# Comedians and comic actors who primarily got their yucks from facial expressions

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comic-actors-who-primarily-got-their-yucks-from-facial-expressions/638856>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 25, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comic-actors-who-primarily-got-their-yucks-from-facial-expressions/638856 "2012-10-25T19:26:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comic-actors-who-primarily-got-their-yucks-from-facial-expressions/638856/41 "2012-10-26T17:41:03Z")

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> [@campp](#):
>
> Red Skelton

First person I thought of.

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**Author:** ![Lunar\_Saltlick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Lunar\_Saltlick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Saltlick)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comic-actors-who-primarily-got-their-yucks-from-facial-expressions/638856/42 "2012-10-26T17:52:04Z")

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> [@Opus\_T.Penguin](#):
>
> Shemp. It wasn’t exactly his expressions, but his face always made me laugh…

Neither face nor expression. It was that hideous shock of oily-looking hair falling into his face that got the laughs. Sometimes it was just repulsive, but hilarious, like watching a particularly fat plumber bending to his work.

I nominate Shemp as the guy who got his laughs primarily from his hair. If you ever saw Larry David back in his brief stand-up days, he was another guy whose hair was cringe-worthy. But I’m now starting a whole other thread…

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**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comic-actors-who-primarily-got-their-yucks-from-facial-expressions/638856/43 "2012-10-26T18:31:39Z")

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> [@Lunar\_Saltlick](#):
>
> I nominate Shemp as the guy who got his laughs primarily from his hair. If you ever saw Larry David back in his brief stand-up days, he was another guy whose hair was cringe-worthy. But I’m now starting a whole other thread…

Steven Wright had/has cringe-worthy hair…as does Carrot Top, for completely different reasons…sounds like you should start that thread…

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**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comic-actors-who-primarily-got-their-yucks-from-facial-expressions/638856/44 "2012-10-26T19:49:25Z")

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Carroll O’Connor could do more with one look than most everyone who has lived ever.

Just watch one randon episode of All in the Family if you don’t believe it.

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**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comic-actors-who-primarily-got-their-yucks-from-facial-expressions/638856/45 "2012-10-27T09:10:22Z")

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> [@Musicat](#):
>
> Buster Keaton.
> 
> OK, OK, that’s kind of a joke in itself, cause he didn’t have any.

That’s not quite true. Keaton’s character would struggle to maintain his composure in the face of absurdity and calamity, and you could see the gears turning in his head as he pondered “Why is the universe conspiring against me?”

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