today, I have screenwriter, Emmy nominated producer, and podcast host, Adam Tex Davis. Adam, welcome to the show. Hey.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Nice to be here. Thank you for having me.
Andy Nelson:I am thrilled to have you, to talk about in this conversation kinda like this macroscopic view of just the comedy genre as a whole, which is, you know, might be a very big conversation, but we're gonna try keeping it pretty tight and just, you know, just talk about kind of its evolution and what works at one point in time that suddenly isn't working later. And so we're gonna kind of just talk through some movies and just get a sense of of why comedy in so many different forms and subgenres really works for all of us. I guess to kick things off, I'd just love to hear from you as far as, like, you and comedy. I mean, obviously, you have a film that has been released that's out there that, is in the comedy genre, and I I think it's just one of those genres that's universally appealing, but I'd just love to hear your thoughts on comedy and why comedy is something that's important to you.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Well, the filming question, I guess, yeah, Just Friends, which to your point about things I find now, Just Friends keeps getting on these lists of films that aged badly or aged poorly, you know, things that were okay to do in a film that came out in 2005. Now some, you know, people are having issues with. And look, as the writer, I look back and I say, okay. Yeah. Maybe maybe there's some stuff I would have done a little differently.
Adam "Tex" Davis:But at the same time, also the characters who use the words that people don't like, they're not the good guys. They're not the ones we're rooting for. So and, also, you know, people talk a certain way. I have 2 brothers calling each other names. You know, that's what people did, especially growing up in the eighties, nineties.
Adam "Tex" Davis:So, you know, yeah. You sometimes you do have to look at films through the lens of time and and say, okay, what was what was okay then? But, you know, some things are just universally like, woah. You know, there's some stuff you find in the old movies that are that are that's crazy. Like, I can't believe they did they did it even back then.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. True.
Adam "Tex" Davis:For me, comedy has always been sort of a go to thing. I I, you know, the biggest problem or the biggest thing I had to overcome is, I I found that I was funnier in real life than my writing. So my writing had to catch up to me, you know, and and a kid in film school even said that to me. He, you know, he watched one of my short films, and he said, you know, I gotta say you're you're so funny in real life, but, like, your films aren't as funny as you are. And, you know, at first time, it's just like, oh, that is such a dagger a dagger, but then I was like, let me think about that and let me you know, I realized I was trying too hard to do what I thought other people would think is funny and it had to be more organic.
Adam "Tex" Davis:And then, you know, for me, I'm the guy, like, you know, 5 of us go out at night and a story happens, something happens. I'm the one that recounts the story and I embellish it. I I add jokes. I I make it funnier. And so I realized, like, that's kind of gonna be my style of comedy.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Let me take things that are real, things that happen, things that were said, and build the comedy out of that. And that's where most successful for me, you know, just friends came from, an actual true life thing. I was in the friend zone for 2 years with this girl. I was like, I can't be the only one. So I, you know, I I started writing a movie based on that and the kernel of truth grew into this funny story and, you know, obviously Hollywood comes along and it's like, it changes the character that was me into Ryan Reynolds.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Well, we're not very similar, but I made him fat in the beginning and so he was in the friend zone, and, it was it was more true to life that way. But of course, I still get, you know, people are like, oh, I can't believe that fat suit. And so they were fat shaming. I'm like, I'm fat. I wasn't, you know, whatever.
Adam "Tex" Davis:So it's like Right, right. Anyway, the point is, you know, yeah, comedy was always my go to thing and then I I just, you know, if you can write funny, you can make money in this business and there's a lot of scripts out there and a lot of them that are said to be comedy are just not funny. So if you can write jokes that people actually laugh at, that sets you apart.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. It's it's definitely a a skill, and I think, you know, it speaks to the the old adage, you know, dying is easy, comedy is hard. Right? Like, I mean, I think that kind of, like, fits into that whole thing. But I I think it is such an interesting genre because, I mean, it is universally appealing.
Andy Nelson:I mean, it's it's something that everybody enjoys, and it's long it's not like cinema invented it. It obviously, comedy has been around for a long time, before this. And I think, you know, just as far as, like, humans go, like, you know, we need something to help relieve stress. I mean, that's it's a great stress reliever. Right?
Andy Nelson:There's this sense of shared humanity, especially when you're in a situation and everybody can connect through it and laugh. And I think that it can also be used as a coping mechanism. And and so you look at all these different reasons that comedy exists, and I think that can help us understand, like, why it's a story that we want to tell because we know that there's an audience that wants to laugh with us. Right? I mean, that's part of the whole thing.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Well, it's like the it's like Sullivan's Travels. Right? It's like he he makes comedy, but he feels it's a it's a lower art form. He wants to do something real. He wants to do so he goes on the road, and it isn't until he discovers all the convicts laughing and and realizes, you know what?
Adam "Tex" Davis:Comedy does have an importance in life, and people need to laugh. You know, he goes to a movie theater and sees everybody laughing, and it's like, oh, so he, it renews his, his love of comedy. Yeah, and, and the thing with comedy also is though it's such a broad term. In fact, the word broad, I mean, there's broad comedy is a type of comedy and then there's dialogue driven. There's sight gags.
Adam "Tex" Davis:There's you know, so there's so many different types of comedy. To me, comedy and horror are the 2 genres where you say it, but what do you mean? Like, there's so many subsets within those genres. You know, horror. It's like, is it a slasher?
Adam "Tex" Davis:Is it a monster? Is it just dreadful? Is it a real situation? You know? And then comedy is the same thing.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. Is it broad? Is it slapstick? Is it, you know, character based?
Andy Nelson:Romantic, screwball. Yeah. Exactly.
Adam "Tex" Davis:And I love the Coen Brothers so much because they're such good they're so good at mixing all the different types. It feels real, yet at the same time, there's all kinds of crazy screwball stuff going on. Well and, you know,
Andy Nelson:I mean, you mentioned Sullivan's Travels and and kind of just like and then just all the way up to things like just friends and stuff. I mean, obviously, comedy reflects society and societal changes over time. And and I think part of of the point of this conversation is just to kind of look at how it evolved. I mean and, you know, this we should just say, we're never gonna be able to touch all of it. Right?
Andy Nelson:I mean, there's just there's so many different avenues that comedy takes, not just in in Hollywood, but around the world. And it's it's hard to ever touch on all of them. So we're just gonna kind of do a broad swath of a lot of these different things just to kind of talk about it. But I, you know, I think I guess as we start kind of looking at some of these films, I'm just curious, like, and you've said some of your points, but as far as, like, what makes comedy such an important genre to really kind of study and and talk about?
Adam "Tex" Davis:I mean, look, you know, it's funny. Even looking at my own Just Friends, like, the true incident, the thing that happened was painful. Like, I was with this girl and it stunk. She had a boyfriend that was much older, and I thought for sure, she was gonna dump this guy and go out with me. We're in college.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I'm with her all the time. We sleep in the same bed as friends. We do everything as friends. I meet her parents. They love me.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I'm I'm like, okay. I'm the vice president. The president is the boyfriend. He's gonna be impeached soon. I'm gonna take office.
Adam "Tex" Davis:It's gonna be great. And it never happened, and it was painful. So why did I decide, like, when I'm gonna write this story, did I decide, oh, it's gotta be a comedy? True. Because comedy gets you through the pain.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know? Laughing is the best medicine as they say. You know? It really is an important thing being able to laugh. Also, it's it's it's a character thing.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Like, if you can laugh at yourself, you're a better person if you can laugh at yourself, if you can understand what's funny about what you do. It it helps you relate to people better. People that are humorless are are hard to be around, and then, you know, there's people that are obviously that that just try to force comedy into everything, and sometimes it's like, okay, okay, hang you know, you don't have to make a joke about everything, but I'd appreciate that they're trying to bring levity and light into it. Look, I do a true crime show about murders that happen on vacation, and it's called Slaycation, and we try to bring levity to these horrible, horrible stories.
Andy Nelson:Right. Right.
Adam "Tex" Davis:The people that love the podcast, they love what we do. And then there's people that are just like, no. True crime and comedy do not mix. And so there's 2 camps on that. But I'm like, I can't tell the story and just cry the whole time.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I don't wanna just be sad and just say over and over how tragic it is. So we try to find kernels of humor in things and so I think it's so important because that's what gets you through life. There's a lot of pain, there's a lot of pain in the world And if you can't find humor, you're gonna have a hard time moving forward.
Andy Nelson:No. I I think that's, a very valid point because, I mean, you're right. I mean, that same story could be troll told as a a heavy drama. Right? We could have and and probably has been.
Andy Nelson:Let's be honest. But I think that also speaks to how and and maybe this is just part of the nature of all these different genres. Some of some types of it is gonna work for some people better than others, and some people need to have that story told as the comedic version because, like you said, they need that to kind of get through it. Others may prefer a dramatic version of that for their own catharsis. Who knows?
