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Dick Van Dyke on the comedic differences between the older and younger generations
"There's a funny thing that I have noticed some of the young performers lack," said the performer.
In times of stress, it's helpful to look toward the past. Not only is it quite soothing to get a healthy dose of nostalgia, but remembering who came before us gives us a good idea of where to turn in the future.
When pressed as to whether he enjoyed modern comedians during an interview with The St. Petersburg Times, Dick Van Dyke was honest.
"To some extent, I do, but there's a funny thing that I have noticed some of the young performers lack," said the comedian. "The old guys (Laurel and Hardy, Chaplin, Keaton, etc.) had a great rhythm inside 'em. It was like music. They had harmonics in their performances."
To Van Dyke, the appeal of the older comedians wasn't necessarily the material that they used; rather, it was the manner in which they delivered it. "The old guys were able to take stuff that wasn't all that clever and be funny with it," said Van Dyke. "There was a sympathetic identification you got with these guys that you don't with the new ones."
This was a matter that Van Dyke was intricately familiar with; he had spent years making viewers laugh while working on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Still, Van Dyke was more than willing to acknowledge that there were certain redeeming qualities that the younger generation of comedians carried with them.
"I love their satire when they don't get too cruel," said Van Dyke. "But sometimes it's so cruel that I really feel a little bit uncomfortable having laughed. I laugh at the moment, and then I'm ashamed of myself for having laughed."
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