# Funniest Comedy Duos -- Past and Present -- Final Round **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 8, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573 "2015-07-08T13:17:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/1 "2015-07-08T13:17:16Z")
For how we got here, see > **[Pre-Poll Nominations: Comedy Teams (past and present)](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=760807)** > > Title says it. At least two people, please. Up to whatever number stays together most of the time. Monty Python is an example of the latter. A starter group: Nichols and May Jeeves and Wooster Rowan and Martin Burns and Allen Martin and Lewis ... Pre-Poll Nominations: Comedy Teams (past and present) 06-28-2015, 05:30 PM > **[Funniest Comedy Duos -- Past and Present](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=761305)** > > Vote for up to FIVE duos. Depending on response this may be preliminary to a Final Round later. =============================== The Group: Abbott and Costello Allen & Rossi Amos and Andy (Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll) The Bickersons... Funniest Comedy Duos – Past and Present 07-04-2015, 06:33 AM This is the group that got at least 20% of the votes by the time 100 Voters had spoken: VOTE FOR JUST ONE DUO: The Smothers Brothers Abbott and Costello Fry and Laurie Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner Laurel and Hardy Penn and Teller Burns and Allen Bob and Ray ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/2 "2015-07-09T14:43:37Z")
It’s surprising to me that nobody is voting for Penn and Teller. Makes you wonder how they got so many votes in the prelims! :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/3 "2015-07-09T16:15:51Z")
I went with Burns and Allen mostly for their exquisite timing. Not that every one of the finalists didn’t have great timing, but Gracie knew when to let George stretch out his reactions for the sake of the laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/4 "2015-07-09T16:27:35Z")
I know I’m far too late for this party but how the hell did [Morecambe and Wise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morecambe_and_Wise) get categorized as “not billed as an act” in the first thread? Once Eddie Braben started writing for them, they were far funnier than several of the above acts. To quote the Wiki, > [@](#): > > They have been described as “the most illustrious, and the best-loved, double-act that Britain has ever produced”. Ah, well. I went for Laurel and Hardy. I like Laurel and Hardy. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/5 "2015-07-09T16:29:18Z")
I based my decision between Abbott and Costello and the Smothers Brothers on how long A&C have had their bits in popular culture. The Brothers had some very funny bits and they appealed to my generation perhaps a bit more then A&C, but you have to applaud the longevity factor. It was a tough choice in any case! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/6 "2015-07-09T16:31:55Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I know I’m far too late for this party but how the hell did [Morecambe and Wise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morecambe_and_Wise) get categorized as “not billed as an act” in the first thread? … The answer is simple enough: I was totally ignorant of those guys! So sorry! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/7 "2015-07-09T16:57:10Z")
I tried to watch an Abbott and Costello show on Youtube. I can’t say it’s aged well. I’m not sure what the appeal is now. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/8 "2015-07-09T18:42:15Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > It’s surprising to me that nobody is voting for Penn and Teller. > > Makes you wonder how they got so many votes in the prelims! :dubious: I’ve seen Penn & Teller live and it was a fantastic show–but they’re magicians first and comedians second. I’ve also seen the Smothers Brothers live and while they punctuate their show with songs, they’re songs that are constantly interrupted by comedy. They’re comedians first and musicians second. They got my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/9 "2015-07-09T23:38:38Z")
Time for a checkpoint. View Poll Results: Vote for ONE as Funniest Comedy Duo This poll will close on 07-29-2015 at 08:19 AM ```auto The Smothers Brothers 8 20.00% Laurel and Hardy 8 20.00% Abbott and Costello 6 15.00% Burns and Allen 5 12.50% Fry and Laurie 4 10.00% Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner 3 7.50% Penn and Teller 3 7.50% Bob and Ray 3 7.50% ``` Voters: 40 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/10 "2015-07-10T12:56:47Z")