Andy Nelson:And maybe they're gonna be laughing at something else. But I think there's always that that search for the types of comedy that that appeals to people, and I think everybody is able to find something that they're able to laugh at. I think that's one of the the key, things with it.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I mean, look. Also, comedy comedy gets you in the door. Like, if you're just hitting people over the head with heavy themes and heavy ideas, some people will be there for it, and a lot of people will just like, this is a little much. So comedy gets you in. It relaxes you.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You're laughing, and then, oh, they're actually selling insurance. You know? Why are all the insurance commercials comedy? You know? Because if they just talked about what you're really doing, like your house is burned down or you're flooded or, you know, it's like, oh my god.
Adam "Tex" Davis:This is horrible. So let's have comedy and then slip in the message at the end. And the same thing goes with movies and and TV shows. It's like you can you can get your important themes and important messages across. Sometimes easier if people are laughing and loosened up, and then, oh, yeah, that also made me think.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I mean, you know, Just Friends is a romantic comedy, but we were like, stress the comedy. It was a comedy first and then the romance stuff played a part in it. But, you know, let's make them laugh. And then it's also easier for people who are in that situation to recognize, oh, I'm in the friend zone and, you know, I've had many people write and tell me, like, this movie helped them talk to the person and then maybe even get out of it or at least have an honest conversation about it.
Andy Nelson:Sure. Yeah. No. And I think, you know, those points are great. And I think, as you said, like, having the blend is can be a very valuable asset in all of these, even in dramas.
Andy Nelson:Like, I always think of something like Steel Magnolias, which is, you know, heavy drama. There's a lot of, drama about, I believe it's cancer that, that she's dying from. But they use comedy throughout sprinkled in to kind of, like, set that, and it creates this perfect counterbalance, this yin yang, really. And so, yeah, it's it's like you can't have one without the other. It really helps, I think, everybody when you're able to find those moments to laugh at in these types of stories.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You you just said helps, and it reminded me, the movie The Help is various themes, but it was done with a comic, timing and the comic sense of of story, and it made that much more palatable, but it also got a lot more people to see that and recognize that story and what those women were going through and stuff. So, yeah, I I I it's kind of invaluable.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. Absolutely. Well, let's kind of start walking through the the history of comedy in film as it were. I think I mean, looking back, the first comedy film that I found was called The Sprinkler Sprinkled, which is a a fun, short, silent film about somebody who's watering their garden, and you can see somebody behind them who turns the water off. And the person looks at the hose like, what what's going on?
Andy Nelson:And they pointed at their face to look at it, and that's exactly when the person turns the water back on, spraying them in the face. Very funny little bit. And, again, it appeals to everybody and just kind of our our sense of humor and the joy of that type of situation that, you know, we've all been in in those practical jokes. And I think when you start looking at especially knowing that cinema started silent and we had a good number of decades where it was just silent, like, you really start seeing, like, the birth of comedy in film really boils down to kind of the physical comedy and the slapstick. And I think starting with that one, and then we start seeing the rise of people like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd.
Andy Nelson:I feel like this is really a big contribution to the early success of comedy as we're getting this type of humor.
Adam "Tex" Davis:The good thing about, like, the silent comedies is there's a universalness to it. It doesn't matter what language you speak. It doesn't matter, like, you know, if you turn you know, there's no sound. It doesn't matter if you can read the title cards. None of that's that important.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Can you follow the story, and can you laugh at the gags? These guys were such masters at that. It didn't it didn't matter. I mean, I know you you had the general on your list. I mean, forgotten in the whole thing is Buster Keaton was actually fighting for the wrong side.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. Right.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Helping the south win but you know what the union is in the movie. But it's just so well done and you see his predicament and the sight gags in that movie, the things they're able to do with him on a train, one of the most dangerous stunts I've ever seen where he takes the railroad tie and throws it and knocks the other tie off the track so it doesn't derail the train. And if they if he gets it wrong, if it bounces the wrong way, it could hit him. The train could hit the thing. Like, there was so much danger involved, and it's done for real.
Adam "Tex" Davis:But the thing, yeah, the thing about those movies is just how universal it is. It doesn't matter your age, it doesn't matter your experience, like, you can watch the movie, and for the most part, get the comedy and find the funny without having to have, you know, understand the language or or anything. And look, we we sometimes say that even today, like you're making a comedy, it's like, hey, if you turn the sound off and you couldn't hear what they're saying, is it still gonna be can you follow the story? Can you, you know, will it still be funny? Will it still make sense?
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know, obviously, you'll lose plot details and stuff. Our movies are so intricate with the talking, but, you know, for the most part, like, yeah, if you have a big gag scene, can you turn off the, you know, like in Just Friends, we have this big sequence with the ice hockey and a gurney going down a hill and stuff. You could turn the sound off, and it'll still be funny because it's, it's, it's, it, you know, the director, Roger Carmel did a great job on that sequence, you know? But yeah, I think, I think, you know, the silent movies, like these guys were masters of just being funny, using the tools of of, you know, of film, of, you know, of this new medium.
Andy Nelson:We are gonna be kind of loosely talking about a bunch of films as we kind of go through this discussion and the general is where we're kind of kicking things off. And, yeah, I think when you see what Buster Keaton did and, you know, this holds true for Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, all of these people, like, they didn't have stunt people coming in to do the work for them. Like, when you're seeing Buster Keaton jumping on train tracks or climbing up a thing and and the the water spout comes down and pours water all over him or whatever it is, that's really him going through the motions with these things. And and you see that through all of his films, and it's the physical comedy prowess that he has in how he is able to keep that perfect straight face of his and play along with all of this stuff. And I I guess that kind of also speaks to just the nature of some of these comedy elements.
Andy Nelson:Like, the reaction shot obviously becomes pretty critical because you see this stuff happening, and then you get the great shots of them and how they're reacting to it or not reacting to it. And, also, just like the well, I guess it's a little different with the silent films, but allowing room for the laughter to kind of come in. You know? And, and because you're gonna be getting kind of the laughs with the audience. And and that's certainly something that you start seeing more as we'll talk about some of our later films.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. The other thing I would say too is the technical prowess of the crew and Sure. Yeah. They're able to film these things, like tracking shots as as Buster Keaton runs from the, you know, the engine all the way back down to the caboose and the camera stays with him as he runs the entire length of the train jumping from car to car and then comes running back all in one shot. I mean, it's exhausting to watch it and it's like, how did they film this and how many takes did it take And the general also, you know, can't stress it enough, you gotta watch this movie if you haven't seen it but it also had the most expensive stunt of all time where a train goes across a trellis and they blow up the trellis and the whole train and everything and it's all done real, there's not a lick of effects or anything and they blew up a train trellis and destroyed a train.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I think that, actually was, you know, didn't work out so great for them at the time. I think it kind of tanked the studio. The movie didn't make enough money to pay for all that. He was in he was in jail director jail for a little while after that. But it's you know, I thank God he did it because it's it's legendary.
Andy Nelson:Oh, yeah. No. It's just it's stunning the the the work that he does. I'm always blown away when I watch, anything with Buster Keaton. Like, he's he's just so physical and is able to kind of just deliver so perfectly.
Andy Nelson:And, again, with such that that, you know, stone face that he has, and it's just it it plays so well. And, you know, it's interesting, like, with a comedian like him, and this certainly, I suppose, could be part of our conversation, but just, like, the evolution of film led to sound, obviously, as we know, and it did make it harder for comedians like him. I mean, he did keep working, but his his peak was really in the silent era. And people were less interested in in watching Buster Keaton when they also were like, well, are we gonna hear him talk? Like, that became that became an element.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. And that's why the brilliance of Chaplin was able to continue to make great movies, even talkies, you know. The Great Dictator might be his best movie, you know. So but, yeah, he was able to he was able to evolve with with the time better, I I guess.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. Well, speaking of sound, I mean, obviously, once people start talking, people audiences want to hear their actors having conversations and everything, and I think, in the realm of comedy, you know, we definitely start seeing screwball comedy. I just had the last, you know, episode plus a bonus episode talking specifically about screwball comedy and its evolution. And so if you wanna hear going us going deep into that, you can listen to those past episodes. But it really, like, with the evolution of the production code and everything kind of kicked in what they wanted to or how they could tell their stories.
Andy Nelson:And so screwball became a fun evolution of that that and then they also started finding ways to evolve some, social satire and political commentary into the into the films. The studio era era really kind of kicks off, you know, the thirties. You know, then you're starting to get stuff like Duck Soup, and that's the next film we're gonna, touch on. This is the, Marx Brothers, and this is a film that there is this level of of absurdity and watching how the Marx Brothers, craft their stories, use their humor. And as I was saying last, you know, we were talking about The General, like, they have kind of built in moments that are designed for an audience to be laughing, which makes sometimes when you're watching some of the Marx Brothers films by yourself at home and you don't have a big audience of people laughing, it does seem like there are some odd pauses sometimes throughout it.
