One
Christmas, when I was in junior high school, my father gave me the first
two collections ("Galleries") of Gary Larson's legendary "Far Side"
cartoons. Most Christmas gifts from my parents were labeled as being
from "Mom & Dad." As I recall, this one was just from "Dad," which
made it more of a father-son/male bonding kind of thing. Of course, I
could be recalling that incorrectly--it's been more than thirty-five
years, after all--but, frankly, it's not the sort of thing Mom would
have thought to give a teenage boy at that time. At any rate, I fell in
love with it. I might even say it's still my favourite comic series.
(My favourite individual cartoon is still the scientist listening to
whale songs--and under the water is a whale floating in front of a
microphone singing "Louie Louie.")
There
were a number of cartoons that I didn't quite get. And it wasn't that I
didn't get the premise, I just didn't get why it was funny. Two guys
are sitting in a rowboat and off in the distance they see a mushroom
cloud--"I'll tell you what this means: no size restrictions and screw
the limits!" Another cartoon showed a mushroom cloud depicted in the
distance and one dog says to his friends, "On the one hand, no more
carefree days of running in the park, chasing squirrels. On the other
hand, no more 'Fetch the stick, boy, fetch the stick!'" Another showed a
married couple underground in a bomb shelter, its walls completely
lined with canned goods. Above ground... well, another mushroom cloud
(perhaps you're noticing a recurring theme here?). The wife starts
nagging, "Didn't I tell you this place wasn't much good without a can
opener?"
This
sounds harsh, and I don't intend it to be, but I blame the Mennonite
Church for my not understanding the humour in those cartoons.
Mennonites are pacifists and are morally opposed to war or even military
service. Not only was I brought up in the Mennonite Church, but I was
brought up in the Mennonite Church during the Cold War--I found myself
worrying constantly about the outbreak of a nuclear war. I even had
some rather life-defining nightmares about it... well, I really only
remember one nightmare, but that's still one too many for a teenage kid,
if you ask me. Truth be told, I was probably a bit paranoid about the
whole thing. And in the midst of that, here were these cartoons that
showed people (and dogs) and what I thought were rather absurd responses
to the end of the world. At one point, I finally just asked my parents
why these specific cartoons were funny. They explained to me the
concept of black or dark humour--the ability to laugh at things that
aren't usually considered "funny."
At
that moment, a switch was flipped in my brain. Not only
did those specific cartoons become funny, but it opened up a whole
new--albeit a bit twisted--world and gave me a new perspective on comedy
and even life. I've certainly found it a useful coping mechanism when
dealing with the absurdities of the world around me, especially in the
last quarter century. Sometimes I worry that my sense of humour--even
my sensibilities in general--are a bit too dark.
When
I was a sophomore in college, Dad introduced me to two films which
today are tied for my favourite film(s) of all time. This week's film
is one of them. It's a comedy about the events leading up to a nuclear
war. I'll give you a moment to let that concept sink in. But I swear
it's a really funny film.
I remember Dad telling
me that he saw it when it came out in 1964. He would have been
fifteen at the time and Cold War tensions were considerably higher than
they were at any point during my lifetime (our current international
situation notwithstanding). He said about the film, "You laugh at it
and then you think, 'Shit! This could happen!'"
Basic
premise: Air Force General Jack D. Ripper (played by Sterling Hayden)
orders his planes to bomb the Soviet Union because he perceives the
fluoridation of water to be a nefarious Communist plot. The action
shifts
between Burpelson Air Force Base (where the bombing order originated),
the crew of a B-52 bomber (who are trying to carry out the order), and
the "War Room" at the Pentagon (where the President, the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, and even the Russian Ambassador are trying desperately to
countermand the order in an effort to prevent a nuclear holocaust).
Peter
Sellers played three different roles (each with a different
nationality) and performed one of the best one-sided telephone
conversations of all time. I think it's also safe to say that western
film legend Slim Pickens (please refer to my "sermon" on Blazing Saddles
from last month) had the greatest death scene in cinema history.
Included in the cast are George C. Scott, Peter Bull, Keenan Wynn, Tracy
Reed (the lone woman in the cast), and the great James Earl Jones in
his film debut.
Stanley
Kubrick not only produced and directed this film, he also co-wrote the
screenplay with Terry Southern and Peter George (based on George's
dramatic novel, Red Alert). The film was ultimately nominated for four Academy
Awards--Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best
Actor (Sellers)--and listed at #3 on the American Film Institute's list
of the 100 greatest film comedies. I also like to point out that if
you're a fan of the TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the last
season (particularly the episode titled "Get It Done") is ten times
funnier if you've seen this film. This week, I recommend Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb!
Ill
be taking next week off from these "sermons." Until I return, stay
safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that truth is not
always a pleasant thing.
Yours in peace, love, and rock and roll!
Ther Reverend Will the Thrill
