Hey there! I’m John Green, and welcome to my fun corner of the internet! Did you know that Mel Brooks once joked, “Tragedy is when I cut my finger, and comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die”? That’s just one of the many hilarious facts about comedy I’m excited to share with you today. We’ll explore everything from comedians to sitcoms, movies, and talk shows. Let’s dive in!
Did you know that some of the most successful comedy films worldwide are actually children’s movies? Hits like “Toy Story 3,” “Frozen,” and “The Lion King” top the list. On the other hand, some comedies like “The Hangover Part 2” are known for their sad humor. Speaking of movies, the 1997 film “Trojan War” was a box office flop, earning only $309 despite costing $15 million to make!
In the first “Hangover” movie, Ed Helms actually removed his dental implant to make his character more believable. “The Big Lebowski” is so popular that it inspired a philosophy called the Church of the Latter-Day Dude, with over 200,000 people becoming “Dude” priests!
“South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” holds the Guinness World Record for the most curse words in an animated film, even beating “Beauty and the Beast.” In “Home Alone,” Joe Pesci had to use the word “frig” instead of swearing, thanks to director Chris Columbus’s suggestion.
Remember the famous line “I’ll have what she’s having” from “When Harry Met Sally”? That was Billy Crystal’s idea, and it was delivered by the director’s mom! “Dr. Strangelove” almost ended with a pie fight, but it was cut because the actors couldn’t stop laughing.
It’s fun to imagine how different movies could have been with different stars. Mel Brooks wanted John Wayne for “Blazing Saddles,” but he declined. Johnny Depp, Jim Carrey, and Tom Cruise were considered for “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” which would have been a totally different movie. Betty White turned down a role in “As Good as It Gets” because of a scene with a dog.
During Johnny Carson’s last “Tonight Show” in 1992, Comedy Central paused its programming to encourage viewers to watch his farewell. The “Tonight Show” is the world’s oldest talk show still airing. Jimmy Fallon, who was voted most likely to replace David Letterman in elementary school, is also a children’s book author!
Did you know that Alf, the alien from the 80s sitcom, had his own talk show in 2004? It lasted for just seven episodes. Jon Stewart is the highest-paid late-night talk show host, and Kevin Hart started his comedy career as “Lil Kev.”
Chevy Chase hated his Comedy Central roast so much that it never aired. Anthony Michael Hall was the youngest “Saturday Night Live” cast member at just 17. John Cleese once auctioned off a piece of his colon—no joke!
Mike Myers became Shrek after Chris Farley’s passing, and Aziz Ansari interned at “The Onion.” Bob Newhart’s real name is George, and Steve Martin worked at Disneyland selling lassos and magic tricks. Tyra Banks even took comedy classes at The Groundlings!
Lucille Ball was pregnant during “I Love Lucy,” but the show could only say she was “expecting.” In “Roseanne,” corn appears in every episode of the first season. A British sitcom about Hitler called “Heil Honey, I’m Home!” was canceled after just one episode.
The pilot for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” was made for only $200, and Ellen DeGeneres turned down the role of Phoebe on “Friends.” Richard Pryor wrote episodes of “Sanford and Son,” and “Leave It to Beaver” was created by the same person who made “The Munsters.”
In “Scrubs,” the janitor was initially imagined as a figment of JD’s imagination, but that idea was dropped. “Seinfeld,” known as the show about nothing, was originally pitched as a show about how comedians get their ideas.
Did you know there are still carnivorous plants big enough to eat small mammals? The Nepenthes attenboroughii, a pitcher plant from the Philippines, can trap rats!
If you have any mind-blowing questions, feel free to ask! And remember, as we say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome!
Choose a comedy film mentioned in the article, such as “The Hangover” or “Toy Story 3.” Watch a few scenes and analyze what makes them funny. Consider elements like timing, dialogue, and character expressions. Write a short paragraph about your observations and share it with the class.
Imagine you’re a writer for a sitcom. Use the fun facts from the article as inspiration to create a short script for a comedic scene. Include dialogue and stage directions. Perform your scene with classmates and discuss what makes it humorous.
Pick a famous comedy movie and imagine it with a different actor in the lead role, as suggested in the article. Role-play a scene with this new casting choice and discuss how the change affects the humor and dynamics of the scene.
Pair up with a classmate and take turns being a talk show host and a comedian guest. Use the article’s facts about talk shows and comedians to create an engaging interview. Record your interview and share it with the class for feedback on comedic timing and delivery.
Create a trivia game based on the fun facts from the article. Formulate questions about comedy films, sitcoms, and comedians. Host a game session in class and see who knows the most about comedy history and trivia!
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
—
Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to my salon! Did you know that Mel Brooks once said, “Tragedy is when I cut my finger, and comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die”? Well, that’s the first of many facts about comedy I’m going to share with you today. We’re going to talk about everything from comedians to sitcoms to movies to talk shows, so let’s get started!
Most of the worldwide highest-grossing comedy films are children’s movies like “Toy Story 3,” “Frozen,” and “The Lion King.” Some of the saddest comedies ever made include “The Hangover Part 2.” Speaking of the box office, the 1997 film “Trojan War,” starring Wilfred L. and Jennifer Love Hewitt, cost fifteen million dollars to make but only earned a total of three hundred nine dollars from ticket sales.
In the first “Hangover” movie, Ed Helms didn’t have a tooth where he normally has an implant because he removed it for the film. “The Big Lebowski” has inspired its own philosophy/religion known as the Church of the Latter-Day Dude. According to its website, two hundred thousand people have been ordained as “Dude” priests.