Andy Nelson:But largely, I think what's fun about them is just their dialogue is so witty and absurd, but they're also able to, especially in this film, satirize stuff like politics and and these, kind of political leadership and everything.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know, it's funny. I can't say I'm the hugest fan of the Marx Brothers, and it's weird. It's a weird thing for me because I understand how important they are. You know, I love so many of the comedy greats, the duos, like, whether it's Sabine and Costello and and and, you know, Laurel and Hardy and stuff. The Marx Brothers movies, there's something a little off for me, but they have some great bits, but it's just so much coming at you that sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed by a bunch of guys just trying to be, you know, nonstop comedy.
Adam "Tex" Davis:But I will say this, you know, character. Right? They all play characters, and you know who they are and what they're going to be doing in the movies. The same way Buster Keaton, like, formed that character of that that stone faced guy, the way Charlie Chaplin was the little tramp character. Like, as much as they were great, you know, doing, you know, the gags and all that stuff and how funny it is, it also really works because of the characters that they've created.
Adam "Tex" Davis:And so, you know, even though now the Marx Brothers are talking and and, you know, but Groucho is the the constant one liners. Yeah. You know, what is it? Harpo doesn't who's the one that doesn't speak? Is it Harpo?
Andy Nelson:Yeah. It's Harpo.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Okay. And, like, he's making sound effects. He's got horns and stuff. And then, you know, they they, you know, they they they each have their own role that they play. I will say, yeah, going back and looking at March Brothers, I mean, I I I know I watched some of it as a kid and it didn't resonate with me as much as some of the other stuff.
Adam "Tex" Davis:So going back now as an adult and rewatching, and to your point, yeah, there's definitely awkward pauses, there's awkward moments, but then they do a bit like the the fake mirror where the 2, the 2 Grouchos and and, like, you know, pretending a doorway is a mirror, and you just have to marvel at the genius of that.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. And, you know, I suppose I'm I'm there with you as far as, like, the Marx Brothers. It's it's, like, I prefer something like Laurel and Hardy over the Marx Brothers, but I do enjoy watching the Marx Brothers and seeing what they're doing. And as you said, there are some just, like, perfect comedy bits that you're getting in their in their films, and it's, and that makes it fun for me to watch. And and, you know, to be fair, I've also never had a chance to see one of the Marx Brothers films in an auditorium full of people.
Andy Nelson:You know? And so that's something that I definitely would love to do at some point just to really kind of see how it feels as far as the the different tone when I'm with an audience of people who are all there laughing and enjoying themselves.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Right. But it would be an audience of today's people, so who knows how they would react.
Andy Nelson:Sure.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know?
Andy Nelson:Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. But I do think that what I do enjoy about them is that they were finding ways to start bringing in some of that social satire and everything. And that's you know, as we kind of watch how comedy evolves, I think we start seeing more and more of that.
Andy Nelson:And, I mean, you already brought up the great dictator, and you can see how these comedians are using opportunities in comedy to find ways to laugh at some of these situations. And I think from the great dictator, and then you could kind of almost trace a path of making fun of, Hitler and Nazis all the way to, like, Mel Brooks and what he is doing with the producers. You know, it's like there's that path of finding ways to laugh at these terrible situations because it also and and I think you somebody like Mel Brooks would say, it takes power away from that from those people. Right?
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. I mean, Blazing Saddles, obviously. I showed my daughter who's 20 now. I think maybe a year ago, I we watched Blazing Saddles. She couldn't believe the first 5 minutes just, you know, dropping the n word and this and that, but it's like, it's brilliant satire.
Adam "Tex" Davis:The bad guys are the ones saying it. You know who to hate. You know who to root for, and you immediately, yeah, you immediately love the the characters that are being disparaged, and it's brilliant, but it's like, oh my god. It's like shocking, especially now, today's age, but, you know, shocking then. But to to your point, it's like, yeah, using comedy to talk about serious heavy things, whether it's Strangelove and talking about nuclear war or it's, you know, Blazing Saddles and talking about, racism.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know? Yeah. It's it's, Harold and Maude talking about suicide. You know, it's like you get your heavy topic in there, but you you the entryway is through the comedy.
Andy Nelson:Exactly. Yeah. It happened 1 night is the next film on our list that's, you know, definitely a film that's kind of setting a template for screwball comedies, which is, you know and, again, we've just talked a lot about the that the last few episodes of the show where it's not exactly romantic comedy, but it's kind of turning it on its head a little bit as far as the way that the relationships play. There is a mix of the romance, but lot of witty banter. And I I think there's a lot more fun to be had in the way that they portray relationships that we're seeing, in these sorts of films.
Adam "Tex" Davis:It's one of those perfect movies. It's pretty perfect. And the casting, the directing, everything just works. There's bits that that that, you know, are still funny today. He tries to hail, you know, he they hitchhike you know, they're hitchhiking.
Adam "Tex" Davis:He tries to get the the car to stop. They won't stop for him, she steps up, lifts her skirt, car immediately stops. Like that's never not gonna be funny, she's so cute and adorable and everybody, I think everybody won Oscars, like I do an Oscar show, like we haven't done that near yet, but it's like directing, picture, both lead actors, the writing, like, everything won because it's so good. If you're gonna go back and watch any any old movie, I I highly recommend yeah. 1934, it happened 1 night.
Adam "Tex" Davis:But, you know, it's funny because the story is kind of you know, it's kinda goofy. She jumps off a ship. She's he's he's a reporter that will do anything for the story. He's gonna try to reunite her with her her her new new husband. Her father is against it.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I mean, it's funny, though. Like, I don't love the term screwball comedy. It it almost cheapens it in some way, but I guess they they had to find some way to describe this fast talking bantery and and weird, you know, like, odd situation kind of comedy, because it doesn't feel real. None none of this feels like it could actually happen, but you buy it because it's a fun story. It's like a fairy tale.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know? I mean, look, I watch a lot of film noir and and those are, like, dark and there's murders and crimes. Meanwhile, these guys are are are are trading banter and lines. Usually, you know, the detectives and stuff, they're funny as heck. So it's like there's comedy elements in in in film noir, but they would never call it a screwball comedy because it's it's about crime.
Adam "Tex" Davis:So I guess screwball comedy is like, hey, there's lots of fun banter, but also this this wackadoo plot, you know, the the the thing that sets all this in motion is kind of goofy. You know, the luminaries of that, you know, whether it's Clark Gable or Cary Grant or what like, these guys are so good. The women are are fantastic, the leading ladies that they get paired up with, the banter back and forth, because they they, you know, they don't have the effects, they don't have all that stuff. So the writing is is key. It's almost like the way TV is, you know, sitcoms, the golden age of sitcoms where, you know, it didn't matter, they could just be sitting in a room, but going back and forth, and it's all funny.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. And, you know, another film on our list is His Girl Friday, which is another great example of this of this genre, but it also shifts the gender dynamics, right, as far as the way that this story plays. And I I think that's one of the things that I I enjoy about what we're seeing here and how Cary Grant is is playing kind of the newspaper editor who wants to keep his ex wife, working for him, you know, and and everything. And then Rosalyn Russell, who's fantastic in it, she's the one who's really quick witted, and she's trying to leave, and and she's the one who wants to go off and remarry. And so the way that they really kind of play with the gender dynamics in screwball comedy also really kind of starts kicking in here.
Andy Nelson:And I really enjoy that about this particular genre because you do start feeling like it doesn't necessarily have to be like, the men aren't necessarily always gonna be the the great guys. Sometimes they're the antihero that we end up getting, you know.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Personally, I I, you know, I like when the the the the women give as good as they get, you know, and and and almost have the, you know, I mean, that's why like a, you know, a Katharine Hepburn or somebody is so good at these or, you know, Lady Eve, you know, with, Barbara Stanwyck, they're so good at delivering these these sharp and biting lines and putting the guys in their place. Like, it's kind of it's kind of awesome to see. I will say, yeah, His Girl Friday is an interesting movie that also appears sometimes on these didn't age well because of the plot, you know, with, an execution where a white guy killed a black police officer and and everybody's playing politics and a politician is trying to move the execution up in order to get the black vote. And these two newspaper people are only trying to they all they care about is their paper and and the story. So it's like, yeah, sometimes that shows up on on some of these people, like, you know, discussing, like, hey, is this is this cool?
