Running gag
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The running gag is a popular hallmark of comic and serious forms of entertainment. A running gag is an amusing situation or line that reappears throughout the work. They are often unintentional at first, but familiarity or popularity of such gags among viewers encourage their reappearance. Often, the humor in a running gag derives entirely from how often it is repeated.
[edit] Examples of running gags
- In the movie Airplane! there are many running gags. Perhaps the most well-known gag involves the character Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen) responding to the statement, "Surely, you can't be serious" with "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."
- In the animated series The Simpsons there are many running gags, especially noted in its opening sequence, which has a different message on a chalkboard, musical interlude on a saxophone, and a segment involving a couch. Perhaps the best known of these running jokes involves Mr. Burns, Smithers, and Homer. The joke is that Mr. Burns never knows who Homer is—despite Homer's having worked at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant for many years—and consequently must be informed thereof by Smithers. On one occasion, Smithers told Mr. Burns that “…all the recent events of your life have revolved around him in some way.”
- For several seasons of the television series South Park, the character Kenny McCormick died in nearly every episode, followed by the character Stan Marsh shouting, "Oh my God, they killed Kenny!" and then Kyle Broflovski shouting, "You bastards!". Kenny reappears in each subsequent episode as if nothing happened (even in two-parters), yet the children know that Kenny has died more than once. Also, in every Halloween special, Wendy Testaburger dresses in the same costume (Chewbacca from Star Wars) and always wins the costume contest, no matter how much an effort anyone else has made.
- In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, there is a running gag about the "airspeed velocity" of an unladen swallow and that King Arthur confuses the numbers 3 and 5.
- On the line by Ross of the television series Friends: "We were on a break!" This referred to an argument Ross and Rachel had in the 3rd season, and was referenced all the way through the series into the series finale in season 10.
- In the Metal Gear video game series, the cardboard box is an item used by the main character, Solid Snake, in order to hide from enemies. His fondness for the trick developed into a running joke over the course of the series.
- In the television series The Fairly OddParents, Timmy Turner obtains many rare or illicit items through the use of magic. When he is asked where he obtained the object in question, he usually responds, "Uh, Internet?"
- In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air a favorite running gag is Jazz getting thrown out of the house after offending one of the Banks. Once Jazz was in the driveway and offended Phil, so Phil threw him inside the kitchen door after Jazz made a remark about already being outside. In another character's dream sequence, a successful Jazz throws a down-on-his-luck Phil out of his house in the same manner.
- In the television series Quantum Leap, Rear Admiral Albert "Al" Calavicci (Dean Stockwell) frequently confuses his third and fourth wives.
- In Animaniacs, Yakko, Wakko and Dot frequently run through sketches not starring them, chased by Ralph the Guard. Also, whenever the brothers see a pretty woman, or the nurse in the series, they shout together, "Hellooooooooo Nurse!!!", but Dot says it in reference to any well-built and studly man.
- On the show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, anytime there is a particularly memorable line, or when someone makes a mistake or breaks character, the other performers pick up upon it, and use it as a running gag for the remainder of the episode. In one particular instance, the cast was asked on camera not to use Hitler and Bill Cosby as "unlikely roommates" in one sketch, but made continuing reference to Hitler and their director throughout the rest of the show. Also, items such as Drew Carey's weight, Colin Mochrie's and Clive Anderson's baldness, and Ryan Stiles's wild shoes were often the subject of running gags through the show's runs in the US and UK.
- Another gag on Whose Line Is It Anyway? is when Drew Carey is introducing the show. He always states that "Everything's made up and the points don't matter" before saying something that reflects the points' unimportance (for example: "That's right, the points are like vows at a celebrity wedding. They just don't matter"). The comparisons vary each time, but they are all considered "useless" humorously. At times, the comparisons are even referenced by the Whose Line cast during the show.
- In The Office, Dwight Schrute always refers to himself as Assistant Regional Manager, only to be corrected by Michael Scott that he is Assistant to the Regional Manager.
