by Ken Jennings
anticomedy, 186
anti–Semitism, 174–75, 236, 239–40, 265
Apartment, The, 88
Apatow, Judd, 67, 84
architecture, 15
Arcimboldo, Giuseppe, 14
Aristocrats, The, 84
Aristophanes, 125, 164–66, 192, 240
Aristotle, 36, 186, 197
Arrested Development, 71, 79, 82, 88
art, 14–15, 20
artificial intelligence, 147, 150–53
Asimov, Isaac, 59
Assad, Bashar al-, 255
Athenaeus, 266
athletes, 5, 20
Atlanta, 79
Aukerman, Scott, 114, 215–19
Austen, Jane, 45, 271
Bacon, Francis, 259
Ball, Lucille, 77, 242
Bamford, Maria, 47, 117, 119, 127
Bannon, Steve, 256
Baron Cohen, Sasha, 5
Barry, Todd, 117
Basil, Saint 187
Baze, Alex, 155
Beatles, 41, 194
Bee Movie, 163
Beerbohm, Max, 48
Bee, Samantha, 8
Bell, W. Kamau, 247–48
Benchley, Robert 5, 33, 75, 102–3
Benedict, Saint, 189
benign violation theory, 64
Benny, Jack, 92, 119
Benson, Doug, 112–14
Bergen, Edgar, 190
Bergson, Henri, 128, 195, 271
Berle, Milton, 67, 126
Berman, Shelley, 116
Berra, Yogi, 16
Best Show, The, 173
Between Two Ferns, 214–19
Bewitched, 77
biblical humor, 187–88
Big Bang Theory, The, 54, 106
Big Short, The, 198–99
Billings, Josh, 46, 73–74, 178–79
Birbiglia, Mike, 47, 68–69
blackface, 236, 247, 250
Black-ish, 235
Black, Michael Ian, 101, 126
blasons populaires, 238
Blazing Saddles, 81
Bloodworth-Thomason, Linda, 211
Blueprint for Revolution (Popovic), 255
Blumenthal, Heston, 19
Borat, 5
Bowen, Jim, 7
boxing, 15–17
Braunohler, Kurt, 58
Brenner, David, 62, 102
Brigham Young University, 201–2
Broad City, 156–57
Brooke, Henry, 209
Brooks, Albert, 69, 172
Brooks, James L., 85
Brooks, Mel, 81, 124–25
Bruce, Lenny, 72, 115–17, 127, 208, 233
Buddha, 187, 229
Bunny, Bugs, 5, 81
Buress, Hannibal, 70
Burnham, Bo, 123, 156
Burns, George, 76, 125
Burr, Bill, 70
Bush, George H. W., 212
Bush, George W., 219, 226–27
Bush, Jeb, 219–20
Butler, Samuel, 74
Byron, Lord, 264
cacography, 46, 73–74
callbacks, 70–71
Calvin and Hobbes, 68
camp, 171
Canada, 74
Candid Camera, 21, 272
Carlin, George, 23, 49, 62, 76, 117, 169–70
Carmichael Show, The, 235
Carne, Judy, 209
Carney, Art, 78
Carol Burnett Show, The, 51
Carr, Jimmy, 264
Carroll, Lewis, 45
Carson, Johnny, 118, 142, 211–12
Carter, Graydon, 176, 180
Carter, Jimmy, 209
cartoons, 43, 75, 254–55
Castiglione, Baldassare, 259
Catastrophe, 135
Celebrity Apprentice, The, 26, 219, 221
censorship of humor, 9, 115, 190, 203–4
Central Intelligence Agency, 228
Chaplin, Charlie, 6, 53, 198
Chappelle, Dave, 119, 150, 235, 247
Charlie Hebdo, 7
Chase, Chevy, 48
Chaucer, Geoffrey, 192, 196
Cheers, 77, 106, 164
Cheney, Dick, 219
Chinese room, 147, 153
choragus, 157
Christianity, humor and, 186–90, 200–4
Chrysostom, Saint John, 185–86
Churchill, Winston, 115, 166
CIA (Central Intelligency Agency), 228
Cicero, 33, 56, 114–15, 146, 227, 259
C. K., Louis,
auteur, 157
comedy act of, 47, 84, 246
creep, 35, 123, 246
producer, 120
small penis of, 34–35
Clay, Andrew “Dice,” 119, 140, 246
Clay, Cassius. See Ali, Muhammad
Cleese, John, 7, 131
Clinton, Bill, 211–13, 226, 228–29
Clinton, Hillary, 220, 225
Close, Del, 71–72
Colbert, Stephen, 8, 223, 234, 267