Adam "Tex" Davis:It's like a weird some weird choices were made, and it almost takes on a dark tone. But, yeah, the the banter between the two leads is, you know, outstanding, and that's what you that's what you come for. So you come for the comedy again and you stay for the, you know, the issues at play.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. Yeah. That's a good point, and we'll definitely be looking at that as we kind of work through our conversation because we are going to see that often throughout a number of these films where there are elements that you might say, make this a film that requires you to think about, okay. It was made at this particular period of time as opposed to saying, you know, it's universally appealing and it's appealing for all time and there's it's it's fine to watch whenever because it will always work. And I think that's there are these situations where we we will be coming up against films that you have to say, yes, but it was made in 1940.
Andy Nelson:So you've gotta keep that in mind and and put those glasses on when you're watching it to keep, you know, keep yourself from being too offended by particular things that happened in it.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. For sure. I mean, there's again, like I said, there's sometimes where you I'll I'll see something and I'm like, that was never cool. And then sometimes I'm like, that's a product of the time. And, you know, you you're making a movie for your time.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You can't crystal ball and see, you know, what's what's what's what's coming down the pike.
Andy Nelson:As much as some people would like to think they could. I know.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. Right? The the people that complain, they they never have a resume of movies.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. Yeah. Right. We we jumped over Charlie Chaplin, but I did wanna go back to him because we had Modern Times on our list. This is from 1936, and what I enjoy about Charlie Chaplin in this film is he does a good job of working to still kind of create it like it's a silent film, at least as far as his character goes, but allowing it to still be a sound film and, you know, you'd you have the bosses and everything coming up on the videos and everything and or the big monitor screens and talking and everything.
Andy Nelson:And what I really enjoy about what he does here is, especially coming post great depression, is looking at industrialization and where are we going with all of this and, like, some great slapstick humor throughout the film, but also this this commentary that I think he does really well in blending his humor with some smart observations about society at the time, and potentially, obviously, with this film, potentially where it's gonna be going. And I think that's just very smart in the way that Chaplin would tell his stories.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. I mean, the genius of Chaplin is, you know, it's like, this thing is coming. It's not it's not going back, you know, technology and and and, you know, machinery and and and industrialization, that's coming. And, like, you know, the most famous scene from that movie is where he goes into the machine and gets caught in the gears and is is is traveling around inside the machine and it's literally saying like if you don't go with it you're going to get eaten eaten by this. But he finds a way through it and and gets out and and eventually, yeah, wins wins over and and and adapts to it.
Adam "Tex" Davis:It's it's it's again, it's great commentary, and it's like, look, this thing is scary, but it's also funny. And let's, you know, let's use humor to ease people into this thing, because I'm sure a lot of people were like, oh my goodness, life is changing. It's it's too fast. It's, you know, what's coming? What's coming?
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know, people are very hesitant to change.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. Speaking of commentary, the next film that we're looking at, in the fifties, Some Like It Hot from 1959, just a fantastic I mean, this is one of those comedies that I I don't know. I feel does kind of work regardless of when you watch it. There's just some fantastic comedy with it as far as the gender bending that we have here with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis having to disguise themselves as women to join this this, band troop that, as they're escaping from the, mafia after witnessing, them, gunning down a bunch of people. So now they're on the run dressed as women playing in a band and, you know, hanging out with Marilyn Monroe.
Andy Nelson:It's it's a really fun film. And then the way that you see Tony Curtis playing his character that he invents of himself to fall for or to to kind of woo Marilyn and how she ends up kind of falling for him because he just has such a hard time of, like, he just doesn't feel anything when he gets kissed or anything like that. It's it's hilarious. And then, of course, Jack Lemmon ends up in one of the funniest situations that definitely felt like it's pushing boundaries. And you could say even by today's standards, some people would argue it's pushing boundaries as far as this other guy falling for him as as a woman even when he realizes that he's a man.
Andy Nelson:At the end, he's like, nobody's perfect. And I think that's the kind of the genius of the film. It's, I mean, it's witty. It's dynamic, and I felt like this was kind of also starting to set new standards for where comedy was gonna go from here.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. Well, Billy Wilder is just, just a genius. It's funny that that movie has, you know, such a legacy. You know, it's it's if you if you're doing a timeline, you can't leave this movie off of your comedy timeline. It's both of the time and ahead of ahead of its time.
Adam "Tex" Davis:So to which is probably why it works so well today still. Now granted, you still have to buy like, yeah, do they really look like women and know they're
Andy Nelson:Yeah. I know. Every time I'm
Adam "Tex" Davis:in and like really nobody changes, you know, it's like, okay. But but you you go with it, and and the actors are so good. I mean, that's the thing. It wouldn't work unless you had people of Jack Lemmon's caliber, you know, in in that movie. It's great.
Adam "Tex" Davis:And, yeah, the yeah. The the the what is it? Millionaire that falls in love with with him. And, yeah, to your point, yeah, the ending, like, it's like, uh-oh. Oh, wait.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know, you don't see it coming. You know, that's the the other thing. It's just the surprises. In comedy, especially, you can, you know, lead everybody in one direction and then wildly veer and and take everybody by surprise. Comedy is one of the few, you know, genres where you can really do that and get the big laugh or whatever.
Andy Nelson:And, you know, I think that the the farcical nature of some of that, I I think, also plays pretty well as far as the I mean, the this you know, our last conversation about screwball comedy, we talked about how there are screwball elements in this, but it's not necessarily a screwball comedy. There's romantic comedy. There's farce. There's a lot of different types of humor that we're starting to see here. And, you know, I don't know if this necessarily is representing, like, what we're seeing post World War 2 as far as, like, a start of a shift of types of comedies, but I think, definitely, it's it's pushing into a direction.
Andy Nelson:Because by the time we now get into, like, the sixties seventies, we really start seeing a rise in darker comedies, much more, satirical sorts of films. Counterculture is on the rise and everything. And and, you know, I mean, do you get a sense of other factors that are kind of contributing to the trend as we start seeing that shift going into the sixties seventies?
Adam "Tex" Davis:Well, with with Billy Wilder in particular, you know, director of Something Like It Hot, I mean, he came from noir. So it's like he was, you know, I mean, that's the thing about Some Like It Hot too. There's danger at every turn. The danger from the mobsters that are after them, the danger of them being caught and found out by the women that they're hiding amongst, you know, the danger of the guys, you know, the guy that's now pursuing Jack Lem, like this danger at every turn. So there's elements of like the film noir but it's in such a goofy package of, you know, or I should say it's like goofy.
Adam "Tex" Davis:It's in it's in a fun, funny package that you're like, you know, the danger doesn't feel as real. You, you kinda know they're gonna get away with it, but, you know, but yeah, stepping over from, you know, dark film noir, Double Indemnity, and, and, you know, other movies that you Sure. Yeah. To this, it's like, it's, it's a, it's a progression. And then, yeah, I guess, you know, again, comedy is the perfect package for dealing with darker things.
Adam "Tex" Davis:So, you know, I'm not every comedy had dark themes, but, you know, as we get into the age of, yeah, nuclear bombs and and and certain other, you know, elements, it's like, yeah, let let's use comedy to, to to shine a light on those things. Yeah. It's it's tough to say, like, whether whether dark, you know, I mean, there's there is the dark humor, dark comedy, you know, but I wouldn't necessarily say, you know, like Something Like It Hot, I wouldn't say it's a dark comedy. I wouldn't say, you know, even Strangelove. It's got, you know, elements of of some dark stuff, but it's, you know, it is it is a, I don't know.
Adam "Tex" Davis:How how would you describe Strangelove? It kinda encompasses everything.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. I mean, it's it definitely feels like there's some political satire that we have going on with, the the portrayal of the president and his staff in in in this particular situation. And I guess maybe not dark comedy, black comedy? I mean, I'm I guess now I'm questioning, like, is there a difference between dark comedy and black comedy? Because I do think there's some black comedy in the film as we have some of these crazy situations that are happening and just the way that they're addressing the potential of nuclear warfare and the to a certain extent, kind of the absurdity of these sorts of conversations when it comes to nuclear warfare because of well and and that's, like, sixties version of nuclear warfare.
Andy Nelson:Like, today's version of nuclear warfare is much more, like, full annihilation type of story as opposed to then where it's just not quite as I mean, it certainly is is traumatic and devastating as as we did see, but the nuclear bombs weren't nearly as as devastating as we have today. And so I think, still, when you see that film, there is a a kind of a a dark tone to the comedy when we're looking at all of these nuclear bombs and the potential of, like, the doomsday device and and what could potentially happen if, if we end up going down a dark road like that.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Right. And then, yeah, to your point, the political commentary, like, who's who's running things? Like, you know, George c Scott is is is is out of his mind. They wheel in Peter Sellers, and he's he's an he's practically a Nazi at that point, like, you know, you know, jumping up not in the aisle. So it's like, oh my god.
Adam "Tex" Davis:This is this is our government. This is our our, you know, our defense team. You'd like to think that that's not what's happening behind the scenes, but, yeah, it it it definitely, reaches a level of of absurdity.
