# Greatest Comic Genius of the Twentieth Century **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863 "2006-05-31T12:43:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/81 "2006-06-04T19:46:51Z")
Charlie Chaplin was writer, director, producer, and star of almost _all_ his films. He was also the editor of most of his films up through City Lights. He’s the composer of the music in most of his films. He gets a choreographer credit for Limelight. And he never won a Oscar in any category\*, although he was given special Oscars. That says a lot more about the Oscars than about Chaplin. The only reason not to name Chaplin the greatest comic genius of the twentieth century is time bias. We’ll all too young to have any sense of him at his prime. There’s really no good reason not to put him at the top otherwise. Allen gets my nod only because I’ve grown up with his work always in the background. Ask me again in fifty years when both had faded from memory and maybe I’ll be able to give a more objective answer. But Warren Beatty? Even the devil wouldn’t take that argument. 🙂 \*Yes, in 1973 he was given the Oscar for 1952s Limelight on a technicality. But by then it was a lifetime achievement award not a real win. ---
**Author:** ![ululate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/59ef9b/32.png) [@ululate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ululate)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/82 "2006-06-04T19:50:22Z")
I don’t know; I should likewise be way too young to appreciate the Marx Brothers, but they impress the heck out of me in a way that Chaplin doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/83 "2006-06-04T20:23:21Z")
Jack Chick ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/84 "2006-06-04T20:46:36Z")
Among Americans I’d nominate the comedic trinity of Benchley/Thurber/Cuppy, and add a fourth: George Ade. ---
**Author:** ![Manny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dec6dc/32.png) [@Manny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manny)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/85 "2006-06-04T21:33:13Z")
Terry Pratchett. Next Question? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/86 "2006-06-04T23:17:21Z")
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] You either love Kaufman or hate him. I agree with **Marley23** that Kaufman was a performance artist rather than a comedian. That’s a different list entirely. [/QUOTE] Most probably do, but I don’t think I’ve seen enough of him to polarize myself at either end of that spectrum. If Jim Carrey’s portrayal of him is at all accurate, I imagine I’d think pretty much the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/87 "2006-06-04T23:32:19Z")
How about some love for **Carl Barks** , the genius behind 30 years of great Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comic books, and the creator of such memorable characters as Uncle Scrooge, the Beagle Boys and Gyro Gearloose? The guy was able to churn out consistently funny material in huge volumes (with plenty of winks and nods to adult sensibilities). ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/88 "2006-06-05T11:56:49Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] … But nobody rattled cages like Andy Kaufman. He rejected the entire concept of amusing your audience but made tham part of the act. He tried to provoke response and he got it. He broke all the rules and targeted his audience with lazer like precision. Like when he went after professional wrestling and women at the same time. He had them so pissed it was hilarious. I vote anddy. He knew people were toys and had to be played with. [/QUOTE] If people don’t get the joke, then as a “comic genius” you suck. And what was his heyday, 10 years tops? Are you saying he was influential across the comedy spectrum? I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/89 "2006-06-05T12:11:52Z")
No love for Peter Cook? The man was a genius of the highest order. Hugely influential in the UK and beyond. Wrote, acted, published and all things in between. He has to appear in any list of the greats IMO. Even if you don’t know a lot of his work I can almost guarantee that the comedians you love love Peter Cook. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/90 "2006-06-05T16:53:45Z")
[QUOTE=BMalion] If people don’t get the joke, then as a “comic genius” you suck. [/QUOTE] Exactly. If he rejected the idea of amusing his audience or making them laugh, and I agree that he did, I doubt the word “comic” applies. In Kaufman’s case, I don’t think “genius” does either. As someone who doesn’t think he was that interesting, I think he was kind of a real-life troll - a guy who tried to annoy people, and admirable succeeded in that thing he set out to do for whatever reason. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/91 "2006-06-05T16:55:55Z")
We can’t have this thread without mentioning **Benny Hill**. Genius. Sheer genius. The bicycle seat falling off just as Benny jumps on the bike gag alone makes him the greatest comic of the 20th century. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/92 "2006-06-05T19:30:28Z")