Three more Voters since last update: View Poll Results: Vote for ONE as Funniest Comedy Duo This poll will close on 07-29-2015 at 08:19 AM ```auto The Smothers Brothers 8 18.60% Laurel and Hardy 8 18.60% Abbott and Costello 6 13.95% Burns and Allen 6 13.95% Fry and Laurie 5 11.63% Penn and Teller 4 9.30% Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner 3 6.98% Bob and Ray 3 6.98% ``` Voters: 43 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/11 "2015-07-10T13:36:50Z")
Wow! Just like that: seven more Voters! View Poll Results: Vote for ONE as Funniest Comedy Duo This poll will close on 07-29-2015 at 08:19 AM ```auto Laurel and Hardy 9 18.00% The Smothers Brothers 8 16.00% Fry and Laurie 7 14.00% Abbott and Costello 6 12.00% Penn and Teller 6 12.00% Burns and Allen 6 12.00% Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner 5 10.00% Bob and Ray 3 6.00% ``` Voters: 50 ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/12 "2015-07-10T13:47:19Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Wow! Just like that: seven more Voters! …and now you’re channelling Tommy Cooper. Whom you probably haven’t heard of either. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/13 "2015-07-10T13:51:47Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > …and now you’re channelling Tommy Cooper. > > Whom you probably haven’t heard of either. :smack: You got that right, but I will Google him. May I suggest to you, **Gyrate** , that you start a UK Comedy Groups thread/poll? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/14 "2015-07-10T14:46:55Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > You got that right, but I will Google him. > > May I suggest to you, **Gyrate** , that you start a UK Comedy Groups thread/poll? 🙂 Sorry - just adding colo(u)r commentary during the voting phase. But “Just like that!” was one of Cooper’s catchphrases. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/15 "2015-07-10T15:03:19Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Sorry - just adding colo(u)r commentary during the voting phase. But “Just like that!” was one of Cooper’s catchphrases. Cool! Just so you know, I would love to see where such a poll might go here. I do have a little familiarity with Brit Comedy but I’m sure it’s only a tiny percentage of what’s available. It would be informative to see how the SDMB voters would do on such a poll. ETA: While we’ve been swapping comments, FOUR more have voted! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/16 "2015-07-10T15:21:28Z")
Laurel & Hardy. Almost ninety years on and they still have the ability to make me laugh. I’ve stated on the other thread: Fry & Laurie are overrated as a double act imo. As actors in comedy drama they were outstanding, as an out and out comedy duo they were not as funny as they were clever. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/17 "2015-07-10T16:41:19Z")
For fear I might miss Voter #60, here’s an update: View Poll Results: Vote for ONE as Funniest Comedy Duo This poll will close on 07-29-2015 at 08:19 AM ```auto The Smothers Brothers 10 16.95% Laurel and Hardy 10 16.95% Fry and Laurie 8 13.56% Penn and Teller 8 13.56% Abbott and Costello 7 11.86% Burns and Allen 6 10.17% Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner 5 8.47% Bob and Ray 5 8.47% ``` Voters: 59 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/18 "2015-07-10T17:38:26Z")
Well, I didn’t miss #60 after all, and we now have a new leader duo! View Poll Results: Vote for ONE as Funniest Comedy Duo This poll will close on 07-29-2015 at 08:19 AM ```auto Laurel and Hardy 11 18.33% The Smothers Brothers 10 16.67% Fry and Laurie 8 13.33% Penn and Teller 8 13.33% Abbott and Costello 7 11.67% Burns and Allen 6 10.00% Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner 5 8.33% Bob and Ray 5 8.33% ``` Voters: 60 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/19 "2015-07-10T21:12:06Z")
Five Voters later: View Poll Results: Vote for ONE as Funniest Comedy Duo This poll will close on 07-29-2015 at 08:19 AM ```auto Laurel and Hardy 11 16.92% The Smothers Brothers 10 15.38% Abbott and Costello 8 12.31% Fry and Laurie 8 12.31% Penn and Teller 8 12.31% Burns and Allen 8 12.31% Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner 7 10.77% Bob and Ray 5 7.69% ``` Voters: 65 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573/20 "2015-07-10T21:24:18Z")
I didn’t have much trouble deciding to vote for the Smothers Brothers, because they’ve made me, personally, laugh the most and the hardest. I agree with **MovieMogul** that Penn & Teller are magicians first, comedians second. If you consider all that they’ve done, individually as well as together, Brooks and Reiner have an incredibly impressive body of work. Strictly as a comedy duo, though, there’s no way they deserve first place. Similarly for Fry & Laurie. I wouldn’t argue with anyone who wanted to vote for any of the others. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-comedy-duos-past-and-present-final-round/724573.md?page=2)