Who is the funniest comedian of all time?
And what made him funny?
I had always heard, but never really believed, that rage was the key. That only someone who grew up angry, or at least unhappy, could be a truly great comedian.
If you’re American, you may not have heard of Peter Cook, but 10 years after his 1995 death, a Comedian’s Comedian poll of more than 300 comics, comedy writers, producers and directors in the English-speaking world named him the best comedian ever.
The Guardian called him the “father of modern satire,” dating back to his med ’60s sensation, “Beyond the Fringe” and subsequent shows. Cook and Dudley Moore did one of the funniest bits ever with “One Leg Too Few.”
Sadly, too many people misstate the term “satire” these days. Someone might write on the Internet that Joe Biden has sexual relations with sheep and when challenged, just say, “Oh, it’s satire.”
You want satire? Just spend a few minutes watching Cook and Dudley Moore satirize actors’ tryouts in “One Leg Too Few.”
Cook’s highlight is probably the 1967 film “Bedazzled,” one of the very finest satirical films ever.
He played the Devil in a modernized version of the “Faust” legend, with Moore as his hapless target.
If your only acquaintance with the film is the horrific 2000 version with Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley, do yourself a favor. Comparing the two is like comparing a sabertooth tiger to a dead cat with no teeth.
The 2000 version bends over backward to be inoffensive, while the original takes every shot it can.
I saw it when I was 18, and I don’t think I’ve seen a funnier movie since.
One of the true disappointments of my life came in February 1974 when I had tickets to see Cook and Moore on Broadway in their updated satirical revue “Good Evening.” I came down with tonsillitis earlier in the day and missed the show.
A few years later, they stopped collaborating, with a couple of minor exceptions. Moore went on to movie stardom and Cook didn’t have much more success, although he did have a small role in the wonderful “The Princess Bride.”
Cook died in 1995 of a gastrointestinal hemhorrage. He was just 57 years old.
Watch “Not Only But Always,” with a tour de force performance by Rhys Ifans as Cook.
So much rage.
But so damn funny.
Search YouTube. You will laugh and laugh and laugh, and you might find yourself crying at how present-day humor comes up so damn short next the Peter Cook.