Flips & gasmeters

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 03/09/2001 5:23:17 PM Eastern Standard Time, gt1 at NYU.EDU
writes:

>  As for this humor being heavy- handed:
>  to be sure it is, but what is to be done?  We are enlightened, and our
>  forebearers were not.  Dialect humor was very wide-spread in vaudeville
>  and radio, and even in early television.

Much earlier.  Attila the Hun had a court jester who specialized in dialect
humor.

(Reference: Priscus, quoted in C.D. Gordon, "The Age of Attila." Univ. of
Michigan Press, 1972.  I'm quoting this one from memory so I hope it's
correct.)

              - Jim Landau