Comedy genre
An example of physical comedy asCharlie Chaplin wrestles with factory controls in his 1936 comedyModern Times Physical comedy is a form ofcomedy focused on manipulation of the body for a humorous effect. It can includeslapstick ,clowning ,mime , physical stunts, or making funny faces.[ 1]
Physical comedy originated as part of theCommedia dell'arte .[ 2] sitcoms ; for example, in the sitcomThree's Company John Ritter frequently performedpratfalls . Cartoons, particularly film shorts, also commonly depict an exaggerated form of physical comedy (incorporatingcartoon physics ), such as inTom and Jerry Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner .[ 3]
Charlie Chaplin started his film career as a physical comedian; although he developed additional means of comic expression, Chaplin's mature works continued to contain elements of slapstick.
In the movies, physical comedy is used by, for example,
Buster Keaton as the eponymous character inSteamboat Bill, Jr. ,Jacques Tati asMonsieur Hulot ,Peter Sellers asChief Inspector Clouseau inThe Pink Panther Jackie Chan in many of hisHong Kong action comedy films,[ 4] Zero Mostel 's character Max Bialystock inThe Producers Bette Midler 's,Goldie Hawn 's andDiane Keaton 's characters inThe First Wives Club Arnold Schwarzenegger 's andDanny DeVito 's characters inTwins Will Ferrell 's andJohn C. Reilly 's characters inStep Brothers Zac Efron 's andAdam DeVine 's characters inMike and Dave Need Wedding Dates Sacha Baron Cohen 's charactersBorat Sagdiyev andBrüno Gehard inBorat Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Brüno Chris Farley 's andDavid Spade 's characters inTommy Boy .In television sitcoms, the use of physical comedy was seen in, for example,
Dick Van Dyke 's character Rob Petrie inThe Dick Van Dyke Show Lucille Ball 's characterLucy Ricardo inI Love Lucy Martin Lawrence 's character Martin Payne inMartin Larry Hagman 's character Major Anthony Nelson inI Dream of Jeannie John Ritter 's characterJack Tripper inThree's Company The two main characters ofMark Linn-Baker andBronson Pinchot inPerfect Strangers Michael Richards 's characterCosmo Kramer inSeinfeld Penny Marshall 's characterLaverne DeFazio andCindy Williams ' characterShirley Feeney inLaverne & Shirley Jennifer Saunders ' characterEdina Monsoon andJoanna Lumley 's characterPatsy Stone inAbsolutely Fabulous Nicholas Lyndhurst 's characterRodney Trotter inOnly Fools and Horses Neil Morrissey 's character Tony Smart inMen Behaving Badly Jennifer Aniston 's characterRachel Green inFriends Rowan Atkinson 's characterMr. Bean andMan vs. Bee ,Jaleel White 's characterSteve Urkel inFamily Matters Rik Mayall 's andAdrian Edmondson 's characters Richard Richard and Eddie Hitler inBottom James Corden 's character Neil Smith inGavin & Stacey Jim Belushi andLarry Joe Campbell 's characters Jim and Andy inAccording to Jim
