Mischief in the Workplace: Gag Humor in The Office
I find it fascinating how Tom Gunning outlines a particular field of humor in the form of the Mischief Gag, the comedic format in which… Read More »Mischief in the Workplace: Gag Humor in The Office
Blog Post 1 (due 5 PM Wednesday 29th January)
Week 1 Pie and Chase, Gag and Plot, Charlie Chase and Charlie Chaplin
Required Reading:
Tom Gunning, “Crazy Machines in the Garden of Forking Paths: Mischief Gags and The Origins of American Film Comedy,” Classical Hollywood Comedy, ed. Karnick and Jenkins (Los Angeles: AFI/Routledge, 1995), 87-105, 360-363.
Donald Crafton, “Pie and Chase: Gag, Spectacle and Narrative in Slapstick Comedy” and Tom Gunning, “Response to ‘Pie and Chase,’” Classical Hollywood Comedy, ed. Karnick and Jenkins (Los Angeles: AFI/Routledge, 1995), 106-122, 363-365.
Airplane!: the new age slap-stick
Airplane! Is a perfect example of a film made up almost entirely of slapstick and gags, which, despite this fact, has plot. Most of the… Read More »Airplane!: the new age slap-stick
Mischief Gags and the Disruption of Narrative in I Think You Should Leave’s “Prank Show”
In Crazy Machines in the Garden of Forking Paths, Tom Gunning defines a “mischief gag” as a humorous physical prank consisting of a set-up and… Read More »Mischief Gags and the Disruption of Narrative in I Think You Should Leave’s “Prank Show”
Slap and Chase – Rebeca Ravara
https://youtu.be/dKYGsFiI8fA?si=a1ZsuPft7pOqtdHf How I Met Your Mother is a memorable sitcom reliant on various comedic moments – or bits – but within which the Slap Bet… Read More »Slap and Chase – Rebeca Ravara
Passing The Proverbial Pie in Welcome (2007) – Parthiv Chhabria
Aneez Bazmee’s Welcome (2007) would air every Thursday night on the same television-channel for the greater part of my childhood. This classic Bollywood film is… Read More »Passing The Proverbial Pie in Welcome (2007) – Parthiv Chhabria
The Art of Chaos: The Slapstick Blueprint
Slapstick comedy has been a defining force in American film history, rooted in an early cinematic language that prioritized physicality, spectacle, and anarchy over traditional… Read More »The Art of Chaos: The Slapstick Blueprint
The Internet Gag – The IT Crowd
Gunning’s reading on gags touched upon how the operational aesthetic reflected a fascination with the way things worked, particularly innovative or unbelievable technologies, and that… Read More »The Internet Gag – The IT Crowd
Pie and Chase B99
Donald Crafton’s chapter, “Pie and Chase,” got me thinking about the differences between gags and slapstick and trying to pinpoint examples in media I’ve seen. While… Read More »Pie and Chase B99
Quite literally a running gag
I really struggled when trying to come up with something that related to Gunning and/or Crafton’s arguments thus found myself scouting around my room, (gave… Read More »Quite literally a running gag
Spy and Chase (Elouisa Cairns)
“Spy” (2015) uses Melissa McCarthy’s skills in comedy acting to present an array of gags, much of which would be considered slapstick. One particular scene… Read More »Spy and Chase (Elouisa Cairns)