4 posts tagged “television shows”
The secret to comedy is ....
There is no secret to comedy. Mel Brooks and Buck Henry (creators of TV's "Get Smart") are funny. And they know things about how to make comedy funnier, which they'd probably share. So, it's not a secret. It's just they're better at it than you or me or those other guys. And just being naturally better and working harder at something isn't a secret.
And neither is the return of secret agent Maxwell Smart (aka Steve Carell). This time he's on the big screen. He gets a shoe phone, but for however good the movie may be, it still could have used the "secret" comedic genius behind the original cone of silence.
On television, in shows such as "Perry Mason" and "Ironside," Raymond Burr ferreted out the secrets of others. Off screen, he had secrets of his own to hide, include a love of fine wine and orchids he shared with his partner of 35 years -- the less successful thespian Robert Benevides. That career-damning relationship was hidden by the creation of deceased wife and children, according to the new biography, Hiding in Plain Sight.
Will there come a time when Fox (or another television network) will show tapes of waterboarded contestants for its audiences amusement if the writers' strike continues much longer? On January 23, 2008 they'll debut "The Moment of Truth," featuring folks hooked up to a lie detector and gushing secrets for prizes, a bit like the Colombian woman who in that country's version of the now-cancelled show who got caught up in the glare of tv lights and admitted hiring someone to murder her husband.
Squirming people are often fun to watch. And people with a secret are prone to squirm when questioned. And, folks, that's entertainment that can run a good 15 years or so.
