Chuckles Bites the Dust

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Chuckles Bites The Dust is an episode of the television situation comedy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show which aired October 25, 1975. In that episode, Chuckles the Clown (the star of WJM's children's show) is hired as the grand marshal for a circus parade, after news anchor Ted Baxter is ordered by Lou Grant to turn it down. Chuckles is to dress in character as Peter Peanut. Unfortunately, Chuckles is spotted and trampled by an elephant, and he dies from his injuries (all off-camera). Mr. Grant announces the tragic death to the newsroom staff. The unusual circumstances of Chuckles's death provokes a wave of jokes, especially by Lou and Murray Slaughter ("thank God he wasn't Billy Banana or he would have been peeled.")[1] Everyone in the newsroom begins collapsing into laughter, with the exception of Mary, who is appalled by her co-workers' lack of respect for the deceased.

At the funeral, all of the attendees are properly somber. All except one. Mary inexplicably feels a strong urge to laugh. She tries to stifle it, but finally can't contain herself while listening to the minister's eulogy:

"Chuckles the Clown brought pleasure to millions. The characters he played will be remembered by children and adults alike. Peter Peanut...Mr. Fee Fi Fo...Billy Banana..and, my particular favorite, Aunt Yoo Hoo. There was always some deeper meaning to whatever Chuckles did. Remember Mr. Fee Fi Fo's little catch phrase? Remember how when his arch rival, Señor Caboom, hit him with a giant cucumber and knocked him down? Mr. Fee Fi Fo would always pick himself up, dust himself off, and say, 'I hurt my foo foo'. Life's a lot like that...from time to time we all fall down and hurt our foo foos." [2]

Mary's co-workers are shocked at her behavior, but the minister tells the mortified Mary that laughter was actually in keeping with Chuckles' wishes. She then suddenly breaks into uncontrollable sobbing.

This episode was ranked #1 on TV Guide's The Greatest Episodes of All Time.[3]. It was directed by Joan Darling, [4] and written by David Lloyd, who received an Emmy for "Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series."[5]