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95-467: Robert Welch developed the series, which originally was called New Comedy Hour . He expressed concern over its status as "one show that will be put together without a format". He noted that the show would feature first-rate comedians who would face the challenge of making the audience laugh. Episodes would be fast-paced, he said, each with a minimum of 24 elements including varied acts and comedic personalities with "enough material to make this, we hope, one of

190-466: A 16–15 record in that span), replacing Harry Walker while being tapped by general manager Spec Richardson in the belief that he could lead the Astros to a pennant. He would manage just one full season (1973), posting an 82–80 record despite dealing with intestinal problems ( Preston Gomez stepped in to manage a portion of the season in his absence) as the Astros finished a middling fourth as Durocher drew

285-639: A baseball contract after discovering Jethro has a strong pitching arm. In 1964, he appeared as himself in an episode of Mr. Ed , when the talking horse gave batting tips to the Los Angeles Dodgers, helping them win the pennant. In an episode of The Munsters titled "Herman the Rookie," on April 8, 1965, Durocher believes Herman ( Fred Gwynne ) is the next Mickey Mantle when he sees the towering Munster hit long home runs. Football great Elroy Hirsch also appears with Durocher. Durocher returned to

380-423: A beat, I said, "Take a look at that Number Four there. A nicer guy never drew breath than that man there." I called off his players' names as they came marching up the steps behind him, "Walker Cooper, Mize, Marshall, Kerr, Gordon, Thomson. Take a look at them. All nice guys. They'll finish last. Nice guys. Finish last." I said, "They lose a ball game, they go home, they have a nice dinner, they put their heads down on

475-601: A bottle " in a baseball context—it had previously been used to literally refer to Benjamin Franklin 's kite experiment . During spring training 1947, Durocher became involved in a very unpleasant feud with Larry MacPhail, who had become a new co-owner of the Yankees. The Yankee boss had hired away two coaches from Durocher's 1946 staff ( Chuck Dressen and Red Corriden ) during the off-season, causing friction. Then, matters got worse. In person, Durocher and MacPhail exchanged

570-522: A chance to play, though Durocher would make "cameo" appearances in the lineup in 1943 and 1945. Other major purchases by MacPhail included another young star, Pete Reiser , when he was ruled a free agent from the Cardinals' farm system ; and MacPhail found stalwarts such as American League veterans Dixie Walker and Whitlow Wyatt off the waiver wire. In his first season as player-manager, Durocher came into his own. The most enduring image of Durocher

665-464: A dramatic performance pitting two groups, ages, genders, or societies against each other in an amusing agon or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a "Society of Youth" and a "Society of the Old". A revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions posing obstacles to his hopes. In this struggle,

760-574: A fuckin' zebra. I'm the manager of this team, and I say he plays. What's more, I say he can make us all rich. And if any of you cannot use the money, I will see that you are all traded. He greatly admired Robinson for his hustle and aggression, calling him "a Durocher with talent." While Durocher sat out his suspension, the Dodgers went on to win the National League pennant under an interim skipper, scout Burt Shotton . They then went on to lose

855-615: A little tiresome after a while ...", "... some spotty laugh material for an overall weak effect ...", "... three stories, noneof which were really rib-ticklers ...", and "... wasn't much of a laugh-getter." This article relating to a comedy television series in the United States is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Leo Durocher As manager As coach Leo Ernest Durocher (French spelling Léo Ernest Durocher ) ( / d ə ˈ r oʊ . ʃ ər / ; July 27, 1905 – October 7, 1991), nicknamed " Leo

950-640: A lot of golf.” He made a brief comeback in 1976 in the Japanese Pacific League with the Taiheiyo Club Lions , but he retired due to illness ( hepatitis ) before the beginning of the season. Supposedly, the Lions made special jerseys based on American football jerseys to honor Durocher joining the team, but were retired halfway through the season due to their designs being ridiculed, and due to Durocher, as mentioned, not joining

1045-495: A marionette to a hand puppet, and he became, really, a spirit of Britain — a subversive maverick who defies authority, a kind of puppet equivalent to our political cartoons ." In early 19th century England, pantomime acquired its present form which includes slapstick comedy and featured the first mainstream clown Joseph Grimaldi , while comedy routines also featured heavily in British music hall theatre which became popular in

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1140-473: A result, much of their art was intentionally amusing. A famous example is Marcel Duchamp 's Fountain (1917), an inverted urinal signed "R. Mutt". This became one of the most famous and influential pieces of art in history, and one of the earliest examples of the found object movement. It is also a joke, relying on the inversion of the item's function as expressed by its title as well as its incongruous presence in an art exhibition. The advent of cinema in