Collins, Billy, 196–97, 203
comedians
as advice columnists, 8
in comedy teams, 76
comedy writers vs., 51–52
as cultural authorities, 8–10
feuding, 126
origin stories of, 84
See also stand-up comedy and individual comedians
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, 214
comedy
activist, 183, 230–59
ancient, 66, 75, 125, 156–57, 192, 207, 240
British vs. American, 7, 45–46, 55, 73–74, 178–79
career in, 121, 123, 142, 155–57, 262–63
causes for glut of, 20, 110–11, 153, 203, 264
connoisseurs of, 4–5, 35–36, 49–52, 83–88
cultural decline and, 20, 27, 268
diminished enjoyment of, 24–25, 86–88, 108–9, 263–65
vs. drama or tragedy, 4, 55–57, 65, 75, 197–98
ethics of, 243–53, 259–60, 262
novelty in, 58–59, 65–68, 267
rising absurdity of, 42–60, 108, 261
rising influence of, 4–7, 245, 256–59, 262
rising quality of, 85–86
rising respectability of, 7–10, 196–99
rising sophistication of, 61–62, 65–73
rising speed of, 73–81, 100, 261, 267
short shelf life of, 54–57, 64–65
and youth, 48–49, 107, 185
See also comedians; humor; jokes; and specific types of comedy
Comedy Bang! Bang!, 114, 123, 173
Comedy Store, 142
comic books, 17–18, 20
comic strips, 67–68
Community, 73
computers, joke-telling, 150–53
Confessions of an Advertising Man (Ogilvy), 91
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, A (Twain), 66
conservatives, sense of humor of, 42–43
Corbusier, Le, 15
Corden, James, 135
Corwin’s Law, 207
Cosby, Bill, 47, 237
Cosby Show, The, 106
country music, 195
Coyote, Wile E. 53
Crosby, Bing, 81
Cross, David, 52, 71, 84, 219
Crystal, Billy, 84
Curb Your Enthusiasm, 78, 135
Dada, 14, 47
Dafoe, Willem, as third-string Christopher Walken, 96
Daily Show, The
candidates on, 213
influence of, 258
9/11, reaction to, 267
as satire, 209, 229, 234–35
as source of news, 8–10, 224–27
Dalai Lama, confused by jokes, 5
Daly, Jon, 58
Dangerfield, Rodney, 48, 119, 150
Danson, Ted, in blackface, 250
Dante, 192
Darwin, Charles, 128
David, Larry, 119, 179
Davies, Christie, 101, 238–40, 258
Day, Clarence, 75
“Deep Thoughts with J
ack Handey,” 48
Delaney, Rob, 135
Delta safety videos, 107–8, 109–10
Dennett, Daniel, 63–64
Dickens, Charles, 74, 149
Diller, Phyllis, 119, 126, 242
Disney, Walt, 198
Dodge, Daniel Kilham, 206
Donaldson, Bryan, 154–55
Don Quixote, 41, 101
Doug Loves Movies, 112–14
Downey, Jim, 68
Dr. Demento, 193
Dr. Strangelove, 199, 233
Dryden, John, 45, 196
Duchamp, Marcel, 14–15
Duck Soup, 76
Dunham, Lena, 7, 175
Duyfken and Willemynken, 189
Dylan, Bob, 194
Eastman, Max, 41, 129
Eckensteher Nante, 178
eiron, 164–66
Elwood, Graham, 112
Encyclopedia Britannica ads, 93–94
Erasmus, 130
ethnic humor, 56–57, 235–240, 246–50
evolution, 63–64, 128–30
Fallon, Jimmy, 135–36, 226, 267
Family Guy, 73
Fantastic Four, The, 17–18
Far Side, The, 68
Father Knows Best, 77
Ferrell, Will, 47, 82, 88
Feig, Paul, 67
Fey, Tina, 7, 37, 87–88, 229
Fields, W. C., 166
First Family, The (Meader), 208
food culture, 18–20
fooltowns, 238
Fountain (Duchamp), 14
Fox News, 9, 224
Foxx, Redd, 41, 236–37, 272
Franken, Al, 26
