One of my (very) occasional series is Friday Funnies. As it is more than a year since I last gave you one of these I think a return is long overdue. Looking back on previous episodes it strikes me that they are very much centred on UK shows, so I thought this time I’d give you a selection of things from the other side of the pond which make me laugh. These are in part what might be described as ‘vintage’ – it’s not that I don’t find modern US comedy shows funny, it’s just that I have long time happy memories of them.

Before I began this series I ran a few posts at the weekend under the Saturday Smiles banner. This first clip was shared in one of those, but it is so good I’m going with it again:

That was from a show called Soap, a sitcom that parodied soap operas, which were just as popular in the Seventies as they still appear to be now. This ran for four series from 1977 to 1981, and was the launchpad for Billy Crystal’s career. I’ve watched this clip many times and am still not sure if he ad-libbed that last line: from the reaction of Cathryn Damon, who played Mary, I think he did. If the show passed you by, you can find out more here. It was a must-watch for us. The acting in that was typical of the show: Katherine Helmond, who played Jessica, was brilliant at keeping a straight face while portraying wide-eyed naivety, and it looks to me as if Billy Crystal was doing his best not to laugh – I wonder what the blooper reel was like?

Talking of blooper reels, how about this much more recent one. I’ve also played it before, but again it is in the ‘too good to leave out’ category:

I’ve never watched Parks and Recreation, though looking at this clip makes me wonder why I haven’t. Chris Pratt was clearly aiming for the blooper reel with that line, as the reactions of everyone else show that it wasnt scripted or rehearsed. A brilliant line, and he has made me laugh on plenty of other occasions too. He has been a welcome guest on the Graham Norton Show several times: I thought I had played at least one of those before but can’t find anything, so I went in search of one to play and had real difficulty deciding which one. But then I found this compilation of some of his best bits on the show – problem solved! It runs to 18 minutes but, trust me, you’ll laugh a lot:

Going back to the Seventies now, for something from one of the best comedy shows of all time. Like Soap, Cheers was a must watch for us, and there are so many clips from which to choose. I’ve cheated a bit by going for another compilation:

And how about another, a classic sketch:

Cheers ran for eleven seasons from 1982 to 1993, and aired a total of 295 episodes. I may not have seen them all but I know I watched a lot back in the day!

One of the main characters was the psychiatrist Dr Frasier Crane, who was introduced in Cheers as the love interest of Diane Chambers, who was a waitress working below her station in life who dated educated men to boost her ego. She and Frasier were due to marry, until she jilted him at the altar, following which he became a regular in the bar. His character was so popular that it became a spin off, Frasier, another show that I have enjoyed for many years. This also ran for eleven seasons, a total of 264 episodes, and revolves around Frasier’s household of himself, his elderly, cranky father Martin, and Martin’s carer, Daphne. His brother Niles is a regular visitor, all the more so after he becomes besotted with Daphne. Another main character is Roz, who manages Frasier’s role as a radio agony uncle, and is given many of the best and most cutting lines. The wordplay is a delight, and again I’m spoiled for choice as to what to play. But this is a classic sketch that always makes me laugh:

And another compilation to close with – there some gems of comic wordplay and timing in this:

This is a fairly short post by my standards, but I’ve given you plenty to watch and, hopefully, enjoy. And in current times I think it is undeniable that we could all do with a good laugh – reality is too depressing!

See you again for Song Lyric Sunday, which this week is about instant gratification – should be interesting! Stay safe and well 😊