1235-488: A series of accusations and counter-accusations, with each suggesting the other invited gamblers into their clubhouses. In the press, a ghostwritten article appeared under Durocher's name in the Brooklyn Eagle , seeking to stir the rivalry between their respective clubs and accusing baseball of a double standard for Chandler's warning him against his associations but not MacPhail or other baseball executives. Chandler

1330-541: A subversion of audience's expectations, so that amusement is founded on unpredictability , separate from a logical analysis of the situation. The humour derived gets its appeal from the ridiculousness and unlikeliness of the situation. The genre has roots in Surrealism in the arts. Surreal humour is the effect of illogic and absurdity being used for humorous effect. Under such premises, people can identify precursors and early examples of surreal humour at least since

1425-475: A successful and combustible combination. MacPhail spared no expense in purchasing and trading for useful players (and sometimes outright stars), such as Dolph Camilli , Billy Herman and Kirby Higbe . He also purchased shortstop Pee Wee Reese from the Boston Red Sox . By the middle of the 1940 season, Reese impressed Durocher enough that he gave up his spot as the regular shortstop so Reese could get

1520-464: A sympathetic character. Aristotle divides comedy into three categories or subgenres: farce , romantic comedy , and satire . On the other hand, Plato taught that comedy is a destruction to the self. He believed that it produces an emotion that overrides rational self-control and learning. In The Republic , he says that the guardians of the state should avoid laughter, "for ordinarily when one abandons himself to violent laughter, his condition provokes

1615-548: A thing of this type". A review distributed by the Associated Press after the first two episodes noted that the first episode's Trendex rating was 15.8, as compared to 34.6 for Sullivan's program, and the second week's ratings were "even more dismal" at 11.8 and 35, respectively. The review suggested that blame for the lack of success could be traced to upper-management at NBC for "moving hastily and without adequate preparation". The trade publication Sponsor said that

1710-465: A violent reaction." Plato says comedy should be tightly controlled if one wants to achieve the ideal state. Also in Poetics , Aristotle defined comedy as one of the original four genres of literature . The other three genres are tragedy , epic poetry , and lyric poetry . Literature, in general, is defined by Aristotle as a mimesis , or imitation of life. Comedy is the third form of literature, being

1805-465: Is a genre that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter , especially in theatre , film , stand-up comedy , television , radio , books , or any other entertainment medium. The term originated in ancient Greece : In Athenian democracy , the public opinion of voters was influenced by political satire performed by comic poets in theaters . The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as

1900-454: Is characterized by a form of humor that includes darker aspects of human behavior or human nature. Similarly scatological humor , sexual humor, and race humor create comedy by violating social conventions or taboos in comic ways, which can often be taken as offensive by the subjects of the joke. A comedy of manners typically takes as its subject a particular part of society (usually upper-class society) and uses humor to parody or satirize

1995-801: Is not only a genius, he is the man who originated slapstick comedy. We in Hollywood owe much to him." American vaudeville emerged in the 1880s and remained popular until the 1930s, and featured comedians such as W. C. Fields , Buster Keaton and the Marx Brothers . Surreal humour (also known as 'absurdist humour'), or 'surreal comedy', is a form of humour predicated on deliberate violations of causal reasoning, producing events and behaviours that are obviously illogical . Constructions of surreal humour tend to involve bizarre juxtapositions, incongruity, non-sequiturs , irrational or absurd situations and expressions of nonsense . The humour arises from

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2090-475: Is of him standing toe-to-toe with an umpire, vehemently arguing his case until his inevitable ejection from the game. Durocher's fiery temper and willingness to scrap came to epitomize the position for which he was to become most famous. As manager he valued these same traits in his players. His philosophy was best expressed in the phrase for which he is best, albeit inaccurately, remembered: " Nice guys finish last " (Durocher's actual phrasing "Nice guys, finish last"

2185-425: Is otherwise a serious commentary on the state of foreign relations serves to frame the segment comically, creating a serious tone underlying the comedic agenda presented by Stewart. Comedy may be divided into multiple genres based on the source of humor, the method of delivery, and the context in which it is delivered. The different forms of comedy often overlap, and most comedy can fit into multiple genres. Some of