Frankl, Victor, 265
Frasier, 68
Freaks and Geeks, 67–68, 85, 87, 260
Freberg, Stan, 92–94, 193
Fresh Off the Boat, 235
Freud, Sigmund, 38, 191
Friars Club, 125–26
Friends, 54, 78, 118, 269
Frinkiac, 5
Frost, David, 208–9
Funt, Allen, 272
futurism, 10
Gaffigan, Jim, 90, 191
Galifianakis, Zach, 214–18
Gallagher, Liam, 69
Garfunkel and Oates, 72
Garner, Bryan A., 169
Garner, Eric, 230
Garofalo, Janeane, 117
Gehry, Frank, 15
Geico ads, 97
Gelasimus, 66
Gelbart, Larry, 129
Gelman, Brett, 175
gender
humor and sexual selection, 129–30, 187
women in comedy, 37, 126, 240–45
See also misogyny
General, The, 85
Gervais, Ricky, 54, 75
Get Out, 235
Gibbs, Wolcott, 43
Gilmore Girls, 79
Glazer, Ilana, 156
Goebbels, Joseph, 256
Goldberg, Evan 5–6
Goldberg, Whoopi, 250
Goldblum, Jeff, as second-string Christopher Walken, 96
Goldwater, Barry, 227
Golden Girls, The, 106
Goodman, Joel, 132, 134–35
“Good Samaritan” experiment, 80
Gopnik, Adam, 221
Gorgeous George, 15
Graves, Michael, 15
Great Dictator, The, 5–6
greeting cards, 162–63
Greeves, Lucy, 264
Gregory, Dick, 233
Groening, Matt, 54, 78, 85
Groundhog Day, 44–45, 65
Guest, Christopher, 69–70
Gulliver’s Travels, 41
Guterman, Dan, 51
Hader, Bill, 72, 160
Hale, Tony, 71
Hall, Arsenio, 212
Hallmark, 162–63
Hall, Rich, 149
Hamilton, George, 90
Hamm, Jon, 8
Hammond, Darrell, 90
Handey, Jack, 48
Hard Day’s Night, A, 41
Hardwick, Chris, 114
Harley, Robert, 206
Harmon, Dan, 50, 160
Harrison, George, 85
Hedberg, Mitch, 84, 117
Herman, Pee-wee, 119
Herriman, George, 67
Hicks, Bill, 117, 233
Hitchcock, Alfred, 167–68
Hitler, Adolf, 5–6, 223, 256
Hobbes, Thomas, 36–37
Hodgson, Joel, 138–41, 158–61
Hogan’s Heroes, 56
Holley, Marietta 241–42
Homer, 187
homophobia, 175, 246, 252
Hope, Bob, 48, 81, 92, 191–92
Horgan, Sharon, 135
How I Met Your Mother, 79, 164
How to Be the Funniest Kid in the Whole Wide World (Leno), 157–58
Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of (Twain), 233
Hughes, John, 249
humor
banning, 36, 115, 183, 189–90, 255–56
cognition and, 63, 65, 128–29
as deflection tactic, 23–24, 227, 269–71
evolutionary purpose for, 63–65, 128–30
fragility of, 52–57
health and, 257
innateness of, 146–50, 156
referential vs. verbal, 54–56
rural vs. urban, 74–75, 178
sense of, German, defective, 43, 56
sexual, 2, 42–43, 115, 117, 190–92
social function of, 128–31
theories of, 36–41, 49
in totalitarian states, 183, 255–58
in the workplace, 131–35
See also comedy, jokes
Humor (journal), 34
Humor Code, The (McGraw and Warner) 34–35
Humor Project, 132, 134
humor studies, 29, 33–35, 39–40
Humphrey, Hubert, 210
Hurley, Matthew, 63–64
Hurwitz, Mitchell, 71, 85
Hyde, Sam, 174–75
Idiocracy, 268
Idle, Eric, 59
I Love Lucy, 77
improv, 71–72, 126, 130, 131, 143, 158
“Incantation by Laughter” (Khlebnikov), 10–11, 26
incongruity theory, 38–39, 40, 42, 43, 58, 64
Inside Jokes (Hurley et al.), 63–64
insurance, funny ads for, 97
Interview, The, 5–7
“Ironic” (Morissette), 168–70
irony, 96–97, 162–85, 224, 246–48
Islam, 187, 190, 204
Jacobson, Abbi, 156
Jennings, Dylan, 1, 49, 160–61, 162–64, 269–70
