Rochester: Yes, that's the spot all right. You almost had a heart attack when they laughed at Bob Hope.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Comedy relies on surprise and misdirection to create laughter.
- In plain terms
- Audiences laugh when the unexpected happens.
- What can you take from it?
- Use surprise to engage your audience.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What surprises you in comedy?
- How do you build comedic tension?
Another view
Predictability can work in specific comedic contexts.
More from Jack Benny
Jack: When they laugh at one of my jokes... it just gets me right here. [Puts hand on heart]
Permalink to quote #21 Liberace: What do we have for dinner?
Permalink to quote #23 Jack: When another comedian has a lousy show, I'm the first one to admit it.
Permalink to quote #20
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