2280-629: The 1946 New York Giants —seventh place was next to last place in the National League. This was shortly afterwards rendered as "'Nice Guys' Wind Up in Last Place, Scoffs Lippy", thence its present form. In his autobiography, Nice Guys Finish Last (1975), Durocher quoted himself incorrectly, 29 years afterward, as his sayings were contradicted by the contemporary records (see references above), although they show his philosophy, as epitomized in this maxim: The Giants, led by Mel Ott, began to come out of their dugout to take their warm-up. Without missing

2375-425: The 1947 World Series to MacPhail's Yankees in seven games. Durocher returned for the 1948 season, but his outspoken personality and a 35-37 start again caused friction with Rickey, and on July 16 Durocher, Rickey and New York Giants owner Horace Stoneham negotiated a deal whereby Durocher was let out of his Brooklyn contract to take over the Dodgers' cross-town rivals. He enjoyed perhaps his greatest success with

2470-677: The Australian comedian Paul Hogan , famous for Crocodile Dundee . Other centres of creative comic activity have been the cinema of Hong Kong , Bollywood , and French farce . American television has also been an influential force in world comedy: with American series like M*A*S*H , Seinfeld and The Simpsons achieving large followings around the world. British television comedy also remains influential, with quintessential works including Fawlty Towers , Monty Python , Dad's Army , Blackadder , and The Office . Australian satirist Barry Humphries , whose comic creations include

2565-542: The Brooklyn Dodgers . Primarily a shortstop , Durocher played through 1945, though his last year as a regular was 1939; after that year he never played more than 62 games in a season. He was known as a solid fielder but a poor hitter. In 5,350 career at bats, he batted .247, hit 24 home runs and had 567 runs batted in . Durocher was named to the NL's All-Star team three times, once with St. Louis and twice with

2660-766: The Hartford Senators of the Eastern League in 1925. Durocher was called up to the Yankees and played in two games. Durocher spent two more seasons in the minors, playing for the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association in 1926 and St. Paul Saints of the American Association in 1927. Durocher rejoined the Yankees in 1928. A regular player, he was nicknamed "The All-American Out" by Babe Ruth . Durocher

2755-553: The Middle Ages , the term expanded to include narrative poems with happy endings. It is in this sense that Dante used the term in the title of his poem, La Commedia . As time progressed, the word came more and more to be associated with any sort of performance intended to cause laughter. During the Middle Ages, the term "comedy" became synonymous with satire , and later with humour in general. Aristotle's Poetics

2850-583: The Three Stooges , Abbott and Costello , Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis , Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller during the mid-20th century, to performers like George Carlin , Bill Cosby , Joan Rivers , Robin Williams , and Eddie Murphy toward the end of the century. Hollywood attracted many international talents like the British comics Peter Sellers , Dudley Moore and Sacha Baron Cohen , Canadian comics Dan Aykroyd , Jim Carrey , and Mike Myers , and

2945-520: The United States Army . His replacement, former Cardinal boss Branch Rickey , retained Durocher as skipper. Durocher managed the Dodgers continuously through 1946 (having ceased as a player during the 1945 season), and led Brooklyn to the first postseason NL playoff series in history, where they lost to the Cardinals, two games to none. Durocher also clashed regularly with Commissioner Albert "Happy" Chandler . Chandler, who had been named to

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3040-461: The "art of reprehension", and made no reference to light and cheerful events, or to the troubling beginnings and happy endings associated with classical Greek comedy. After the Latin translations of the 12th century , the term "comedy" gained a more general meaning in medieval literature . In the late 20th century, many scholars preferred to use the term laughter to refer to the whole gamut of

3135-568: The 1850s. British comedians who honed their skills in music hall sketches include Charlie Chaplin , Stan Laurel and Dan Leno . English music hall comedian and theatre impresario Fred Karno developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue in the 1890s, and Chaplin and Laurel were among the comedians who worked for his company. Karno was a pioneer of slapstick , and in his biography, Laurel stated, "Fred Karno didn't teach Charlie [Chaplin] and me all we know about comedy. He just taught us most of it". Film producer Hal Roach stated: "Fred Karno

3230-555: The 1943 Red Skelton comedy Whistling in Brooklyn , played himself in many television shows. Durocher appeared on the CBS game show What's My Line? twice as a mystery guest (January 28, 1951 and May 31, 1953), the latter when his wife Day was a guest panelist. In an April 10, 1963 airing of The Beverly Hillbillies , Durocher plays golf with Jed Clampett ( Buddy Ebsen ) and Jethro Bodine ( Max Baer, Jr. ) and tries to sign Jethro to