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] Charlie Chaplin was writer, director, producer, and star of almost _all_ his films. He was also the editor of most of his films up through City Lights. He’s the composer of the music in most of his films. He gets a choreographer credit for Limelight. And he never won a Oscar in any category\*, although he was given special Oscars. That says a lot more about the Oscars than about Chaplin. The only reason not to name Chaplin the greatest comic genius of the twentieth century is time bias. We’ll all too young to have any sense of him at his prime. There’s really no good reason not to put him at the top otherwise. Allen gets my nod only because I’ve grown up with his work always in the background. Ask me again in fifty years when both had faded from memory and maybe I’ll be able to give a more objective answer. … \*Yes, in 1973 he was given the Oscar for 1952s Limelight on a technicality. But by then it was a lifetime achievement award not a real win. [/QUOTE] That’s not the first time that happened to Chaplin. In 1929, [he won a “special” Oscar for “versatility and genius in acting, writing, directing and producing **The Circus** ”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018773/awards) instead of being nominated in those categories. In my view, this was the Academy’s way of saying, “You’re movie’s so popular it’s going to dominate the Academy Awards so, to keep the competition open, we’ll give you this ‘special Oscar’ so we can nominate some other movies in the categories of Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Picture.” ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/93 "2006-06-05T21:18:45Z")
[QUOTE=BMalion] If people don’t get the joke, then as a “comic genius” you suck. And what was his heyday, 10 years tops? Are you saying he was influential across the comedy spectrum? I don’t think so. [/QUOTE] Dead peoples careers tend to come to a sudden halt. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/94 "2006-06-06T11:24:27Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] Dead peoples careers tend to come to a sudden halt. [/QUOTE] I believe his career was going nowhere before he was. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/95 "2006-06-06T11:44:28Z")
I have to vote for Spike Milligan, and his often too silent partner, Eric Sykes. Milligan helped the world change the way it thought. Tony Hancock, in his pomp, was a trenchant and acerbic social critic (and very, very, very funny). I’d second Lucille Ball and offer Jacques Tati… mm ---
**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:** [June 6, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/96 "2006-06-06T13:51:30Z")
Matt Groening deserves a mention. A HUGE MENTION! ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/97 "2006-06-06T15:37:16Z")
I’m could be persuaded by Andy Kaufman. Love him or hate him, he was (I don’t mean to paraphrase the song) looking for punchlines nobody had before. You might think he succeeded, or failed, or some of each, but if he really uncovered primal jokes, rather than new situations for jokes that have been around since the dawn of time (the Greeks had their version of “Say goodnight, Gracie”), or even if he _inspired_ a generation of others to really experiment and try new ways to get people to laugh, he’s got a great argument. So, did he? Did he blaze new trails that others have followed? Did he blaze any successful trails period? I don’t know of any, but it’s not meant to be a pointed question. Maybe there are some. Closest I can think of is Letterman’s early tv show - he really bent the rules of TV. But, of course, Letterman (AFAIK) would have been the same comedian without Kaufman. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/98 "2006-06-06T18:31:36Z")
[QUOTE=bup] I’m could be persuaded by Andy Kaufman. Love him or hate him, he was (I don’t mean to paraphrase the song) looking for punchlines nobody had before. [/QUOTE] Don’t get me wrong, I laughed my butt off when I first saw him on SNL, but one of the great comic geniuses (how the hell do you plurallize that?) of our century? I don’t think so. But then, it’s only an opinion. > [@](#): > > You might think he succeeded, or failed, or some of each, but if he really uncovered primal jokes, rather than new situations for jokes that have been around since the dawn of time (the Greeks had their version of “Say goodnight, Gracie”), or even if he _inspired_ a generation of others to really experiment and try new ways to get people to laugh, he’s got a great argument. Primal jokes? > [@](#): > > So, did he? Did he blaze new trails that others have followed? Did he blaze any successful trails period? I don’t know of any, but it’s not meant to be a pointed question. Maybe there are some. Closest I can think of is Letterman’s early tv show - he really bent the rules of TV. But, of course, Letterman (AFAIK) would have been the same comedian without Kaufman. Seriously, good question, did he blaze new trails? Has comedy changed because of him? Nope, at his best, I think he was the stand-up equivalent of the Merry Prankster, goofing on us all for his own amusement. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/99 "2006-06-06T19:04:38Z")
[QUOTE=BMalion] Primal jokes? [/QUOTE] Um, _primordial_. :o ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863/100 "2006-06-06T19:30:34Z")
[QUOTE=bup] Um, _primordial_. :o [/QUOTE] I still don’t get it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-comic-genius-of-the-twentieth-century/358863.md?page=6)