Andy Nelson:It's, I mean, it's one of my favorite films out there. It's just such a fantastic film, and it really coming right after, World War 2. And then looking at kind of I mean, now we're at at this point, we're in the cold war, and so it's a perfect way to kind of satirize these types of conversations that our president is having with the Russian leader, and we're all fine. You know, it's just like everything is okay. And I think that it allow especially when you have Peter Sellers playing multiple roles in the film, it does bring that level of absurdity to it that allows it to tackle a more serious story, but doing it in a way that allows us to just kind of laugh at how absurd it is, you know, relying on a doomsday device in the first place.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Now it was very controversial when it came out, though. I mean, people I don't know, you know I I mean, we look back at it, you know, and, of course, the the career of Stanley Kubrick, we look back at his movies and are just awed by his genius, but at the time, I'm not so so sure how how well it was, it was received. A lot of different factions were mad about a lot of different things.
Andy Nelson:Sure. Sure. I mean, it still it still did get some Oscar nominations. So in some circles, it was still viewed as, it's okay. But, yeah, I think you're right.
Andy Nelson:I think there were people who are like, should we be laughing at this sort of stuff? And but that's and I guess that speaks to the nature of comedy because there is this level of comedy working to push those boundaries. Right?
Adam "Tex" Davis:Oh, absolute absolutely. I I will say also the academy like, the academy will recognize, you know, the different groups in the academy will recognize the different brilliance, whether there's a disconnect with the with the audience and and you you you never know. I mean, you know, a lot of times, people are, like, curious, like, how did this I mean, I have a whole podcast about the curious Right. You know, things that the, the the academy, chose. Sometimes it aligns and sometimes, you know, it's vastly different.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Well, what was what was your last question? I'm sorry.
Andy Nelson:Oh, how comedy is pushing bounds. Right? And how you use it, like, it might feel like, woah, like, too soon sort of stuff, but at the same time, I think that's what makes comedy edgy is that we do push those bounds.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. I think you you have to almost expect that from comedy, you know, edgy, you know, you wanna what is the edge? You're at the edge. You're at the edge of what's acceptable. And in some cases, you step off the edge and maybe, you know, it's too much to quote the, you know, if it bends, you know, it's it's funny.
Adam "Tex" Davis:If it breaks, it's it's it's not. But at the same time, yeah, you're always looking to how far can I push it to make people just uncomfortable enough, but they nervously laugh and then look, if there's truth to it, that's the thing, if there's truth to it, if there's a kernel of truth, then you're in the zone? And you think of the great comedians, the stand ups, whether it's Richard Pryor or George Carlin, you know, these guys pushed Lenny Bruce, they pushed what was acceptable and movies, same thing, let's push the boundary. If you play it safe, is safe funny? I don't think so.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Let's push it. Let's push it. And, again, you know, some movies will have most of the movie is fine and then there'll be a scene that pushed it too far. It's like, okay. That's a little much.
Andy Nelson:That that's great.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know? Yeah. I think it's always about pushing the boundary because that's when you get into the uncomfortable stuff and and you can find a lot of funny there.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. And and it's sometimes it is hard to know where that line is. And we we can probably there are plenty of films that have that are examples as you said where there's a lot of stuff that works, and then there's the one that's like, oh, okay. Wasn't quite expecting that one. And then the rest of it is fine, but it does happen.
Andy Nelson:And I think that's that line that we're all, watching for or just internally just kind of sensing. It's like I don't even know how you even figure out where that line is. Right? It's just you as as a especially as a writer, you're probably having to, like, test things out to figure out, is that too far? Is it far enough?
Andy Nelson:You know, am I bending it, or am I breaking it by by joking that way?
Adam "Tex" Davis:That's why they have test screenings. That's why, you know, they they they they they, like, you know, they'll they'll the executives will take a script, and they'll be like, just read this. I'm not gonna say anything, but, tell me, you know, if if anything stands out and then, you know, somebody might write back, yeah, that's but also everything is taste too.
Andy Nelson:Sure. Yeah.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Sometimes, you know, it's like eye of the beholder or, you know, yeah, it's tricky, it's tricky. You know, I found, you know, with our with my film, Just Friends, it's like, there were things that, you know, sometimes, you know, even on set, you know, it's like you're coming up with a gag, and it's like, what do you think? And it's like, the director and I were a good pairing because, you know, he would say, like, I trust your comedy instincts. So you tell me if I if I'm going too far. Everybody else, I don't know, you know, other than, like, you know, Ryan Reynolds and and those some of the actors, obviously, but he'd be like, you know, the producers, the executives, the studio, these people, like, if they say something like, I don't know.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I don't know if I trust it. Like, I know you know funny. So you tell me, is this funny or is this too much? And for the most part, it was like, no. That's that's funny.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I think that's funny. Or it would be funnier if you did this. Oh, great. Or you know what? That might be too much.
Adam "Tex" Davis:It might be too much at this point that you would it feels too like we're forcing an extra joke on top of the joke. Like, let's let's back off. But, yeah, they do test screenings all the time, and they they, you know, they count the laughs and and whatever. You know, there's a famous scene, I guess, what was it, in in broadcast news or or one one of these movies where where there was a big laugh, but the director was like, you know what? They shouldn't be laughing at this point, and they cut the laugh.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Oh, interesting. Yeah. Famous story of, like, cutting a laugh. Meanwhile, it's like, to me, it's like, cut a laugh? What?
Adam "Tex" Davis:But, you know, what if if if it's at the wrong time and the audience shouldn't be laughing, if they should be feeling something else, then cut the cut the line, you know, and, you know, but, yeah, a lot of it is taste and and knowing whose taste aligns with what you're trying to do, who's the audience for this, we wanna make sure they're the ones laughing and, you know, there's there's people out there that will never laugh at anything and, you know, so whatever. You're not making the movie for them.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. The next film we're gonna, touch on is The Graduate, which, you know, it's, this is one that you could say it's not necessarily, like, just straight up laugh out loud comedy from start to finish, but it does have its moments. And I think the and, obviously, the soundtrack, like, there are a lot of things that you think about when you think about The Graduate. But I think as far as kind of that coming of age comedy, and I think that's that's an element that we start seeing in comedy because that really takes off the whole coming of age types of stories, whether it's a comedy or drama, becomes very, key to kind of the storytelling moving forward. And I think with this particular film, we're getting, like, that, disillusionment of, like, post college, like, what do you do now sort of place in life, what society expects of you, And then you're also kind of this this comes at a point late sixties where the zeitgeist of everything with the sixties, the generation gap, and, you know, all of the adults, like, are so excited about him.
Andy Nelson:He's done with college. And what are you gonna do now? Plastics, all of that sort of stuff. And he's just like, hell if I know. And I think that's a big part of what makes it so funny.
Andy Nelson:And then, of course, once he once he finds a girlfriend, the next thing he does is start sleeping with her mother. It's like I mean, it's it's interesting to see how this film is it's very honest, I think, in in the way that you kind of get a sense of these characters and especially once you get to the the final moments of the film. But I I do think that there's, this is another interesting step in comedy as we're kind of looking at, coming of age stories.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Well, coming of age, obviously, the awkwardness of the different stages of your life. And, again, that's that's, you know, uncomfortable, awkward, always funny, especially.
Andy Nelson:Always is, yeah. Yeah.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Especially if you can be honest and truthful about it and not be afraid to share the uncomfortable things that people, most people think and don't wanna say out loud. Well, you say those things out loud and everybody's, like, oh, okay. I'm not the only one. And it's like a shared camaraderie. The Graduate's interesting because to me, it's I don't know.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I never founded a comedy. I love the movie. I love it. I love the movie. It's one of my favorite movies, but to me, it's not really funny.
Adam "Tex" Davis:It's almost, like, it's too real to
Andy Nelson:be uncomfortable. Yeah.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I mean, you know, there's funny moments for sure, but and it's it's it's masterfully done. But, yeah, you know, to me, like, I I wouldn't I don't even know if I'd put it in the comedy bucket as much as just the great movies that that kind of crosses different genres, whether it's, you know, drama and and and some, you know, light comedy and and whatnot. Yeah. It's a it's a wonderful movie, but it it almost yeah. I I it doesn't feel like a comedy to me, personally.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. Well and
Andy Nelson:I think that's actually an interesting point because we haven't I mean, we've been mentioning it, but haven't really kind of, you know, focused on the fact that, again, we're broadly talking comedy, but so many of these storytellers and filmmakers and performers and and writers are are finding ways to blend all of these things together. Right? And I think this is a great example of a film that has a lot of drama, but also has those comedic beats. Like, I every time I think of The Graduate, I always think of that funny little noise that Dustin Hoffman makes. Like that it's almost that, like, little squeak he makes when he's, in those nervous situations.
