LAUGH AND THE. WORLD LAUGHS WITH YOU

When Stephen Colbert was chosen to replace David Letterman , I wondered at the choice but I don't think of myself as an authority on modern comedy and they took their time and Letterman was not easy to replace. 

I enjoyed Colbert  in his bit  on the Daily Show. Like Jon Stewart, a full hour of frenzy was hard to endure.  What I needed at the end of the day was a performance that reduced  political events to proper perspective. 

Letterman's  show followed the ritual of Johnny Carson whose smooth performance continued the lines of Jack Parr's laid back humour. 

 I don't imagine it's easy to maintain excellence on a nightly basis. Even just for an hour at a time. 

None of. the three accomplished the impossible. But they did create a bridge between unbelievable stupidity and  horror in daily events to reassurance that it was alright not to take life too seriously. 

I don't like the noise and fake laughter that intersperses precisely where it's supposed to . 

I find slapstick and contrived skits irksome, lacking wit and boring in the extreme.  

Nkthing amuses me  about Colbert's brief chats with the Lord in the elaborate painted ceiling, 

His confessionals are excruciating and the bit he does from a balcony where he stands under a hat 

is positively juvenile. 

But worst of all ,the show's  opening monologue,a mocking diatribe of the man he loves to hate

makes the presidency little more than a prop. A steady diet is too much . 

There are half a dozen late night show hosts. None have taken  Letterman's place. 

Jimmy Kimmel seems most comfortable in his own skin, therefore easier  to watch. 

Yesterday I read a piece  by Frank Bruni in the New York Times , prompted by Sean 

Spicer's appearance on the Emmy show hosted by  Stephen Colbert. 

Bruni found Spicer's guest appearance with the rolling podium unacceptable. 

He went further and critiqued Colbert's  late night program with many of the  faults I found .

Thank  goodness , I thought, at least  my sense of humour is not out of date.