you mean like they're less afraid to call someone their 'partner' & etc.? that could be true - america is definitely years behind the u.k. in that regard.
i wonder if it's some part of america's culture that rejects the idea or whether we just don't have the proper setup to create and cultivate duos.
i did think about stewart & colbert! they're pretty close - their 'characters' go hand in hand. i'm just not sure they're thought of as partners though. they're about the closest thing that america has to a comedy double act at the moment. ryan stiles & colin mochrie came to mind too, but they're canadian and don't work together on the regular.
it sucks because i think i kind of prefer partners - it moves comedy out of the mindset of the gruff stand-up guy/girl.
That is just really weird. We USED to have them. (Laurel & Hardy; Abbot & Costello) Maybe it was just a Vaudeville thing that died with the rest of it. The closest more recent thing I could think of was the Smothers Brothers, and that's hardy recent.
British people really work the hell out of that comedy duo thing. Now we must dissect them and find out where the dual funny is coming from.
what inspired that tweet was a story that teller linked to which talked about the smothers brothers' retirement. tommy smothers said p&t are the only comedy duo left (in america, i reckon). and they are funny but i think they're really better known as magicians and self-proclaimed cons.
maybe it has to do with the roots of comedy partners - like fry & laurie and mitchell & webb all came out of the cambridge footlights. and america doesn't really have a similar place where comedy is regularly cranked out (second city to some extent does). but that's not the whole reason, i don't think. there must be some element of american culture that makes producers/tv execs/etc. think that a double act won't fly and discourages comedians from pairing up. maybe it is the association with old timey vaudeville acts.
if i were a proper historian/librarian i would investigate this matter.
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Maybe because British people are gayer (in a good way)
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i wonder if it's some part of america's culture that rejects the idea or whether we just don't have the proper setup to create and cultivate duos.
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But you're totally right
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it sucks because i think i kind of prefer partners - it moves comedy out of the mindset of the gruff stand-up guy/girl.
Reply
British people really work the hell out of that comedy duo thing. Now we must dissect them and find out where the dual funny is coming from.
Reply
maybe it has to do with the roots of comedy partners - like fry & laurie and mitchell & webb all came out of the cambridge footlights. and america doesn't really have a similar place where comedy is regularly cranked out (second city to some extent does). but that's not the whole reason, i don't think. there must be some element of american culture that makes producers/tv execs/etc. think that a double act won't fly and discourages comedians from pairing up. maybe it is the association with old timey vaudeville acts.
if i were a proper historian/librarian i would investigate this matter.
Reply
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