Andy Nelson:And so, yeah, there's it's it's a different type of comedy, and I suppose that might be kind of the evolution that we're seeing of comedy because it's much more dramatic, and the focus might be more on the drama with lighter touches of comedy. It's not like I said, it's not a laugh out loud slapstick sort of humor that we have through this film, but it does have it does have moments throughout.
Adam "Tex" Davis:It's like it's like the the sentences are serious, but the punctuation is funny.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. Right. Yeah. It's like a comma. Uh-huh.
Andy Nelson:That's a great way to describe it. And and it's you know, I think, interestingly, it pairs with the next film on the list, which is Harold and Maude from 71, Hal Ashby's film, which, you know, you already brought up. It's it's very quirky in the way that we have this unconventional love story between this young teen who is obsessed with death and and doing all of these fake suicides to kind of, you know, torment his mother who just doesn't she doesn't even she's like, oh, Harold. You know, just doesn't even just kind of dismisses it, which is so funny. But then he meets Maude, this older woman, fantastic Ruth Gordon, and falls for her, but largely it's because of this this craziness that she has, this joie de vie that is very offbeat and something he's never seen before.
Andy Nelson:And so I think, you know, it's interesting. Like, talking about The Graduate and then Harold and Maude, you can really see kind of this evolution in the types of themes that we start getting in some of these comedies that are coming out of the sixties seventies.
Adam "Tex" Davis:So we were talking earlier, like, dark comedy. Okay. Dark comedy, Harold and Maude fits, like, if you wanna know, like, a a a a textbook, you know, Mount Rushmore of dark comedy, there you go. Harold and Maude, Harold and Maude goes on there. And there's so many different types of comedy and a lot of you know, again, it's all based out of character, you know, he's such a well defined character, she's such a well defined character, it's both, like, kinda weird you out but also you you care about them so much and, you know, the Cat Stevens soundtrack ties it all together beautifully.
Adam "Tex" Davis:So, yeah, it's a it's a perfect little movie, but it totally encapsulates this the dark comedy, the idea of dark comedy and definitely is, yeah, pushing boundaries, making you uncomfortable, but never so far that you're, like, turn it off, you know? No.
Andy Nelson:It's yeah. It there's something unconventional about that element of the story and and watching Harold find his own way to enjoy life again through, everything going on with Maud and, you know, her eventual death and everything and really kind of getting this sense of yeah. It's like these heavy themes. This it's it's almost existential about figuring out what life means and everything, but told in a way where it's it is funny, and and that speaks exactly to what you're just bringing up as far as this dark comedy that we have here.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I mean, you know, death is interesting, but death is inevitable. Death is real, and when death becomes real, it's like, oh, you know, it's not it's not as, romanticized, as you thought, you know, and when you care about the person who dies, like, you know, it's it's it's it's eye opening. Yeah. It's a beautiful movie.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. Yeah. We already talked about Blazing Saddles a little bit, but, just bringing that one back into the circle here because 1974, this period that we're looking out of the sixties seventies with kind of dark comedy, counterculture, satire, and then this film really starts pushing the boundaries that we would come to expect of political correctness. And I think that's what's so interesting about it because as you said, you start the film and, like, a lot of these cowboys I mean, it's a western, and they're all using the n word and everything. But then you have this black character come in who is your protagonist and becomes the sheriff of the town and is very like, he's breaking the 4th wall.
Andy Nelson:That's another element that we have here. It's like those meta looks at the audience as he kind of acknowledges, like, did you hear what these people are saying? Like, it's it's playing right into that, and I think that's what's so smart about the way that Mel Brooks, uses his comedy to in in a very irreverent way. Right? But to to poke fun at racism, especially in it's known for in the western genre and period films and stuff.
Andy Nelson:But still, in the seventies, it's still present in films anyway. And so seeing what Mel Brooks does, I think, is is confronting and challenging a lot of the stereotypes.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Well, president films and also president life, unfortunately.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. Yeah.
Adam "Tex" Davis:But, you know, bringing in Richard Pryor as a writer on the movie and, like, saying, let's not hold back. You You know, I mean, it's funny because everybody has all this romanticized of the cowboy times and then, you know, you see all the western films and stuff. Yeah. Well, there's a lot of a lot of crap that happened back then. We're gonna shine a light on that and it's going to also reflect modern society and make you think and make you realize, like, how ugly some of this is.
Adam "Tex" Davis:But it's also brilliant in the way, like, setups and payoffs. You know, early, in the movie, when he's the sheriff, he's walking down the street and the old lady walks past him. He's like, morning, ma'am, and she's like, up yours, n word. And then later, she comes and she needs his help. And she's like, sorry about the n word before.
Adam "Tex" Davis:And, you know, it's like a a a nice little moment where she realizes, like, I'm a piece of crap, you know, and, you know, and also showing how capable he is. He was he was brought in to fail and then turns out, he's great. And, you know, the and the real bad guys are revealed. And, you know, Slim Pickens is is just, the epitome of
Andy Nelson:So good.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Comedy evil.
Andy Nelson:No. He's he's he's so funny. It's it is a very fun film, and it just I mean, you there's definitely a period that, Mel Brooks had in the sixties, seventies, even into the eighties where he was just really kind of at the top of his form with this type of storytelling and what he was doing and the way that he was addressing different types of of situations, some more seriously than others. But I think, you know, you you're definitely getting a lot of that here, which plays really well.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. This this is definitely one of his, one of his best. And, you know, it it was funny because the the tone does shift a little bit. It becomes it becomes almost a little more serious with with pockets of of humor, as the story progresses, but he never never lets the comedy escape fully. And so there will always be, you know, 5 minutes go by and then boom, like a big set piece or something that that's amazing.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. It gets a little silly, but, you know, that's, you know, Mel Brooks' you know, sort of thing.
Andy Nelson:Yeah.
Adam "Tex" Davis:He was, like, he was, like, one of the first to really just satirize other genres, like, whether it's monster movies with young Frankenstein, Hitchcock with, high anxiety, you know, the the producers whereas it's kind of its own thing, but, you know, just Broadway in general and and yeah. So he he's he's just a master of taking a genre. You know, I love, you know, the end of Blazing Saddle. So they're in the movie set, and then suddenly, like, it just turns into a whole, like, you know, that they crash him through a movie set, and and they're mentioning, you know, other cowboy actors and stuff. And and, yeah, it's
Andy Nelson:Right. Yeah.
Adam "Tex" Davis:It gets all crazy. It you know, very Monty Python is.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. Well, and speaking of, the next film I was gonna bring up was Monty Python and the Holy Grail because, you know, we've been very focused on on Hollywood, but, we're it's just pointing out that there is comedy all around the world. And the British sense of humor, I think, especially speaking to some of what we've already discussed as far as some of the kind of absurd or surreal, types of humor that we've seen on screen, Looking at what Monty Python and the Holy Grail brings as far as again, this is taking some of their sketch comedy that they were already doing so well, with Flying Circus and bringing that into the film world as far as telling this this it's a parody of the Arthurian legend, but it's all done through all of these little sketches. Like, you can take any of those little pieces out, and it can just be a perfect little sketch that you have for, you know, 5 minutes on on stage, for example. But, developing it into a, kind of this episodic film, I think, allowed it to kind of satirize, especially for the British, a part of their own history or at least their, kind of the fantastical versions of their history with the kind of medieval literature.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. And and to your point earlier, like, bending and breaking or or, you know, finding the line, nobody is better in the history of comedy, in my mind, than Monty Python of knowing how far to push it and getting into that zone and it's always funny. They never go so far, but they also go further than almost anybody else and they know exactly where the sweet spot is of comedy bliss, you know? Holy Grail, it's funny because, you know, I I think that was one of the first movies I saw of them, of theirs, but then, you know, watching the others, you know, I love Life of Brian. I love, Meaning of Life.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I I mean, their movies are epic and and and amazing. Holy grail might have the most funny bits just all packed into one movie, but the others are they're they're pretty close. And to your point, like, they all yeah. You could take you could excavate different parts of all their movies and play a little individual part. In fact, that's that's how I got my daughter to enjoy them by just taking selected themes and let's watch the scene with the knight.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Let's watch the scene in from meaning of life with the tiger in the woods that eats the guy's arm, and it's turned 2 guys in a tiger suit. Like, let's just watch these little individual scenes, and then eventually, she was like, I'm can I see the whole movie? I was like, great. Let's do it. Nice.
Adam "Tex" Davis:But, yeah, they are the masters
Andy Nelson:of pushing the boundaries and and and and getting the laugh. Another person who, pushes bounds and and uses his neurosis, I suppose, is, is Woody Allen, and I think, Annie Hall is a a really interesting example. We've already had romantic comedies, coming up through time, but I think Woody does a good job of reshaping the romantic comedy genre here with you know, there's some nonlinear storytelling that he's doing here. There's a a much more I mean, his humor is already pretty neurotic that that you see through all of his films, but there's also, like, an intellect that he's using here and and and looking internally. And I I think that's what's so interesting about it.