3325-401: The 1947 season for "association with known gamblers". Before being suspended, however, Durocher played a noteworthy role in erasing baseball's color line . In the spring of 1947, he let it be known that he would not tolerate the dissent of those players on the team who opposed Jackie Robinson 's joining the club, saying: I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like

3420-524: The 19th century, such as Lewis Carroll 's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass , which both use illogic and absurdity ( hookah -smoking caterpillars , croquet matches using live flamingos as mallets, etc.) for humorous effect. Many of Edward Lear 's children stories and poems contain nonsense and are basically surreal in approach. For example, The Story of

3515-573: The Crosley Division of Avco Manufacturing Company, Andrew P. Jergens Company, and Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company . Daniel Richman wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer that the premiere episode of The NBC Comedy Hour "was probably the worst excuse for a variety show since vaudeville died." He pointed out a "total disregard for the rules of showmanship, pace, timing and everything else that's supposed to go into

3610-474: The Cubs were beaten in the first two games at Shea Stadium , but finally managed to salvage the third game, after which Durocher was asked if those were the real Cubs. '"No", Durocher answered, "those are the real Mets." Part of Durocher's problem was that, while the Cubs were playing well in 1969, he began starting their best pitchers on two or three days' rest. While this led to immediate success, it exhausted

3705-431: The Dodgers were coming off six straight losing seasons, but Durocher led a quick turnaround. In 1941, his third season as manager, he led the Dodgers to a 100–54 record and the National League pennant, their first in 21 years. In the 1941 World Series the Dodgers lost to the Yankees in five games. They bettered their record in 1942, winning 104 games but just missing out on winning a second consecutive pennant. Despite all

3800-634: The Dodgers. In the 1938 game in Cincinnati , Durocher hit the only Little League Home Run in All-Star Game history. Also in 1938, Durocher made history of a sort by making the final out in Johnny Vander Meer 's second consecutive no-hitter. After the 1938 season—Durocher's first year as Brooklyn's starting shortstop—he was appointed player-manager by the Dodgers' new president and general manager , Larry MacPhail . The two were

3895-571: The Four Little Children Who Went Round the World (1871) is filled with contradictory statements and odd images intended to provoke amusement, such as the following: After a time they saw some land at a distance; and when they came to it, they found it was an island made of water quite surrounded by earth. Besides that, it was bordered by evanescent isthmuses with a great Gulf-stream running about all over it, so that it

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3990-477: The Giants , and later authored a book by the same title describing the life of a manager's wife. The saying " nice guys finish last " is a condensation by journalists of a quotation by Durocher —he did not originally say this himself, though it has often been attributed to him , and he did appropriate it as his own. The original quotation was "The nice guys are all over there, in seventh place" (July 6, 1946) about

4085-409: The Giants, and possibly a measure of sweet revenge against the Dodgers, as the Giants won the 1951 NL pennant in a playoff against Brooklyn, ultimately triumphing on Bobby Thomson 's historic game-winning "Shot 'Heard 'Round The World" home run. Later with the Giants in 1954, Durocher won his only World Series championship as a manager by sweeping the heavily favored Cleveland Indians , who posted

4180-622: The Lip " and " Lippy ", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach . He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder . Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,008 career victories , second only to John McGraw in National League history. Durocher still ranks twelfth in career wins by a manager. A controversial and outspoken character, Durocher's half-century in baseball

4275-719: The March 4 Comedy Hour in addition to serving as femcee of one program in April and in May".)From April 22 on, hosts were called in per episode. Comic Jonathan Winters was a more frequent face than any of the hosts; he appeared in 17 of the 18 episodes. Stan Freberg was also a guest 6 times. Topical comedian Mort Sahl 's network debut was on the Comedy Hour. A group of acting chimpanzees named The Marquis Chimps performed parodies of movies in 3 episodes. Other performers who appeared on

4370-670: The Neapolitan stock character of Pulcinella . The figure who later became Mr. Punch made his first recorded appearance in England in 1662. Punch and Judy are performed in the spirit of outrageous comedy — often provoking shocked laughter — and are dominated by the anarchic clowning of Mr. Punch. Appearing at a significant period in British history, professor Glyn Edwards states: "[Pulcinella] went down particularly well with Restoration British audiences, fun-starved after years of Puritanism . We soon changed Punch's name, transformed him from

4465-417: The aims. "Comedy", in its Elizabethan usage, had a very different meaning from modern comedy. A Shakespearean comedy is one that has a happy ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeare's other plays. The Punch and Judy show has roots in the 16th-century Italian commedia dell'arte . The figure of Punch derives from

