Of course I disagree with his (real) stance on gun control, but… ‘Picky, picky, picky!’ It’s still funny. It’s interesting that after nearly half a century, we’re still debating the same issues. ‘The more things change, the more they stay the same.’
As a child, I didn’t ‘get’ the depth of the satire. Even then though, his humour was accessible. I may not have understood the issues, but I got the jokes. I love his deadpan delivery, and I may have subconsciously picked some of it up in my own humour. (I alternate between deadpan and wacky.)
I wish I could find a video of the opening to Pat Paulsen’s Half A Comedy Hour. If I remember correctly, Paulsen is riding a chopper and looking tough. The camera zooms out, and the chopper has training wheels.
“Once again the people of America have taken the pointed boot of reality to my as…pirations”
“Wherever I go across this Great Nation I hear about working people losing their jobs, factories closing, farms being foreclosed, rising taxes, failing schools, pollution, inflation, and I have to say… Shut up, America! I’m sick of all this bitching and moaning!”
I remember that, but it wasn’t the opening to the show, it was the opening of a recurring sketch called Then Came Paulsen, a parody of Then Came Bronson.
Well, there’s always the SCTV one from 1982, where Mayor Tommy Shanks is running his campaign while being interned the nuthouse. His slogan: “Help get me out of here!”
