# Comedy fans: X-number of "basic" jokes?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-fans-x-number-of-basic-jokes/184077>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 24, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-fans-x-number-of-basic-jokes/184077 "2003-06-24T17:29:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-fans-x-number-of-basic-jokes/184077/1 "2003-06-24T17:29:23Z")

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Had to have been decades ago, but Steve Allen was on a show where the “basics of comedy” were being discussed, and he made it sound as if there were only seven basic jokes from which all others could be built.

I have searched the web many times for verification of that number, or any number, and have been left feeling that Steve was talking through his hat.

Have any of you: a) heard such a thing; b) seen any reliable source to deal with this issue; c) ever seen the “basic jokes”?

I’m not really asking for EXAMPLES by way of actual jokes. That could get messy!

If you know of a book or website that you consider authoritative, I’d like to know about it.

(is this the right forum for this question?)