4560-486: The ball field and they're not. Give me some scratching, diving, hungry ballplayers who come to kill you. Now, Stanky's the nicest gentleman who ever drew breath, but when the bell rings you're his mortal enemy. That's the kind of a guy I want playing for me." That was the context. To explain why Eddie Stanky was so valuable to me by comparing him to a group of far more talented players who were—in fact—in last place. Frankie Graham did write it up that way. In that respect, Graham

4655-570: The behavior and mannerisms of its members. Romantic comedy is a popular genre that depicts burgeoning romance in humorous terms and focuses on the foibles of those who are falling in love. Dean Rubin says the word "comedy" is derived from the Classical Greek κωμῳδία kōmōidía , which is a compound of κῶμος kômos (revel) and ᾠδή ōidḗ (singing; ode). The adjective "comic" (Greek κωμικός kōmikós), which strictly means that which relates to comedy is, in modern usage, generally confined to

4750-462: The charitable attitude towards people that is required for purposes of persuasion and co-operation, but at the same time maintains our shrewdness concerning the simplicities of 'cashing in. ' " The purpose of the comic frame is to satirize a given circumstance and promote change by doing so. The comic frame makes fun of situations and people, while simultaneously provoking thought. The comic frame does not aim to vilify in its analysis, but rather, rebuke

4845-805: The circus clown also continued, with such as Bozo the Clown in the United States and Oleg Popov in Russia. Radio provided new possibilities — with Britain producing the influential surreal humour of the Goon Show after the Second World War. The Goons' influence spread to the American radio and recording troupe the Firesign Theatre . American cinema has produced a great number of globally renowned comedy artists, from Laurel and Hardy ,

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4940-487: The civilization of a country ... I take to be the flourishing of the Comic idea and Comedy, and the test of true Comedy is that it shall awaken thoughtful laughter." Laughter is said to be the cure for being sick. Studies show that people who laugh more often get sick less. American literary theorist Kenneth Burke writes that the "comic frame" in rhetoric is "neither wholly euphemistic, nor wholly debunking—hence it provides

5035-473: The clubhouse, was something of a pool shark himself and a friend to many pool hustlers. He also followed horse racing closely. Matters came to a head when Durocher's affair with married actress Laraine Day became public knowledge, drawing criticism from Brooklyn's influential Catholic Youth Organization . The two later eloped and married in Texas in 1947. In the 1950s, Day hosted a radio program called Day with

5130-495: The comic, in order to avoid the use of ambiguous and problematically defined genres such as the grotesque , irony , and satire . Starting from 425 BCE, Aristophanes , a comic play and satirical author of the Ancient Greek Theater , wrote 40 comedies, 11 of which survive. Aristophanes developed his type of comedy from the earlier satyr plays , which were often highly obscene . The only surviving examples of

5225-455: The fastest moving shows ever presented". Leo Durocher , who initially hosted the show in January, was released from his contract before the January 22, 1956, episode, which had no master of ceremonies. Walter O'Keefe filled that role on February 5, 1956. Gale Storm was the host from February until April 8. (The trade publication Billboard reported that Storm was "scheduled to appear on

5320-527: The game of baseball and gave him a glove. Durocher became a good athlete while in high school, and was offered a scholarship to Holy Cross , but was suspended from school after he hit a teacher, and never returned. Durocher became a prominent semi-professional athlete, with several Springfield-area employers competing to have him play on their company teams. After being scouted by the New York Yankees , Durocher broke into professional baseball with

5415-531: The highest American League winning percentage of all time (111–43) during the regular season. Alvin Dark , who played under Durocher during this period, admired his manager. He thought that Durocher's strength was letting veterans play according to their strengths, then supporting them. An aggressive manager, he either succeeded in getting the best out of players or getting nothing out of them, depending on how they responded. "If you stood up for Leo publicly, he'd go to

5510-418: The housewife and "gigastar" Dame Edna Everage , for his delivery of Dadaist and absurdist humour to millions, was described by biographer Anne Pender in 2010 as not only "the most significant theatrical figure of our time ... [but] the most significant comedian to emerge since Charlie Chaplin ". By 200 BC, in ancient Sanskrit drama , Bharata Muni 's Natya Shastra defined humour ( hāsyam ) as one of

5605-468: The ire of multiple people that ranged from players such as Larry Dierker to Marvin Miller . On October 1, he resigned as manager, despite requests from Richardson to stay another year (Gomez was named his successor). Durocher stated upon his retirement, “Baseball has been 45 years of a wonderful life. But I have got a lot of things to do now. I'm going out to Palm Springs and I'm going to tee it up and play

