Another question

[ericcoleman]

So, who is your favorite classic comedy team? Let's remove the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges from the list. Most people will pick one of them. For me, Laurel and Hardy. It's a crime that there is not a decent DVD set of their work.

Comments

[bdunbar.livejournal.com]

Burns and Allen.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

The Goons. No contest.

For telly, Morecambe and Wise. For films...hmm, tricky. Hope and Crosby or the Carriers-On, I think I'd have to say.

[ericcoleman]

I'm a massive Goons fan ... my brother was once insulted by Spike, he considers it one of the high points of his life.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Laurel and Hardy Collection, Vol. 1 (Great Guns / Jitterbugs / The Big Noise)
Laurel and Hardy Collection, Vol. 2 (A Haunting we Will Go / Dancing Masters / Bullfighters)
TCM Archives - The Laurel and Hardy Collection (The Devil's Brother / Bonnie Scotland)
Laurel & Hardy (Sons of the Desert/The Music Box/Another Fine Mess/Busy Bodies/County Hospital)

Believe it or not, I'm not coming up with anyone. The ones that come to mind just don't quite do it for me: The Two Ronnies, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore, Abbott and Costello, The Smothers Brothers, Olsen and Johnson, the MacKenzie Brothers.

[ericcoleman]

I have the last one, and a box that matches it with some other stuff, I can't remember what at the moment. We've watched all of both lately. Vols 1& 2 have some ok stuff, but I haven't gotten around to getting them yet. I do need the TCM archives set.

[mle292.livejournal.com]

There are a lot of good ones.

Off the top of my head - Martin and Lewis were damned funny, though each half of the duo isn't half as funny as the team was.

[ericcoleman]

I said this over on FB ... I would have loved to have seen their night club act. It was supposed to have been amazing.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Wasn't even thinking of comedians in groups larger than two. So yes, Python would probably be up there.

And are you familiar with the all too brief career of "Chick Morton" and "Eddie Hayes?"

[ericcoleman]

That sounded so familiar. I have a vague memory now (that I looked them up) but I don't think I ever saw the show.

[archiver-tim.livejournal.com]

Just to add to the discussion:
Jack Benny and any of his foils, ie Mel Blanc as violin teacher or department store clerk; Rochester and so on.

[ericcoleman]

His whole troupe, especially in his radio days, were about as funny as you could get. The thing I always found most impressive was that he left lots of room to everyone else, and he really didn't get most of the laughs. Most of the laughs were about him, but delivered by others.

[jblaque.livejournal.com]

(Excluding the Marx Bros here)

I'm particularly fond of Nichols & May, but Bob & Ray did some wonderfully groundbreaking stuff as well. Honorable mention to Monty Python.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

I will semi-arbitrarily denote "classic" as "before my time", which means that anyone past about 1961 (my earliest tv memory) doesn't count. Otherwise, I'd go with Monty Python, the Smothers Brothers or Shockwave Radio Theater (he says, eating his young).

But classics? I have no one favorite. Sometimes I'm in the mood for Burns & Allen, sometimes Martin & Lewis, sometimes Abbot & Costello. They're all funny at times, and don't work (for me) at others.

[valydiarosada.livejournal.com]

Do Flanders & Swann count?

Otherwise I would have to go for Monty Python's Flying Circus and the Goons.

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

My first thought is Burns and Allen.

Runners up:
Rowan and Martin
The Smothers Brothers

[sexybass.livejournal.com]

Monty Python and the Smother's Brothers.

[wildcard9.livejournal.com]

Say goodnight, Gracie... Of all the classic comedians, I always found Burns and Allen to be the funniest. I first saw old man George and thought he was very good. Then years later I saw a rerun of him with Gracie. Wow, what I had been missing!! It is a tragedy that Gracie left him so early, both of them deserved to hit the century mark, not just George (although I am glad that he did).

[xap]

Burns & Allen
Laurel & Hardy
Does the Jack Benny radio troupe count? Since he made sure everyone had a chance in the spotlight and all...most jokes were ABOUT him, rather than by him.

Not sure if they're old enough to be 'classic' yet, but Monty Python too :)

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

'Scuse me, Firesign Theatre/er/er ah I can't spell this morning. And I wouldn't count them as my own favorite, but no one mentiones Cheech and Chong.

[batyatoon]

I don't know whether you would consider them classic or too recent to be classic, but I have a very large, very warm spot in my heart for Carl Reiner and Mel Books.