Hola, Sneakers! Welcome to a very special episode of Sneaky Dragon where we kiss the Blarney Stone, pull on our jigging shoes and turn a bunch of respectable songs into cod-Irish nonsense!
But not only that! This week on the show: a particular welcome; getting comfortable; dog shoes; what are we; God-bothering; hearing yourself; Irish songs #1; funny now vs. funny then; some SCTV love; comedy support; Irish songs #2; not funny; favourite Simpsons episodes; joke-a-thons; mixed-up metaphors; Irish songs #3; the Irish tenor; pleasing stereotypes; British cheeses; Newhart’s buttoned-down life; women driver memes; self-driving discomfort; Irish songs #4; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; the -mi/-mi problem; bull crap; sad Mama Cass; a real realist; the black and white hurdle; karaoke; and, finally, it’s a better film than you think.
Question of the Week: What is a comedy from your past that you think stands the test of time?
Sub-question: What is your go-to karaoke song?
Thanks for listening.
Dave Thomas as Richard Harris on Mel’s Rockpile:
John Candy as Babe Ruth:
The wonderful Mama Cass Elliot in HR Pufnstuf:
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I think ‘The Honeymooners’ and the Dick Van Dyke Show both standout as still consistently funny comedies that can still produce laughs today.
Hey, guys, here’s how you skip to a certain moment on a YouTube video. If you’re watching a video on a computer and hit “share,” there’s a “Start at” box at the bottom you can check to start the video you’re sharing at the mark you choose. I don’t see that box when I share a video from my phone, but when I copy and paste the link, I can add the following to the end of the link: ?t=(the number of seconds into the video that I want it to start)
For instance, I used to mail things to Hoboken, New Jersey (don’t ask), and every time I wrote the address, I would remember Bugs Bunny screaming “Hoboken!” in 8 Ball Bunny. That bit comes at the 6:41 mark in this video, so after I paste the link, I add ?t=401 because that’s 401 seconds in.
I wish there was a way to stop it at a certain mark too, but if there is, I haven’t found it.
https://youtu.be/uB2-lJWFCqk?t=401
Hey Ian and David,
Episode 403 was an instant sneaky-D classic!
I was listening to it (on headphones) while shopping at my local supermarket and David’s ‘Irish’ rendition of ‘White Wedding’ left me literally doubled over in laughter in the fruit and vegetable aisle, much to the bewilderment of the other customers. Thanks for performing all three of my requests!
To the questions of the week. Seinfeld holds up well, though I wonder if that is simply through our saturated familiarity with every episode?
Comedy movies – Ferris Bueller (though did we ever REALLY believe that Cameron would be okay when his dad got home?), Back To the Future and Four Weddings and a Funeral all hold up more than 25 years on.
I don’t have go-to Karaoke song as my first ever attempt was Let It Be at a friend’s 21st birthday at a Chinese restaurant that (weirdly) had karoake. I had no idea how vocally challenging the song is to perform. I lost the entire crowd by the first chorus and by the time I finished, everyone was looking on with quiet pity or just avoiding eye contact entirely. It was a masterclass in social embarrassment. Nevertheless, I still love the song to this day.
Mick
I feel like you’ve discussed it on the podcast before, but a comedy that has stood the test of time for me is Groundhog Day (1993). Its use of the time loop is so skillful, the title has become short-hand to describe other films and TV series that use it. Groundhog Day on a train. Groundhog Day with an alien invasion. Groundhog Day with a campus serial killer. Groundhog Day with neurotic New Yorkers. I like how the personal development storyline parallels Bill Murray’s professional aspiration to go from being seen as just a satirical comic actor to one who can play more dramatic roles with depth and humanity. What a great friend he had in Harold Ramis who co-wrote a perfect role for him then directed the film so masterfully. And I’m a sucker for the romantic challenge they set up in the subplot. What will it take for Andie MacDowell’s character to change her mind and fall for such a self-involved jerk…in ONE DAY? It was such a fun premise, I didn’t even mind that 50 Firsts Dates (2004) used it too. It poses the question, “What kind of a person do I need to be for someone to fall in love with ME?”
Thanks for posting the Mama Cass Elliot video from H. R. Pufnstuf, I can honestly say I’ve never seen or heard about it until this podcast. I’m not entirely sure I’ve ever seen the Pufnstuf movie…just the shows on Saturday morning when I was a kid. But after all of that, there’s this great parody from Mr. Show, “The Altered State of Drugachusetts.”
https://youtu.be/TDpt9iicEow
I’m probably the last guy to ask about what comedy stand the test of time since I’m a hard core Marx Brothers fan and I will always find them funnier than most anything.
Bias aside, I’d have to say satirical comedy holds up best for me. The first director who came to mind was Mel Brooks, I believe he’s found a way to preserve his brand of comedy by wrapping it in genre-based films. Some may seem more dated than others but every one of them still make me laugh, especially “Young Frankenstein.” I asked my wife her opinion to which she immediately said “Spinal Tap,” also a heavily satirical film by Rob Reiner which launched the rest of the Christopher Guest mocumentaries. Their films also seem to be immortalized within a specific brand of comedy that never grows old. As long as we can find satire in something, like Reiner and Guest have, these films will always have an audience.
Thanks for mentioning the greatness of Iron Man 3, my circle of geek friends don’t see eye to eye with me on this one. They’re too hung up on why an old barn door can hold back an Iron Man suit. Iron Man 3 illustrates what you guys were saying about how enjoyable Marvel films can be when a character develops just by the use of good acting. Robert Downey Jr. has the opportunity to show us how Tony Stark deals with the trauma of the alien invasion and what he can do without the Iron Man suit. I find a great amount of honesty in his acting and I feel he brought a lot of himself to this role, my personal favorite being Tony’s encounter with Gary in the TV broadcast van. Throw in the great Brian Tyler score and the 80’s retro end credits for good measure.
Fantastic show this week, folks.
Comedies that stand the test of time… I’ve mentioned both these movies before, but In and Out (1997 – written by Paul Rudnick, directed by Frank Oz) and Author Author (1982 – written by Israel Horovitz, directed by Arthur Hiller) crack me up every time thanks to sharp scripts and great ensemble cast performances. Both run out of steam a little before the end, and Author Author has a truly, truly horrible theme song, but what works in each film, works superbly.
On TV, Spaced remains a high water mark – best British sitcom of the last 20 years. I continue to love Seinfeld and much of the Simpsons. Shows like Dick Van Dyke and Bilko still deliver laughs, but the sexual attitudes of their times can be hard to take sometimes.
It’s perhaps too recent an example for this test, but we had a repeat viewing of Little Miss Sunshine last weekend and thought it was wonderful.