5700-413: The late 19th century, and later radio and television in the 20th century broadened the access of comedians to the general public. Charlie Chaplin , through silent film, became one of the best-known faces on Earth. The silent tradition lived on well into the late 20th century through mime artists like Marcel Marceau , and the slapstick comedy of artists like Rowan Atkinson (as Mr. Bean ). The tradition of

5795-502: The manager. I'm not a head coach. I'm the manager. At the same press conference, Durocher declared, "I am not the manager of an eighth-place team." He was right; the Cubs finished tenth in his first season, becoming the first team to finish behind the previously hapless New York Mets . In 1967, however, the Cubs started strongly and had only their second winning season since 1946. The team steadily improved, but in 1969 , Durocher suffered one of his most remembered failures. The Cubs started

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5890-469: The managerial ranks in 1966 with the Chicago Cubs . In several previous seasons, the Cubs had tried an experiment called the " College of Coaches ", in which they were led by a "head coach" rather than a manager. However, at his first press conference, Durocher formally announced an end to the experiment by saying: If no announcement has been made about what my title is, I'm making it here and now. I'm

5985-400: The most divorced from a true mimesis. Tragedy is the truest mimesis, followed by epic poetry, comedy, and lyric poetry. The genre of comedy is defined by a certain pattern according to Aristotle's definition. Comedies begin with low or base characters seeking insignificant aims and end with some accomplishment of the aims which either lightens the initial baseness or reveals the insignificance of

6080-462: The new breed of wealthier, more outspoken players who had come up during his long career. With a mediocre record of 46–44, Durocher was fired midway through the 1972 season , later stating that his greatest regret in baseball was not being able to win a pennant for longtime Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley . Durocher managed the Houston Astros for the final 31 games of the 1972 season (posting

6175-441: The nine nava rasas , or principle rasas (emotional responses), which can be inspired in the audience by bhavas , the imitations of emotions that the actors perform. Each rasa was associated with a specific bhavas portrayed on stage. In the case of humour, it was associated with mirth ( hasya ). The phenomena connected with laughter and that which provokes it have been carefully investigated by psychologists. They agree

6270-418: The origins of comedy are obscure because it was not treated seriously from its inception. However, comedy had its own Muse : Thalia . Aristotle taught that comedy was generally positive for society, since it brings forth happiness, which for Aristotle was the ideal state, the final goal in any activity. For Aristotle, a comedy did not need to involve sexual humor. A comedy is about the fortunate rise of

6365-430: The pillow and go to sleep. Poor Mel Ott, he can't sleep at night. He wants to win; he's got a job to do for the owner of the ball club. But that doesn't concern the players, they're all getting good money." I said, "you surround yourself with this type of player, they're real nice guys, sure—'Howarya, Howarya' and you're going to finish down in the cellar with them. Because they think they're giving you one hundred percent on

6460-453: The pitchers in the long run, resulting in poorer performance later in the season. While with the Cubs, Durocher encountered a difficult dilemma in regard to aging superstar Ernie Banks . While Banks' bad knees made him a liability, his legendary status made benching him impossible. Durocher also nearly came to blows with Cubs star Ron Santo during an infamous clubhouse near-riot. The problems were symbolic of Durocher's difficulty in managing

6555-402: The post in 1945, warned Durocher to stay away from some of his old friends who were gamblers, bookmakers, or had mob connections, and who had a free rein at Ebbets Field . Durocher was particularly close with actor George Raft , with whom he shared a Los Angeles house, and he admitted to a nodding acquaintance with Bugsy Siegel . Durocher, who encouraged and participated in card schools within

6650-497: The predominant characteristics are incongruity or contrast in the object and shock or emotional seizure on the part of the subject. It has also been held that the feeling of superiority is an essential factor: thus Thomas Hobbes speaks of laughter as a "sudden glory". Modern investigators have paid much attention to the origin both of laughter and of smiling, as well as the development of the "play instinct" and its emotional expression. George Meredith said that "One excellent test of

6745-597: The premiere episode "did little to live up to NBC's boast that the Comedy Hour would be a 'showcase of new and promising comics,' and proved once again that there are certain things money can't buy". A review of the February 5, 1956, episode in Variety said that the show "wasn't particularly funny". It supported that summary by citing specifice comedy segments with comments that included "... his various antics became

