Great Performances The College of Comedy with Alan King (1971– ) Online

The Comedy College starring Alan King, Judy Gold, Paul Rodriguez, Tim Conway, and Buddy Hackett is a solid effort to talk about the structure, function, and limits of comedy. The 5 comedians try to give their views on issues such as "When does a joke go too far?" "Why do we tell jokes?" "How many different figures should be in a joke?" "The significance of punch lines" and other such topics. Despite talking briefly about this, most of the show is filled with jokes that they tell as examples to the few sentences they mention about the topic. In my opinion this is a sign of self-promotion rather than education, though most teachers agree that you learn by example. Paul Rodriguez was the most spirited of all, shouting out jokes and jabs as often as he could. In contrast, Judy Gold had more solid jokes and only spoke when called upon. The viewer can decide who's more funny. Personally I liked Tim Conway's jokes/humor myself. They are usually personal, and have surprises and twists, and are executed in a very unique manner. His voice makes him who he is. The late Buddy Hackett is very enjoyable in this "movie" and he tells very typical jokes that make the audience laugh as usual. Alan King was not really that funny; but he was the moderator, so we can excuse this.