Ok let me take a stab at this movie/tv blogging thing (hey, I'm used to doing sports). So I caught Young Frankenstein last night on the telly -- because, let's face it, when there's a Mel Brooks movie on you watch it -- and I remembered how my favorite component of the brilliant comedy was Marty Feldman's character Igor (pronounced EYE-gor -- brilliant).
That got me thinking of how some of the best parts of my favorite comedies are the minor, or secondary, characters that flow through the "story" without serving any real purpose other than providing the occasional one-liner or anecdote that usually annoys the main character(s) but amuses the hell out of the audience. Call it comic-relief (which seems strange being that the whole thing is a comedy) or call it "fluff", but these characters are essential to what makes these movies classics.
As you may or may not be aware, this blog is a collaborative process between myself and fellow "Producers" that I've had the privilege of meeting and working with in the past. Who knows what all of this seemingly incoherent banter will evolve into, but that's part of the fun. Anyway... right now I see myself as a bit of a "secondary character", providing short quips for your entertainment. Does it help the overall narrative? I'll leave that for you to decide.
So I've compiled a short list of some of my favorite comedic secondary characters from some of my favorite comedic opuses. If there are any that I may have forgotten and should have highlighted in this post, please enlighten me. We love talking movies here, and you're a part of the conversation.
Here they are (in no particular order):
IGOR - "Young Frankenstein"
JOHNNY - "Airplane"
CARL SPACKLER - "Caddyshack"
OLSON JOHNSON - "Blazing Saddles"
JESUS QUINTANA - "The Big Lebowski"
CATO FONG - "The Pink Panther" Series
BARBER SHOP OLD MEN - "Coming To America"
POLITICAL PEASANTS - "Monty Python & The Holy Grail"
HENCHMEN - "Spaceballs"
DRUMMERS - "This Is Spinal Tap"
Feel free to comment below along with your favorite characters and clips. Keep the conversation/debate going!
Impressive list. Well done! Having said that (Curb Your Enthusiasm ref), I have to disagree with Spackler and the guys from Coming to America. Spackler is a major character in Caddyshack. Albeit not a lead, but hugely essential to the movie and has turned into probably THE most quoted character. Same for the barber shop guys in CTA. Nobody quotes Semi. But everyone quotes those guys. "Oh man you lyin, you ain't never met no Marrin Luther the King."
ReplyDeleteBut my rebuttal would be that none of these characters were intended to be essential parts of the movie (maybe Carl, but you take him out and the movie could still progress). They have since become that, basically overshadowing the main characters with their comedic brilliance and becoming the most referenced elements
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