Tuesday, April 05, 2011

QOTD #15 - On laughter

"I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful. ”
Bob Hope
I always liked Bob Hope. His humor had a certain gentleness to it that somehow managed to touch me from my earliest years. Now that I'm well removed from those early years, looking at perspectives like these gives me even more insight into why he was special.

Your turn: What makes a person - comedian or otherwise - special?

8 comments:

Kalei's Best Friend said...

For me its the ones who show their vulnerable side..Bob Hope had a soft side that I loved.. I liked his USO shows whenever they would show them on tv.. He definitely knew what touched his audience.

Anonymous said...

You touched on something rare here, Carmi. Bob Hope had a tenderness that few people are brave enough to show. It's that tenderness and vulnerability that makes them endearing, and allows us to show our soft side, too.

Alexia said...

with comedians - clever commenting on the world's foibles, but not in a vindictive, nasty or foul-mouthed way.

Tabor said...

to me, what makes someone special is to see the world through the eyes of others. Good comedians have to do that or their humor falls flat.

Somewhere round about said...

when my mind and body are stressed, my muscles contract and squeeze...worry lines appear....i age...i feel aches and pains, real and imagined....worry hovers around and concern nests in my hair

comedians and some special people seem to have the ability to relax those tensions, to allow my hands to unfold and my tummy to stop clenching, my eyebrows pop back to their normal position and my mouth un-purses.

all in all, i feel so much better
and
i have no doubt at all that i am a kinder and nicer person to be around as well

21 Wits said...

I've never understood comedy that involves pain or bad experiences for others....more stand-up acts should take a course in watching Bob Hope or Dean Martin for that matter....his old time shows are what comedy really is!

Ankita Sarkar said...

Tenderness and emotion. Definitely. Me agreeso.

awareness said...

Word magicians and intelligent observations coupled with goofiness always makes me laugh. Steve Martin is classic.