Jennings, Katie, 49, 108–9, 157–58, 269
Jennings, Ken
ancestors of, 234
childhood comedy fan, 22–25, 141
snarky teenager, 164, 176–77
parenting attempts of, 1–3, 162, 269–70
regrets of, 269–72
things funny to, 29–32, 273–74
Jennings, Mindy, 118, 269
Jeopardy!, 151, 193
Jerome, Saint, 187
Jesus, comedy stylings of, 187–88
Johnson, Samuel, 46
John XXIII, 200
jokes 28–29, 136
ancient, 7, 66, 114–15, 238
brevity of, 75–76, 225, 239
for children, 23, 157–58, 202
on church marquees, 200–1
by computers, 150–52
explaining, 33, 34–35, 41, 42–44, 49–52
fads in, 147–50, 188
offensive, 245–53
pre-written vs. spontaneous, 66–67, 114–21, 123–24, 135–37
Soviet, 101, 256–58
targets of, 36–37, 237–39, 259
topical, 103–4, 207–8, 226, 261
wording of, 44–47, 52–53
See also comedy, humor
“Jokester” (Asimov), 59
Jones, Chuck, 53, 261
Jones, Terry, 7
Judas Iscariot, 188
Judge, Mike, 268
> Just for Laughs festival, 83
Kaine, Tim, 222
Kant, Immanuel, 38
Kasher, Moshe, 86
Kaufman, Andy, 57–58, 119, 173
Kazakhstan, 5
Keaton, Buster, 85
Keitel, Harvey, as fourth-string Christopher Walken, 96
Kelleher, Herb, 131
Kennedy, John F., 208, 210, 227
Key and Peele, 5
Keyes, Paul, 210
Key, Keegan-Michael, 142
KFC ads, 90–91
Khlebnikov, Velimir, 10–11, 26
Kim Jong-un, 5–6, 183
Kimmel, Jimmy, 104
Kindler, Andy, 82–83, 85, 117, 214
kings, funny, 206
Kinison, Sam, 117, 140
Kirby, Jack, 17–18
Kirkman, Jen, 86, 120–21, 122–23
Kissinger, Henry, 228
Klein, Robert, 213
Koester, Megan Beth, 243
Koestler, Arthur, 129
Kondabolu, Hari, 230–31, 235, 247–48, 251, 254
Korea, North, 5–6, 183
Kovacs, Ernie, 78
Krazy Kat, 67
Kruk, John, 16
Kutner, Rob, 225–27, 258
Lady Dynamite, 127
Lampanelli, Lisa, 48
Larkin, Philip, 196
Larry Sanders Show, The, 70
Last Week Tonight, 70, 234–35, 254
late-night talk shows, 104, 135–36, 257
See also specific shows and hosts
Late Night with Seth Meyers, 155
Laugh-In, 78, 107, 209–10
laughter, 127–29
denounced by religion, 187–88
reflexiveness of, 40–42, 45–46, 271–72
social utility of, 128–29
summoning mystically, 10–11
laughter yoga, 21
laugh track, 54, 88, 129
Laurel and Hardy, 76
“Lazy Sunday,” 105
Leacock, Stephen, 74, 75
Lear, Edward, 45
Lee, Stan, 17–18
Lehrer, Tom, 193, 228, 272
Lennon, John, 194
Leno, Jay, 136, 157–58
Let’s Get Small (Martin), 172
Letterman, David,
frequent guests of, 83, 173
ironic comedy of, 43, 68, 172–73
late-night tenure of, 136, 267
political monologue jokes of, 226
Lewis, Jerry, 55, 76
L.H.O.O.Q. (Duchamp), 14
liberals, sense of humor of, 42–43
Life (magazine), 75
Lincoln, Abraham, comedy nerd, 205–6, 227, 236
Lindy’s (deli), 125
Lipman, Steve, 265
litotes, 166
Lonely Island, 105
Long, Tim, 37, 78, 80, 87, 268
Looney Tunes, 5, 53, 81, 92
Louie, 48, 79, 157
Lynn, Jonathan, 210–11
Mac, Bernie, 37
Macbeth (Shakespeare), 55–56
Macdonald, Norm, 90, 126, 186
Macmillan, Harold, 209
Mad, 68, 92
Mad Men, 91
Maher, Bill, 117
Malcolm in the Middle, 79
Mande, Joe, 155
marijuana, 47–48
Markoe, Merrill, 173
Maron, Marc, 84, 114, 117, 124, 126, 214
Marquis, Don, 263
Martin, Dean, 76
Martin, Steve
banjoist, 7