Andy Nelson:And using what we just talked about in Blazing Saddles also is breaking the 4th wall. So you're getting these elements that he's doing here to, again, explore love, explore relationships. And I think this is another really interesting step forward in how comedy is evolving.
Adam "Tex" Davis:For for sure. For sure. Now, granted, as the host of an Oscar show that looks back at the Oscars, this is a year that's, like, oh, boy, beats Star Wars. Yeah. Like, sure.
Adam "Tex" Davis:People are, you know, but but, you know, look, hats off to, you know, Annie Hall, great movie, great female character, like, that's that's part of it too. She is is wonderful and, you know, unlike, like look, to be perfectly honest, I love his earlier comedies possibly more. I mean, I I got more laughs out of Bananas and Take the Money and Run. And, look, he's doing all these things, 4th wall breaking and and, you know, all that stuff. But he here he put it in a very grounded story of, you know, a a relationship.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Obviously, there's that that scene with Christopher Walken, like, do you ever like to just drive in traffic and, you know, and then it's like, oh, he'll take you home. And it's like, you know, you know, there's great, great moments. It's like he used all the the the tools from his toolbox, but put it in a very grounded, relatable story with an amazing, female character. So everything came together in Annie Hall as probably his his masterwork. But on a pure comedy level, I think I like some of the earlier stuff better, but, you know, I find it funnier.
Adam "Tex" Davis:But, yeah, you know, Annie Hall, you can't you can't argue with it unless you're going for an Oscar, and then maybe you can't argue and say, oh, that's
Andy Nelson:right. In that case.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. And and from here,
Andy Nelson:I mean, comedy definitely starts evolving as we move into the eighties nineties and all the way through today. I mean, we start getting a lot more parody. Like, you could almost call, like, the eighties, maybe into the nineties, golden age of parody and spoof films with the rise of films like Airplane and the Naked Gun films and everything. We're certainly also getting a lot of the gross out comedies and stuff, like Animal House maybe kind of the start of stuff like that. And then you kind of get into some stuff all the way up through things like There's Something About Mary where there's some pretty raunchy stuff that we're getting in them, which is, I suppose, reflecting changing in audience's taste and and attitudes of society, but also as we've been talking about pushing those bounds.
Andy Nelson:Right? We're starting we need what's the next thing that we can what's the next taboo that we can we can break? Right.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I look. I saw Something About Mary in the theater. I I don't think I've ever been with an audience howling with laughter louder than Something About Mary. I mean, I've seen a lot of comedies in the movies, but the the it was a packed house and they were literally screaming. And, you know, when her hair is sticking up and we know why Oh, yeah.
Adam "Tex" Davis:They are screaming. Oh my god. Oh my god. They can't believe it when they showed the zipper like you and they held off on showing the zipper for a while and then For a while
Andy Nelson:until they do.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. And then they do and you just hear the gasping and the screaming. I think I saw popcorn go up in the air like someone will root through the popcorn. I mean, it's it was an amazing experience. And you saw, like, the power of great set pieces, but it's also characters that you care about and, bad guy that you can root against, and you're like, no.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Get away from him. Be with him. And, like, you know, it's a beautifully perfect movie. I mean and I know Roger Kumble, the director of of Just Friends, he knew the Farrelly brothers, and he was emulating them, in in in in a lot of his own work. And he was just like, that movie was the perfect evolution to this kind of gross out, but sweet and sentimental.
Adam "Tex" Davis:It had heart. It had it kinda had everything. I mean, it's kind of a a perfect movie, Something About Mary. But to your point, yeah, the the the the satire movies, the the, you know, the, the Zucker brothers and and Abrams, the Airplane and and Top Secret, I loved. Yeah.
Adam "Tex" Davis:I mean, I I when those came out, I was the perfect age for those movies, and, you know, it it definitely pushed it, like, you know, the airplane is shaking and everybody's falling and everything, and all of a sudden there's a topless woman and and my mom is like, oh my god, and she's, like, trying to cover my eyes because I'm not quite old enough to be seeing that, but it's just, like, absurd for no reason, and it's just ball to wall jokes, but they're clever. They're smart. And that and that's and that's why those movies were elevated. Now later on, a lot of people were doing spoof movies like that. Didn't hit the cover.
Adam "Tex" Davis:They weren't clever enough, I I I feel.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. And that's, I think, the trick, and I think that's the line. It's like, are you are you pushing bounds and breaking taboos, or are you just doing the same still? And, you know, because, like, I mean, something like Scary Movie, I think, had a fun time of spoofing kind of the scream, and I know what you did last summer, those sorts of slasher films that had a rise again in the nineties. But then by the time you're getting Scary Movie 2 and all the rest of them, it's like they're now just feeling like they're just playing the same old jokes by that point, you know.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. And I mean, look, some of them stand out. Like, I I I loved, not another teen movie was really good, but then there was, like, superhero movie and something else movie, and then this this, you know, it it it it wore itself out and, it went away. But, yeah, like, Top Secret works so well because it's really faithful to, like, those espionage spy movies of the past but throwing in amazing sight gags that are so well thought out and and, you know, quotable lines. I know a little German, and he's sitting over there and Billy Barty.
Andy Nelson:He is right over there. Right?
Adam "Tex" Davis:I mean, it's just brilliant stuff and and and the writing is is is super sharp and the acting is great. They get really top performers. But, you know, like, putting people like Leslie Nielsen in Airplane and playing absurd lines completely straight, amazing. You know? So, yeah, I mean, it was definitely yeah.
Adam "Tex" Davis:The the the comedy seemed to shift, and, like, let's take things I mean, I don't know if you ever saw did you ever see the actual disaster movie that, Airplane is based on?
Andy Nelson:No. And that's funny that you asked because I know, like, Doctor Strangelove also was, like, Failsafe. It was, like, a comedy version of Failsafe that so I've seen Failsafe, but I haven't seen the version of whatever it was that Airplane was spoofing.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. I feel I I wanna say, like, it's called, like, the 0 hour or something along those lines. Yeah. But here's the the funny thing is, if you watch that movie, it's, like, literally beat for beat. Like, everything that happens in Airplane happens in that movie.
Adam "Tex" Davis:But they just put jokes in there that are just brilliant, you know? We gotta get these people to a hospital. What is it? It's a large bike building with beds and patients, but it's not important right now. Like It's not important right now.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Amazing. Amazing. Like, the writing is so sharp. I mean, look, and that's we're looking at our evolution of of character and writing is the t to to to comedy.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. And and that's that's definitely the thing. And, you know, figuring out, like, what's current in the time. And I suppose, like, if you look at something like, you know, the Cheech and Chong films in the seventies, there's that counterculture, the rise of of of smoking pot and all of that. And then leading to, like, in the nineties, you've got Friday, which for me is just like a a perfect example of what they were trying to say.
Andy Nelson:Like, not everybody who lives in LA is in the, you know, living in, what we see in colors or something like that. Like, we also just have fun and sit around and and smoke weed and stuff. And I think you have some great, reverse, social commentary with that film. But then also looking at, like, the stoner comedy Big Lebowski, like, you can see the evolution of those types of films too as we're as we're starting to just allow different types of stories, but it's also you can see the through line from the counterculture comedy films to these 2 films.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Absolutely. I mean, look, I tried to watch I mean, look, I remember loving Cheech and Chong movies when I was a kid. I watched them again as an adult and I even watched one with my daughter and it's like, wow, this is this is this is barely a movie. It's a bunch of little vignettes with these characters that are very likable, but they're kind of it's kind of ridiculous. But at the time, you know, it was fun but, yeah, I mean, it's they're kind of ridiculous.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Lebowski is just like a masterpiece but it was a failure when it came out and it wasn't until later that people realized the genius of it and became the cult movie. I will say this, like the Coen brothers are not necessarily comedy guys, like their movies span all kinds of stuff but they have had some of the most funny moments I've ever seen in in in movies. You know, Raising Arizona is a huge movie for me.
Andy Nelson:Yep. Me too.
Adam "Tex" Davis:The scene in the scene in Lebowski as a comedy writer, like, I just went get on my knees and and and is when the guy is on the phone, he takes the note and he scribbles in the pad and he pulls off the paper and he leaves and Lebowski runs over and uses the side of the pen and I'm gonna be able to get the impression of what he wrote and it's just a picture of a of a penis. Right. And balls. And it's just like, oh my god. That is just a level of comedy and a setup and a payoff that, like, as a comedy writer, it's just like, I hope I hope I could achieve something to that level.
Andy Nelson:And, again, working with great actors because so much of that really boils down to Jeff Bridges' reaction when he realizes what it is as he the pencil slows down. He's like, oh, like, perfect. Yeah. Just perfect.
