A friend of mine has opined the two primary influences on humor in the last half of the 20th century were The Goon Show and Kovacs. Never saw enough of Kovacs to see if he was right.

A friend of mine has opined the two primary influences on humor in the last half of the 20th century were The Goon Show and Kovacs. Never saw enough of Kovacs to see if he was right.

Not all of "Laugh-In" worked, I'll grant you, and as Noel points out, a lot of its humor is pretty safe and obvious, not to mention sexist and camp. But there were plenty of dumb jokes that worked (my favorite being Goldie Hawn holding up a candle lit at both ends and exclaiming, "Mother was wrong!"), good jokes that…

Not all of "Laugh-In" worked, I'll grant you, and as Noel points out, a lot of its humor is pretty safe and obvious, not to mention sexist and camp. But there were plenty of dumb jokes that worked (my favorite being Goldie Hawn holding up a candle lit at both ends and exclaiming, "Mother was wrong!"), good jokes that…

That scene's really funny, but for me, the courtroom scene is still the funniest scene in the entire movie. Not just when he's asleep and Tomlin is supposed to be controlling him, but also when he ends up arguing with her. I remember seeing this movie on cable in college (mid-to-late 80's), and my sides were hurting…

That scene's really funny, but for me, the courtroom scene is still the funniest scene in the entire movie. Not just when he's asleep and Tomlin is supposed to be controlling him, but also when he ends up arguing with her. I remember seeing this movie on cable in college (mid-to-late 80's), and my sides were hurting…

Well, granted he never achieved the stardom, or versatility, of Karloff, but he did appear in some great, non-schlock horror films of the time like the original Island of Lost Souls, The Black Cat, and Murders in the Rue Morgue, plus he had a hilarious cameo in Ninotchka as Greta Garbo's boss.

Well, granted he never achieved the stardom, or versatility, of Karloff, but he did appear in some great, non-schlock horror films of the time like the original Island of Lost Souls, The Black Cat, and Murders in the Rue Morgue, plus he had a hilarious cameo in Ninotchka as Greta Garbo's boss.

I was 24 in 1992, and mock if you must, but it was that year (or '91, I forget) when I first listened to Nirvana, decided I couldn't understand what they were singing, realized I sounded exactly like my parents, decided to give them another listen, and became a fan.

I was 24 in 1992, and mock if you must, but it was that year (or '91, I forget) when I first listened to Nirvana, decided I couldn't understand what they were singing, realized I sounded exactly like my parents, decided to give them another listen, and became a fan.

I liked Love Crime more than most, I think, but I will say the Ludivine Sagnier's character's revenge scheme against Kristin Scott Thomas' character took way too long to play out, even though the payoff was mostly worth it. Is that the case with DePalma's film, or is he able to juice things up enough?

I liked Love Crime more than most, I think, but I will say the Ludivine Sagnier's character's revenge scheme against Kristin Scott Thomas' character took way too long to play out, even though the payoff was mostly worth it. Is that the case with DePalma's film, or is he able to juice things up enough?

I'm definitely coming around to that viewpoint; I do think both Horse Whisperer and Lions for Lambs had their moments, but he seems to have abandoned subtlety since Quiz Show, which is not good.

I'm definitely coming around to that viewpoint; I do think both Horse Whisperer and Lions for Lambs had their moments, but he seems to have abandoned subtlety since Quiz Show, which is not good.

Woronov is also good as a waitress/hostess at a third-rate diner in Let it Ride, although she doesn't get enough to do.

Woronov is also good as a waitress/hostess at a third-rate diner in Let it Ride, although she doesn't get enough to do.

One of my favorite moments from THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is when Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo start singing "All I Want" at the dinner table. Could have been incredibly cheesy, but it wasn't.

One of my favorite moments from THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is when Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo start singing "All I Want" at the dinner table. Could have been incredibly cheesy, but it wasn't.

You want to talk out of place? How about when she sings "Goodbye Blue Sky" with Roger Waters at Waters' "The Wall" concert about 20 years ago? It was…weird.

You want to talk out of place? How about when she sings "Goodbye Blue Sky" with Roger Waters at Waters' "The Wall" concert about 20 years ago? It was…weird.