- jack Benny mage via Wikipedia
Mugger: “Don’t make a move, this is a stick-up! Now, come on. Your money or your life! ………………. Look, bud! I said your money or your life!”
Jack Benny: “I’m thinking it over!”
—-From Jack Benny’s radio program.
We are writers, for the most part, and we spend a lot of time getting the words right.
But let’s talk about presentation today. Specifically the spoken word.
Because even if the words are perfect, a bad presentation can ruin them. If you need an example, just about any high school production of Shakespeare, should convince you.
Most of us love to share a good story, some of us are blessed with a gift for narrative, the rest of us have to learn.
The exchange above was widely believed, incorrectly, to be the longest silent pause on live radio, followed by the longest laugh afterward.
And you have to wonder why?
The dialogue is not that funny. There are no jokes or obvious laugh lines built into it. So why was it so successful?
The first reason is context. Jack Benny had spent a career cultivating an image of being tight with a dollar, a skinflint. And this exchange seemed to sum up his entire character.
A universal hook is built into it as well. The exchange borders on the absurd, who would seriously consider trading their life for their money?
But I believe the biggest reason is delivery. It is that long pause that starts the laughter chain. Benny’s reputation made it hilarious for his audience, but with that pause, it probably could have gotten a laugh for anyone.
A pause can add emphasis to what came before or to what comes after. Or when added, as here, to a place when no one in their right mind would pause, the pause itself is funny.
Most of us are too unsure, too nervous, or too scared of the silence, we never take time to pause. Words tumble out helter skelter like a giant scrabble game gone wild. What a mistake. A pause can increase the tension, build the suspense. Or as Dr. Frankenfurter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show
George Burns
A more contemporary example is Steven Wright
The next time you’re asked to speak, or tell a story, think about how you can help your audience’s enjoyment of it through the use of …………….. the pause.
Comments, with or without pauses are welcome. No need to pause the fun subscribe for ………… free!
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on Dec 19th, 2008 at 8:19 am
just saying Hi
on Dec 19th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Pauses work great in spoken comedy. The closest we can get in written humor is either the ellipsis (…) or the judicious use of paragraph breaks. It’s one of the problems of writing humor. We’ve all heard someone read a joke they’ve found in a magazine or on the internet and trample right over the part that would have made it funny. The missed pause can kill even the funniest story or joke.
on Dec 22nd, 2008 at 2:44 am
Hi Dan, I may not comment a whole lot, but I do read your posts. Between you and Jen from cabbages-n-kings and Mike from the miker side I have learned a lot. One of my friends told me they noticed my writing has improved and I am better at describing. I think you all may have something to do with it. Thanks
on Dec 23rd, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Amen. Comedy is all about timing. Well, not all, but bad timing can ruin a good joke. Even when it’s a written piece, there’s a meter and pace that develop. Good article.
on Dec 23rd, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Amy – Stop by anytime.
Moon – You left out the all important long scrolling email message!
Etta – I’m glad you’ve found some good tips.
Jim – And excellent timing can sometimes make less than optimal material hilarious.
Thanks!
on Dec 24th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
I agree, a lot of the time with stand-up the “funny” is in the delivery not necessarily in the joke itself. Often a joke can flop because it wasn’t told the right way or a bad joke can become funny if it is presented correctly.
You’ve been stumbled back, thanks for the comment, cya.
on Dec 24th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Merry Christmas to you too, and you are most welcome on the ad. My pleasure.
on Dec 24th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Returning to Jack Benny for a moment–or, more specifically, his show:
A classic routine so heard would have Mel Blanc (yes, the same Mel Blanc who gave voice to the Warner Brothers cartoon stable) as a train caller @ the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal announcing over the tannoy:
on Dec 24th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Sassy: I nearly called his post Special Delivery, but just stuck with “the pause” more on this later.
Sandee: You always come up with some great humor at Comedy Plus. Well done.
Exagerato: Exactly as the old Warner Brothers cartoons said it too! I always wondered where that came from. Thanks
on Dec 24th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Hope and peace for this holiday season and for a fantastic 2009!
peace,
mike
livelife365
Happy Holidays!
Keep the funny coming, dan!
on Dec 25th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Returning to that “Anaheim, Azusa and Cucamonga” train-caller gag–there was plenty of opportunity for Jack Benny’s writers, both on radio and TV, to stretch it out for laughs; on one episode, in fact, a whole sketch was worked in to fill the gap between the first two syllables of “Cucamonga,” which was stretched out deliberately.
And there were episodes when Mel Blanc hiccuped in the “Cucamonga” part of the announcement (he had just come back from lunch, or so the line went) and even delivered it in a high-pitched falsetto, among other variations on the theme.
on Dec 26th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I can agree with that. And it looks like you’ve also got good taste (using the same theme that I am)
on Dec 26th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Mike: Your blog becomes even more of a must read for me in 09 since my wife and I are on a mission to eat healthier and slim down! Good to see you up and about more!
Exaggerato: You are evidently even more of a scholar regarding classic humor that am I. Speaking of classics, my brother told me that archeologists had found evidence that the “Dead Parrot” sketch by Monthy Python had actually first been done in ancient Greece using a “Dead Slave” as the subject matter.
Jafer: I haven’t seen many blogs of such taste as yours regarding themes. I notice you have archives going back to June of 07, I will be checking them out.
Thanks for all the comments and Happy New Year to all!
on Dec 28th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Anybody unconvinced of the power of a pause for any type of emphasis in spoken word I’m convinced is either deaf or mute. This, as you’ll alluded to with the mention of Shakespeare goes far beyond comedy but into such potent topics as romanticism as well.
Something as simple as “You are very beautiful” has no meaning without the right emphasis and timing; it’s formless, cliche and boring. But said correctly will win you points in any girl’s book.
on Dec 29th, 2008 at 12:42 am
I’ve always been a fan of your blogs but have never left a comment. I just thought I might leave a little something this time..
Loved this article.
on Dec 29th, 2008 at 5:41 am
Justin: One of my eternal arguments about the value of humor, is that if you can do comedy you can do anything. The very fact that you take time to find the humor in a situation means you have analyzed it an dknow the pressure points – Know ing what makes it funny, almost automatically means you can know what makes it, sad, or mad or glad.
Tiffany: Thanks for taking the plunge. Commenting can become a habit. Just one question for you, “Are you asian?” (Kidding!) Everyone else will just have to read your blog.
Thanks to both of you for taking the time to write.