6840-513: The rest of his career, as player, coach and manager. That team, whose famous nickname " Gashouse Gang " was supposedly inspired by Durocher, were a far more appropriate match for him; in St. Louis, Durocher's characteristics as a fiery player and vicious bench jockey were given full rein. Durocher remained with the Cardinals through the 1937 season, captaining the team and winning the 1934 World Series (their third title in nine years) before being traded to

6935-428: The same role. Self-deprecation is a technique of comedy used by many comedians who focus on their misfortunes and foibles in order to entertain. Stand-up comedy is a mode of comic performance in which the performer addresses the audience directly, usually speaking in their own person rather than as a dramatic character . The deliberate use by Menard of the term 'le rire' rather than 'l'humour' reflects accurately

7030-441: The satyr plays are by Euripides , which are much later examples and not representative of the genre. In ancient Greece, comedy originated in bawdy and ribald songs or recitations apropos of phallic processions and fertility festivals or gatherings. Around 335 BCE, Aristotle , in his work Poetics , stated that comedy originated in phallic processions and the light treatment of the otherwise base and ugly. He also adds that

7125-458: The season on a tear and led the newly created National League East for 105 days. By mid-August they had a seemingly insurmountable nine-game cushion, and they appeared to be a shoo-in for their first postseason appearance in 25 years. However, they floundered down the stretch, losing 25 of their last 40 games, and finished eight games behind the " Miracle Mets ". In a mid-July series against the Mets,

7220-453: The sense of "laughter-provoking". Of this, the word came into modern usage through the Latin comoedia and Italian commedia and has, over time, passed through various shades of meaning. The Greeks and Romans confined their use of the word "comedy" to descriptions of stage-plays with happy endings. Aristotle defined comedy as an imitation of men worse than the average (where tragedy

7315-770: The series included Gloria DeHaven , William Bendix , Shecky Greene , June Havoc , Ben Blue , Pat Stanley , Elena Verdugo , Cliff Arquette , Stan Freberg , Bob and Ray , Pat Carroll , Henny Youngman , William Frawley , the Al White Dancers, the Tony Charmoli Dancers, the Gordon Jenkins Orchestra, the Al Goodman Orchestra, and Robin Tyler . The show was a critical and ratings failure: Variety stated about

7410-459: The series's second episode, "A more poorly conceived, routined and paced outing would be difficult to imagine." It was cancelled in June, having already been pre-empted 4 times in 5 months. It was succeeded by The Steve Allen Show , whose reputation became a marked contrast to that of The NBC Comedy Hour . The Paley Center for Media has several episodes of the series in their archives. Sam Fuller

7505-664: The stupidity and foolery of those involved in the circumstances. For example, on The Daily Show , Jon Stewart uses the "comic frame" to intervene in political arguments, often offering crude humor in sudden contrast to serious news. In a segment on President Obama 's trip to China, Stewart remarks on America's debt to the Chinese government while also having a weak relationship with the country. After depicting this dismal situation, Stewart shifts to speak directly to President Obama, calling upon him to "shine that turd up." For Stewart and his audience, introducing coarse language into what

7600-529: The subgenres of comedy are farce , comedy of manners , burlesque , and satire . Some comedy apes certain cultural forms: for instance, parody and satire often imitate the conventions of the genre they are parodying or satirizing. For example, in the United States, parodies of newspapers and television news include The Onion , and The Colbert Report ; in Australia, shows such as Kath & Kim , Utopia , and Shaun Micallef's Mad As Hell perform

7695-419: The success of his first three years, Durocher and MacPhail had a tempestuous relationship. MacPhail was a notorious drinker, and he was as hot-tempered as his manager. He often fired Durocher in the midst of a night of drinking. The following morning, however, MacPhail inevitably hired Durocher back. Finally, at the end of the 1942 season, MacPhail's tenure with the Dodgers came to an end when he resigned to rejoin

7790-596: The team win their second consecutive World Series title in 1928 , then demanded a raise. Durocher was later sold to the Cincinnati Reds on February 5, 1930. Durocher spent the remainder of his professional career in the National League . After playing three seasons with the Reds, Durocher was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in mid-1933. Upon joining the Cardinals, he was assigned uniform number 2, which he wore for

7885-442: The team. Dark thought that Durocher's managerial style changed in the 1960s and 1970s. Instead of making moves regardless of how others felt about them, he began to make what Dark called "safe" decisions. Dark thought that openly negative comments by Cubs players during the 1969 season "really hurt Leo", and that by managing games more safely, he stopped using the style that had once been successful for him. Comedy Comedy

