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Ed McMahon: TV's Affable Uncle

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Tremonius
06/23/09

In reply to Ed McMahon: TV's Affable Uncle
He was the Greek chorus on the Tonight Show, and the deep haw-haw provoked laughter throughout America. It's a technique well known to Hamlet, who cautioned the players against "inciting some barreness" in the audience by onstage laughing like Will Kemp and his contemporary George Burns were famous for. But it works. I have seen very lame pedestrian patter win guffaws just because Burns was bent double in hysterics on the stage and everybody wanted to be part of the in crowd so they laughed too.

How come Publishers Clearing House isn't part of his resume?
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SidAndFinancy
06/23/09

@Tremonius: I know that George Burns lived a very long life, but was he really a contemporary of Hamlet?
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Tremonius
06/23/09

@SidAndFinancy: Oh, no, of course not. Reference was to the late 18th Century comedy actor William Kempe, who quit the King's Men due to Creative Differences with Shagspur and did the Morris Dance all the way to Norwich, a distance of a hundred miles, with George Burns playing the flute alongside.
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Nice Beaver
06/23/09

In reply to Ed McMahon: TV's Affable Uncle
I'll always be indebted to Ed for inspiring Phil Hartman, dressed as a Ed with a big 1990s Kid 'n Play flat top, to say, "That is the straight stuff, O Funk Master!" on an old SNL skit with Dana Carvey called "The Carsenio Show," a demon hybrid of Johnny and Arsenio.

Also, this was great, Mr. Lawson.
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CaptainFantastic
06/23/09

In reply to Ed McMahon: TV's Affable Uncle
Wow, I miss the Carson show.
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lobstr
06/23/09

In reply to Ed McMahon: TV's Affable Uncle
I like how he chuckled at the gold hip replacement.. they guy could laugh, even at himself..
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