There are 399 curse words in “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut,” which is a Guinness World Record for animated films, even beating out “Beauty and the Beast.” In “Home Alone,” Joe Pesci had a lot of trouble not swearing during filming, and director Chris Columbus encouraged him to use the word “frig” as a stand-in curse.
The classic line “I’ll have what she’s having” in “When Harry Met Sally” was Billy Crystal’s suggestion, and director Rob Reiner loved the idea. Interestingly, it’s actually his mother who says the line. The Stanley Kubrick comedy “Dr. Strangelove” was originally supposed to end with a pie fight, but it got cut for a couple of reasons, including the fact that the actors were smiling and laughing throughout the scene.
It’s always fun to picture what movies would be like if they had different stars. For example, Mel Brooks offered John Wayne a role in “Blazing Saddles,” but Wayne turned it down. Johnny Depp, Jim Carrey, and Tom Cruise were all considered for the role of Ferris Bueller, which would have led to very different movies. Betty White turned down a role in “As Good as It Gets” because of a scene involving a dog.
During Johnny Carson’s final “Tonight Show” in 1992, Comedy Central didn’t air any programming; instead, it showed a simple message encouraging viewers to watch Johnny Carson’s last show. The “Tonight Show” is the oldest talk show in the world still on the air.
Speaking of talk shows, Jimmy Fallon was voted most likely to replace David Letterman in elementary school. He is also a picture book author, and his editor also edited the novel “The Fault in Our Stars.” The first comic to appear on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” was Louis C.K.
Alf, the alien lifeform from the 80s sitcom, had his own talk show in 2004 on TV Land, which lasted for seven episodes. The highest-paid late-night talk show host is Jon Stewart.
Kevin Hart did his first stand-up gig under the name “Lil Kev.” Chevy Chase signed up to be roasted on Comedy Central but ended up hating it so much that they don’t air it anymore. Anthony Michael Hall was the youngest-ever SNL cast member, joining the show at just 17.
In 2005, John Cleese auctioned off a piece of his colon—no context there, just sharing! Mike Myers was offered the role of Shrek at the premiere of “Saving Private Ryan,” and he was actually asked to replace Chris Farley, who recorded most of Shrek’s dialogue before his passing.
Aziz Ansari interned at “The Onion,” and Bob Newhart’s real name is George. Steve Martin worked at Disneyland for eight years, selling lassos in Frontierland and later moving on to Fantasyland, where he worked in Merlin’s magic shop. Tyra Banks wanted to be a sketch comedian and took classes at the LA improv comedy troupe, The Groundlings.
Now, onto some facts about sitcoms! Lucille Ball got pregnant during “I Love Lucy,” but CBS wouldn’t let the show use the word “pregnant”; they could only refer to her as “expecting.” In the first season of “Roseanne,” corn is seen or mentioned at least once in every episode.
In 1990, there was a British sitcom about Hitler titled “Heil Honey, I’m Home!” that was canceled after one episode. The original unaired pilot of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” was created and shot for $200, and FX bought the show after seeing it. Ellen DeGeneres turned down the role of Phoebe Buffay on “Friends.”
Comedy legend Richard Pryor wrote a few episodes of “Sanford and Son.” “Leave It to Beaver” was created by Joe Connelly, who was also responsible for “The Munsters.” The name Barney Stinson, played by Neil Patrick Harris in “How I Met Your Mother,” is the name of a heroin dealer in the book “L.A. Confidential,” which is probably not a coincidence.
For the first season of “Scrubs,” the janitor character was written as a possible figment of JD’s imagination, but once the creator realized the show would last for several seasons, he changed that twist.
Finally, while most know “Seinfeld” as the show about nothing, according to Jerry Seinfeld, it was originally pitched to NBC as a show about how comedians get their ideas.
Thanks for watching Mental Floss here on YouTube! Every week, we endeavor to answer one of your mind-blowing questions. This week’s question comes from Lou 314, who asks if there were ever any carnivorous plants large enough to eat mammals. Bad news, Lou—there still are! The carnivorous plant with the largest trap is a pitcher plant called Nepenthes attenboroughii, discovered in the Philippines. It specializes in rats.
If you have a mind-blowing question you’d like answered, please leave it in the comments. Thank you again for watching, and as we say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome!
[Music]
—
Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Comedy – A genre of performing arts that aims to entertain and amuse the audience through humor and funny situations. – The school play was a comedy that had everyone laughing from start to finish.
Movies – Films or motion pictures that tell stories through a series of moving images, often shown in theaters or on television. – We watched several movies over the weekend, including a thrilling adventure and a heartwarming drama.
Sitcoms – Short for “situational comedies,” these are television shows that focus on humorous situations involving a consistent set of characters. – My favorite sitcom always makes me laugh with its clever jokes and funny characters.
Humor – The quality of being amusing or entertaining, often through jokes or funny situations. – The author’s humor in the book made even the most serious topics enjoyable to read.
Actors – People who perform in plays, movies, or television shows, portraying characters through speech and action. – The actors in the play did an excellent job bringing the story to life on stage.
Talk Shows – Television or radio programs where hosts discuss various topics with guests, often including interviews and audience interaction. – The talk show featured a famous author who shared insights about her latest book.
Trivia – Interesting or obscure facts, often used in quizzes or games to entertain and educate. – The trivia contest at the library tested our knowledge of classic literature and famous authors.
Jokes – Short, humorous stories or statements designed to make people laugh. – The comedian’s jokes were so funny that the audience couldn’t stop laughing.
Children – Young people, often the audience for performances or literature aimed at a younger age group. – The children’s theater production was a magical experience that captivated the young audience.
Laughter – The sound or act of laughing, often a response to something funny or amusing. – The room was filled with laughter as the clown performed his silly tricks.
