Ask ‘n’ people to each name his or her ten favorite comedians, and you’re likely to end up with ‘n’ different lists, more or less.

Ask ‘n’ people to each name his favorite type of humor, and you’ll end up with a variety of types as well.

Through the ages, there have been humorous writers, humorous song writers, and humorous individuals or teams who have delighted audiences world wide.

So you think that humor is mostly a Twentieth Century (and beyond) phenomenon?  Think again (buddy).  I would love to be able to have Geoffrey Chaucer over for dinner and have him read his Miller’s Tale (from Canterbury Tales) aloud; or perhaps Shakespeare and friends could perform an act or two from such delightful plays as The Tempest (to see the antics of Stephano and Trinculo) or Midsummer Night’s Dream (when Bottom “acquires” the head of a donkey).

But even those humorous episodes in literature are relatively new compared to how far back recorded humor goes.  The Bible has numerous comical scenes.  Remember when the angel frees Peter from prison, and Peter goes to a widow’s house and knocks on the door, which is answered by a servant girl?  The girl is so excited to see Peter that she slams the door in his face without inviting him in, and Peter continues knocking while the people inside the house are telling the girl that she’s crazy.  Or how about the time Paul was giving a long sermon and Eutychus fell asleep, the only problem being that Eutychus was sitting on the window ledge and he fell out!  Remember Balaam’s donkey, who talked to his master?  Imagine how surprised Balaam was!

And even before these Biblical stories, there is humor to be found in ancient Greek and Chinese texts, as well as in others.

Humor is not new.  Now, it’s true that styles and types of humor can change over time, and different eras have unique types of humor, both in content and method of delivery.  The basic concepts of humor though — being able to laugh at one’s self, being able to laugh at or with someone else, and being able to laugh at comical situations — have existed for thousands of years.

The process of thinking that something is funny (or not) is a subjective thing.  Much of what I think is funny (e.g., Monty Python), my wife doesn’t really appreciate.  My thoughts are that her humorous side just has not fully developed yet; her thoughts are that I haven’t totally grown up yet.

In some sense it is irrelevant whether we agree that a particular comedian is funny; I think we can all acknowledge that certain individuals have had key contributions to humor through the ages.

All that being said, I have some favorite “old time” comic scenes, situations, and dialogues, and I have more recent favorites.  You will have heard of most of these, but there may be a surprise in here for you.

Who’s on First is a classic in American humor, playing on a combination of the American fascination with the sport of baseball as well as a bit of Vaudeville humor.  Here we have Abbott and Costello in their most famous routine.

Others in the early Twentieth Century included Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy, and a bit later the Three Stooges.  Jack Benny, Mel Blanc, George Burns, and countless others who also graced the stage and added thousands of hours of laughter to the annals of comedic history.

In my family, the Marx Brothers’ films have been met with mixed reviews.  I love the Marx Brothers though and am including them here, partly because I’m the one putting this list together, but also because of the impact these guys have had on comedy.

Remember the line, “The other night, I shot an elephant in my pajamas.  What he was doing in my pajamas, I’ll never know?”  That came from the Marx Brothers. 

Red Skelton paved the way with a gentler kind of humor, using facial expressions and body language heavily, especially in his pantomime routines.  I had the pleasure of seeing him perform in Omaha, Nebraska back in the early 1980s, and that was the hardest I have ever laughed in my life.

Bob Hope was another great one; with his classic baby faced look and the ability to deliver lines with a complete deadpan countenance, he was hilarious.

In this scene, we have Red Skelton and Bob Hope together.

Bob Newhart has always been one of my favorites, whether from his television shows in the 1970s and 1980s or from his comedy skits.  Here’s a great scene with Newhart and Dean Martin.

The old Carol Burnett show was one of my favorites, and week after week that show had me laughing so hard that my side would ache.  Tim Conway and Harvey Korman were stars on the show who often had trouble keeping straight faces during the skits.  This is one of my favorites.

My wife and I saw Jerry Seinfeld at a comedy club in Raleigh in the late 1980s.  This was just after he had appeared on Carson but before his first appearance on Letterman (and long before his television show), and he was absolutely hilarious.

One of my favorite comedians in recent years has been Steven Wright, whose low key delivery itself is funny.  His content has always reminded me of sort of a stand up version of the Gary Larson “Far Side” cartoons.

Of course, Steve Martin ranks up there on the list of many, along with Martin Short, Chevy Chase, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Sid Caesar, Lucille Ball, and Robin Williams.  The more I list, the more I remember.  

One comedian who has become a family favorite in just the past few months is comedian ventriloquist Taylor Mason, who is not only a gifted comedian but also a talented musician.  His material is clean and family friendly, and he’s hilarious.  I hope you enjoy this next piece.  If you haven’t heard Taylor Mason before, you’re in for a treat.  I encourage you to find and watch more of his stuff.

The ability to laugh is a blessing; it can relieve stress, it can reduce anxiety, and it can provide a fellowship among friends that is both healing and soothing.

You’ve heard the old adage: Laughter is the best medicine.  It’s true! 

Who are some of your favorite sources of laughter?