Adam "Tex" Davis:And then, yeah, populating the movie with John Goodman is just, you know actually, we just did that year. It hasn't come out yet, but we did that year on my Oscar show. Yeah. I was like, John Goodman could have gotten a a supporting actor nod for that. I mean, it's just Yeah.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Like, we're quoting the lines today. Like, you know, it's it's it's it's a it's a brilliant, performance. Steve Buscemi is great in it, of course. John Turturro was fantastic in it. Everybody everybody's good in that movie.
Andy Nelson:It's funny that you mentioned that because John, Goodman is one of those actors whom, like, does he not campaign for any things that he does? Because it's like he could have had a nomination for 10 Clover Field Lane. Like, he is so good in so many different films, but I feel like he's never recognized. And it's so strange because I feel like he's somebody who should have multiple nominations by now.
Adam "Tex" Davis:That's a good point. He makes it seem too easy, I guess. I don't know. Like like, you know, the drug guy in flight when he comes in with the the drugs to get Enzo yeah. I mean, fantastic.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. Great great actor.
Andy Nelson:We're, getting close to the end of the of the time we have. I just wanted to obviously, comedy kind of continues. We start, obviously, the rise of animated films. We start getting animated films that are designed not just for kids, but also for adults, and the Shrek films certainly speak to that. You got the bromance films.
Andy Nelson:You start, getting into a lot more genre bending. And, you know, we haven't really even talked about films like, you know, This is Spinal Tap and Borat and those sorts of comedies that kind of continue. And, you know, all the way up through something like, Everything Ever While at Once, a a recent, best picture winner that is full of comedy, and it's also full of drama, and it's full of all sorts of different types of, genre bending that we're kind of getting through all of this as we look at, how comedy kind of evolves and expands and finds new ways into different stories.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Yeah. I mean, look, you know, Spinal Tap, Borat, the sort of the mockumentary, like, let's pretend it's real and, you know, that's that's a great way of getting comedy and mining comedy by, like, you know, Spinal Tap, it's, like, heavy metal music and the, you know, the rock and roll scene is so absurd and, like, you know, it was so funny. I mean, bands loved it because they're like, oh my god. We've all been there where we're we can't find the stage and we're lost backstage and, you know, we don't know where to go. These guys are not they're they're they're kinda dim bulbs, but they're they're great at what they do is making music.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know, Borats, I mean, I remember watching the Ali G Show and seeing the Borat segment and I was like, oh my God, this is one of the most hilarious characters that's kind of based on like a type of person. I mean, I worked at a bagel store for many years with, Israeli dudes that were kind of Borati in their in their approach, and I was just, like, this is such an amazing character of a guy who's very confident, but also very ignorant, but also willing to learn, but, like, still throwing out his absurd notions that, you know, were were ingrained from from being born and, you know, raised in in a in a sort of behind the behind the times place. Yeah. Love that stuff. And then, yeah, I I did feel like there was an evolution into a lot of, like, groups, whether it's the bridesmaid group or the hangover group or, you know, the, Crazy Rich Asians group or, you know, these different these different groups sort of, or whether it's even, like, you know, I love you, man, and it's just a relationship between Sure.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Like, yeah, to the to your point, the bromance comedies. Because, yeah, having a group of funny people together, like, why not? You know, that's a that's a great way to mine a lot of laughs, create a lot of characters. Again, it's character and writing. You know, The Hangover works because they created characters and doesn't matter where you put them.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know, you know, it's almost a sit like, that could be a sitcom. The Hangover could could just be a sitcom. You've got the straight guy who's the good looking guy, you've got the the other guy who's just a hard luck dude, you've got the crazy dude who just says absurd things, like, right, like, you can put them anywhere, it doesn't matter, and and and and and you're gonna have fun.
Andy Nelson:And I suppose that's the in the end, that's really what it's all about. It's, like, finding finding the way into whatever it's gonna be that's funny and however it's evolving and whatever taboos you're pushing or whatever the case may be, just figuring out how to craft the story that is gonna connect with people in some capacity. And that's really kind of the the end goal for anyone who's trying to tell a funny story. As we wrap things up, I mean, final reflections on comedy and, you know, perhaps, like, where we are now and and where it seems like we're gonna be going with with, comedy and film.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know, I mean, I know a lot is made of, like, hey, it's hard to do comedy these days because you can't make fun of certain things and the the, quote, unquote, overly woke movement and stuff. I mean, look. Do I think people sometimes take things a little too far? Sure. But here's the thing.
Adam "Tex" Davis:You know, don't punch down. Don't make fun of marginalized groups. Don't make fun of things that are you know, people that are that are that are hurting. Like, punch up. Like, you you could always mock the CEO.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Like, nobody will be upset about that. You could always mock the, the government that overreaches. You could always mock the, the fascists. You could always mock, you know, and then look, a lot of things I feel like, you know, a lot of things, these days, it's like, speak about real things. You don't need these absurdist premises.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Like, that's that's what turns me off the most. It's like, I'll see it's like some Netflix comedy coming out. And the premise is so ridiculous that I can't get into it. Like, I don't even wanna start it. Like, give me a simple story that's real and then populate it with great characters and have great writing, and it doesn't have to be so fantastical.
Adam "Tex" Davis:Guys and girls, you know, like, the meet cute and and, like, they don't like each other and then they fall in love by the end will always work as long as it's clever enough and you just find, you know, you know, a good pairing, of of actors, and and, you know, strong writing, simple story, and don't don't punch down. Yeah. Have the jokes be about the situations, the absurdity, there's a there's believe me, there's plenty of absurdity in life to to to make fun of and to to shine a light on.
Andy Nelson:Indeed. Very true. It's a great way to to wrap things up here. Tex, thanks again so much for being here, talking with me about comedy today. Really appreciate it.
Adam "Tex" Davis:My pleasure. My pleasure. I I I hope I was able to shine a light and and help out.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. No. I mean, it's a fun thing to talk about. It's comedy after all, you know. You're doing several podcasts.
Andy Nelson:You have a bunch of things that you're up to. Do you wanna, real quick, plug all the stuff that you're working on?
Adam "Tex" Davis:Sure. Right now, the the Oscar show, which I've mentioned, it's called the Oscars. What were they thinking? And we look back at the Oscars of the past, and we use the test of time to see what they maybe got right, what they got wrong, the flubs, the snubs, the oversights, you know, and just look. It's all subjective, of course.
Adam "Tex" Davis:A movie doesn't score a late inning run and and win the game, but there are, like, weird anomalies and and and some winners that you scratch your head, some people and things that were nominated that really? And some things that weren't and left off the list, and you're like, how how did that happen? So we talk about, it's it's me and, my partner is is, on the show is is Bruce Melanch, the, famous comedy, writer who also wrote for the Oscars for 25 plus years. So he's got tons of behind the scenes stories. He was there for a lot of these Oscars, and and, you know, putting the words in the mouths of Billy Crystal and Robin Williams and Steve Martin and Whoopi Goldberg and all these people.
Adam "Tex" Davis:But, yeah, he's really good at, like, trying to, like, break down what were they thinking. Here's why Psycho didn't get nominated. Here's why this did get nominated. And I'm more of the what were they thinking? Like, how how how could this be?
Adam "Tex" Davis:Like, I'm the your average film goer. It's like, I think Back to the Future should've won. I you know, screw out of Africa. So, there there's there's that podcast. If you're a true crime fan, like I said, we do Slaycation, which is murders and mysterious deaths and disappearances on vacation, which is very fun because my wife and my business partners, they research the case and they tell it to me, I don't know anything about it, so we kinda I play a proxy for the for the listener, and we break down those cases.
Adam "Tex" Davis:And then, I have a couple educational podcasts, the one Who Smarted is for kids, like, 6 to 10, but, again, using comedy to get kids in the door to then learn about topics that they should know about whether it's the human body, the ocean, deep space, you know, their favorite foods, their favorite animals, and every episode is different. They're 15 minute song. Parents and kids love them. And, again, very filled with comedy.
Andy Nelson:Yeah. I love it. I love it. But we'll have links for everything in the show notes so you can all check those out and, and see what, what, Tex is up to. So, again, thank you so much.
Andy Nelson:I appreciate you being here. My pleasure. Next month, we'll be taking a break. But don't worry. We'll be back soon enough with more great conversations about film genres, subgenres, and movements.
Andy Nelson:Until
Adam "Tex" Davis:then.
Andy Nelson:Thank you for joining us on CinemaScope, part of the True Story FM Entertainment Podcast Network. Music by Orcus, Randy Sharp, and Simo. Find us in the entire Next Real family of film podcasts at true story dot f m. Follow us on social media at the next real, and please rate and review us if your podcast app allows. As we part ways, remember, your cinematic journey never ends.
Andy Nelson:Stay curious.
Adam "Tex" Davis:My home.