7980-561: The wall for you. He'd take the blame for every mistake you made, and expose himself to the criticism." After leaving the Giants following the 1955 season, Durocher became an executive at NBC . He was a color commentator on the Major League Baseball on NBC and host of The NBC Comedy Hour and Jackpot Bowling . He later served as a coach for the Dodgers, by then relocated to Los Angeles, from 1961 to 1964. During this period, Durocher, who had made his screen debut in

8075-405: The youngest of four sons born to French Canadian parents. His mother was a hotel maid and his father was a railroad engineer. His parents were immigrants from Quebec and both they and Durocher's older brothers spoke only French ; Durocher began attending elementary school without knowing how to speak English . The Durochers lived only two blocks from Rabbit Maranville , who taught Durocher

8170-635: The youth then becomes constrained by his lack of social authority, and is left with little choice but to resort to ruses which engender dramatic irony , which provokes laughter. Satire and political satire use comedy to portray people or social institutions as ridiculous or corrupt, thus alienating their audience from the object of their humor. Parody subverts popular genres and forms, critiquing those forms without necessarily condemning them. Other forms of comedy include screwball comedy , which derives its humor largely from bizarre, surprising (and improbable) situations or characters, and black comedy , which

8265-419: Was a favorite of Yankee manager Miller Huggins , who considered Durocher a potential managerial candidate due to his competitiveness, passion, ego, and facility for remembering situations. Durocher's outspokenness did not endear him to Yankee ownership, however, and his habit of passing bad checks to finance his expensive tastes in clothes and nightlife annoyed Yankee general manager Ed Barrow . Durocher helped

8360-491: Was a pair of clause fragments describing a team). Durocher once said, "Look at Mel Ott over there. He's a nice guy, and he finishes second. Now look at the Brat ( Eddie Stanky ). He can't hit, can't run, can't field. He's no nice guy, but all the little son-of-a-bitch can do is win." Durocher was also notorious for ordering his pitchers to hit batters. Whenever he wanted a batter hit, he would yell, "Stick it in his ear!" In 1939

8455-459: Was an imitation of men better than the average). However, the characters portrayed in comedies were not worse than average in every way, only insofar as they are Ridiculous, which is a species of the Ugly. The Ridiculous may be defined as a mistake or deformity not productive of pain or harm to others; the mask, for instance, that excites laughter is something ugly and distorted without causing pain. In

8550-568: Was dogged by clashes with authority, the baseball commissioner, the press, and umpires; his 100 career ejections as a manager trailed only McGraw when he retired, and he still ranks third on the all-time list. He won three National League pennants and one world championship. Durocher was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994. Leo Ernest Durocher was born on July 27, 1905, in West Springfield, Massachusetts ,

8645-441: Was perfectly beautiful, and contained only a single tree, 503 feet high. In the early 20th century, several avant-garde movements, including the dadaists , surrealists , and futurists , began to argue for an art that was random, jarring and illogical. The goals of these movements were in some sense serious, and they were committed to undermining the solemnity and self-satisfaction of the contemporary artistic establishment . As

8740-452: Was pressured by MacPhail, a close friend who was pivotal in having him appointed commissioner, but the commissioner also discovered Durocher and Raft might have run a rigged craps game that swindled an active ballplayer of a large sum of money. (The player's identity was never confirmed officially, but former Detroit Tigers pitcher, Elden Auker , wrote in his 2002 memoir that it was Tigers pitcher Dizzy Trout .) Chandler suspended Durocher for

8835-415: Was the most remarkable reporter I ever met. He would sit there and never take a note, and then you'd pick up the paper and find yourself quoted word for word. But the other writers who picked it up ran two sentences together to make it sound as if I were saying that you couldn't be a decent person and succeed. Durocher is also credited with popularizing the metaphorical use of the phrase "capture lightning in

8930-555: Was the producer of The NBC Comedy Hour , and Ernest D. Glucksman was the producer. The directors were Glucksman and Jim Jordan. Writers included Irving Elinson, Coleman Jacoby , Robert O'Brien, Arnold Rosen, and Marvin Fischer. Hy Averback was the announcer, and Johnny Mann was the choral director. Originating live from KRCA-TV , the show was broadcast on Sundays from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Its competition included films on ABC and The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS. The sponsors were

9025-409: Was translated into Arabic in the medieval Islamic world , where it was elaborated upon by Arabic writers and Islamic philosophers , such as Abu Bishr , and his pupils Al-Farabi , Avicenna , and Averroes . They disassociated comedy from Greek dramatic representation and instead identified it with Arabic poetic themes and forms, such as hija (satirical poetry). They viewed comedy as simply

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