The Funny Side

"The Funny Side" was a clever series that looked at different slices of life (i.e., leisure time) through the eyes of five married couples: young, elderly, blue collar, white collar and minority (in this case, African-American). The sketches were often very funny (and I audio taped a few segments, so I can go by more than a 34-year-old memory). I particularly enjoyed the blue collar couple playing a "Monopoly"-esque board game: (Husband lands on a space that instructs him to draw a "Big News" card: "Your limousine's been hit by a truck! Collect three million dollars for whiplash!"). Another favorite: John Amos asking his wife why there are no black comic book characters (Teresa Graves: "What about Lothar - Mandrake the Magician's partner?" Amos: "Partner? Lothar was his slave!"), then imagining himself as "Captain Afro" - something that would probably NEVER get on the air today! Contrary to an earlier opinion, it's my recollection that Gene Kelly did indeed take part in the musical numbers, and did at least some dancing toward the end of every show.

I hope the tapes of this show didn't get "wiped", and that perhaps some of it will wind up on DVD - or at least TV LAND - some day. Despite the academic interest in seeing the early work of such TV icons as John "Good Times" Amos, Cindy "Laverne & Shirley" Williams, Pat "Bob Newhart Show" Finley, Teresa "Get Christie Love" Graves - not to mention the immortal Mr. Kelly - there was some good entertainment and a lot of laughs to be had in "The Funny Side."

'The Funny Side' was a very condescending comedy/variety series that wasn't especially good, although it did have some talented performers and decent songs in well-staged musical numbers on minimalist, generic sets. The great Gene Kelly was ingratiating as the host, but he didn't participate in any of the musical numbers.

The supporting cast consisted of five married couples who were meant to represent 'types'. This was extremely condescending, as it assumed that all of these people would conform to their demographic rather than responding as individuals. So we have here the young couple, who of course are 'hip' and liberal. And we have here the upper-class couple, who of course are snobbish and repressed and (oh, of course) politically conservative. The senior-citizen couple are stereotypical feisty eldsters. The prole couple are working-class stereotypes. And the black couple act 'black', meaning they act like black characters on a TV show rather than actual human beings. They talk 'black' too. (Dig it, child!)

Gene Kelly would introduce the episode's theme, which would be some aspect of everyday life -- such as food or exercise or travel -- and then each of the couples would do a skit or a musical number relating to that theme from their demographic viewpoint ... or a skit leading into a musical number. Most of the skits were painfully unfunny.

The songwriters for this series made a creditable attempt to write to character: the songs written for the young couple were vaguely rock-n-rollish, the songs written for the black couple were gospel-inflected, and so forth. But this added to the overall condescension of the series. In real life, most people have musical tastes which transcend their own narrow demographic.

Of the resident troupe, the best performers were John Amos (an underrated actor) as the black husband, and Queenie Smith as the elderly wife. Way back in the 1920s, Queenie Smith starred on Broadway in the Gershwin musical 'Tip-Toes': it's really too bad that she didn't have a more significant career. Her elderly husband on this series was played by the geriatric actor Burt Mustin. I was pulled up short by one skit in which Mustin appeared in a doughboy uniform, claiming to be a World War One veteran ... pulled up short when I realised that Mustin (born in 1884) was actually too OLD to have been conscripted into that war! I'll rate 'The Funny Side' 3 points out of 10, and one point is out of sentiment for Gene Kelly's career.

This is a very under-rated program that many people don't even know about. It was hosted by Gene Kelly and basically many comedy situations were played out with a major guest star and the regular cast. The regulars were five couples from different racial and social areas. There was the African-American couple played by John (Happy Days) Amos and Teresa (Get Christie Love) Graves, The Upper class couple played by comedy writers Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon (Who together created the Mamma and Eunice sketch on Carol Burnett Show), the middle class couple played by Warren Berlenger and Patty Finley, the senior citizen couple played by Burt Mustin and Queenie Smith and the young teenage couple played by Michael Lembeck and Cindy Williams.

I remember one week in particular where the guest star was Jack Benny. In one sketch he buys something thing with a dollar bill, which goes from one couple to another till it comes back to Jack. He turns to Gene Kelly and announces that it's the same bill that he started with. Gene asks him how does he know that. Jack explains, "From the serial numbers". Gene then says, "You memorized the serial numbers" to which Jack replies, "Doesn't everybody". The episode ends where Gene Kelly announces that for the first time on any stage, Jack Benny and a Million dollars. We see Jack alone on stage with the money which had to be seen to be believe. I only wish I had a VCR back then because I'd love to see that episode again.

It was a fun show that I only wish had lasted a while longer. I'd love to see it again.