When I was only six, my mother and father sent my older brother to<br /><br />take me to watch the Olson and Johnson routine at a New York<br /><br />City nightclub called THE CARNIVAL. I had been aware of the<br /><br />antics of the Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and<br /><br />Costello, but now I could see first hand the live slapstick of<br /><br />involved comedy.<br /><br />The film "Crazy House" is a perfect example of keeping the wild art<br /><br />of updated slapstick alive on film. It is an update of the pie<br /><br />throwing of early silents and the progression from Charlie Chaplin<br /><br />to Charlie Chase. This film even has small roles for all the lesser<br /><br />known comics of that era. Their roles in this movie are much the<br /><br />same as the bit inserts into "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World".<br /><br />For those a little bit younger than myself, this film would be called<br /><br />the progenitor of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In", a TV series that ran<br /><br />from 1968-1973.<br /><br />All I can say is, "If you want to see the visualization of one liners as<br /><br />presented in the 1940's try and get to see this film". In the short<br /><br />while, watch "Laugh In" reruns and prep yourself for a look back<br /><br />into comedy history.<br /><br />