Great American Humor Blight of '78

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“Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal. 'Nuff said”

~ Oscar Wilde on American Humor

Many people of the baby boomer generation ask "What Happened to Saturday Night Live? Didn't it used to be funny?" Well, maybe it was once. but then tragedy struck. Here is the true story.

Contents 1 Cold War Politics 2 History 3 What Happened Next 4 And the Consequences Were:

[edit] Cold War Politics

Saturday night live was a victim of Cold War politics and the work of the secret forces both in the US and the USSR.

[edit] History

The Soviets had found that the US administration were working on a new secret weapon, code named 'reversal'. It was supposed to be so powerful that it could put and end to Russian comedy for ever. Congress gave Senator Joseph McCarthy the task of keeping the top secret details of 'reversal' from the Soviets. Unfortunately for the US he was an idiot and he failed completely.

It was however a difficult technology and although initially promising it was never brought to a level that the American public could accept. In desperation a prototype of this weapon was deployed late and over budget. It was tentatively termed the Yakov Smirnoff device. It proved to be a big disappointment and led to the downgrading and eventual cancellation of the project.

However, in the early days, the politburo were very worried. There was no bread and most of the population was supported entirely by a diet of wry wit, corny jokes and recycled fart gags. Any erosion of the world value of Russian humour could be catastrophic.

[edit] What Happened Next

To counter this threat the soviets released a virulent anti-comedy virus in the US. It spread quickly round the circuit causing comedians to loose all their talent. John Belushi actually died of it and many artists like Steve Martin and Chevy Chase were left cruelly disfigured. They completely lost their sense of humour and comedic timing. Many lacked the ability to twist even the simplest non sequitur. Eventually the outbreak was contained and the long term sufferers were imprisoned in downtown Burbank. Although the epidemic was halted outbreaks have occasionally been reported. Even today if a comic anywhere in mainland USA spontaneously becomes funny the virus may flare up and and attack the comedian and many of those close to him or her. Because of this threat a hastily prepared bill was passed in 1978 that forced TV shows and films to limit how funny they were. The bill also insists that all jokes must be quarantined for 30 years before being allowed out. The year 2008 represents the 30th anniversary of this rule and some critics expect many new jokes to be released and American comics to become funny again. Most don't.

[edit] And the Consequences Were:

It was not known what to do with the long term sufferers and incurables. These tragic cases although the studios did their best to keep them off the streets and in gainful employment. They were often given waste filmstock and told to get rid of it somehow. These terrifying self-therapy sessions have been known to escape onto network TV where they surface every so often to the annoyance of everyone. It must be remembered that films like Roxanne, The Three Amigos and European Vacation were never meant to be seen. We should uphold the sufferers right to privacy by burning any copies that are found.