Chuckles Bites the Dust

Chuckles Bites the Dust
"Chuckles Bites the Dust"
The Mary Tyler Moore Show episode
Episode no. Season 6
Episode 7
Directed by Joan Darling
Written by David Lloyd
Original air date October 25, 1975 (1975-10-25)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Mary's Aunt"
Next →
"Mary's Delinquent"
List of The Mary Tyler Moore Show episodes

"Chuckles Bites the Dust" is an episode of the television situation comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show which first aired October 25, 1975. The episode's plot centers on the fictictious WJM-TV staff's humorous reaction to the absurd death of Chuckles the Clown, an often-mentioned but seldom seen character who starred in an eponymously titled show at the station.

Contents

Plot

Chuckles is hired as the grand marshal for a circus parade, after news anchor Ted Baxter is ordered by Lou Grant to turn down the honor. Lou later rushes into the newsroom in shock and tells the staff that Chuckles has been killed during the parade. He had dressed as the character Peter Peanut, and a rogue elephant tried to "shell" him, causing fatal injuries. The unusual circumstances of Chuckles' death provoke a wave of jokes, especially by Lou, Sue Ann Nivens, and Murray Slaughter (e.g., "You know how hard it is to stop after just one peanut!" and, "He could've gone as Billy Banana and had a gorilla peel him to death"). Everyone continues their uncontrollable laughter, with the exception of Mary, who is appalled by her co-workers' apparent lack of respect for the deceased.

At the funeral, the jokes continue until the services are about to start, at which time a final scolding by Mary encourages all of the attendees to become properly somber. However, Mary alone begins to laugh uncontrollably as the minister recounts Chuckles' comedy characters and comic routines. She tries to stifle her emotions, but simply cannot contain herself during the eulogy:

"Chuckles the Clown brought pleasure to millions. The characters he created will be remembered by children and adults alike: Peter Peanut, Mr. Fee-Fi-Fo, Billy Banana, and my particular favorite, Aunt Yoo Hoo. And not just for the laughter they provided—there was always some deeper meaning to whatever Chuckles did. Do you remember Mr. Fee-Fi-Fo's little catch phrase? Remember how, when his arch rival Señor Kaboom hit him with a giant cucumber and knocked him down, Mr. Fee-Fi-Fo would always pick himself up, dust himself off, and say, 'I hurt my foo-foo'? Life's a lot like that. From time to time we all fall down and hurt our foo-foos. If only we could deal with it as simply and bravely and honestly as Mr. Fee-Fi-Fo. And what did Chuckles ask in return? Not much. In his own words, 'A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants.'"

Mary's co-workers appear shocked at her behavior. The minister tells the mortified Mary that laughter is actually in keeping with Chuckles' life and urges her to "Laugh... Laugh for Chuckles", at which point she breaks into uncontrollable sobbing.

Reception

In 1997, this episode was ranked #1 on TV Guide's "100 Greatest Episodes Of All Time".[1] In 2009, TV Guide ranked the episode #3 on "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time".[2] Written by David Lloyd, this episode earned him an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series."[3]

The funeral scene was directly parodied in the "It's the Great Pancake, Cleveland Brown" episode of The Cleveland Show.

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chuckles the Clown — is a fictional character on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS, 1970 1977). His character is best known for his off camera death in the episode Chuckles Bites the Dust. Chuckles was known for his popular philosophy in verse: A little song, a little… …   Wikipedia

  • The Mary Tyler Moore Show — Mary Tyler Moore Opening title Format Sitcom Created by James L. Brooks Allan Burns Starring …   Wikipedia

  • The Mary Tyler Moore Reunion — Infobox Film name = The Mary Tyler Moore Reunion image size = caption = director = Gary Smith producer = A.D. Oppenheim Dann Netter writer = A.D. Oppenheim Dann Netter narrator = starring = Mary Tyler Moore Edward Asner Gavin MacLeod Valerie… …   Wikipedia

  • List of minor characters on The Mary Tyler Moore Show — The following is a list of minor characters regularly featured on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. For the main characters, see the following pages: Ted Baxter • Lou Grant • Phyllis Lindstrom • Rhoda Morgenstern • Sue Ann Nivens • Mary Richards •… …   Wikipedia

  • Mary Tyler Moore: The 20th Anniversary Show — Written by Phil Savenick Laurie Jacobson Marcia Lewis Directed by Jack Haley, Jr. Starring Mary Tyler Moore Edward Asner Valerie Harper Gavin MacLeod …   Wikipedia

  • Tripping the Rift — Infobox Television show name = Tripping the Rift caption = The Cast on the Season 1 DVD box set format = Animated series, science fiction, sitcom runtime = 20 minutes creator = Chris Moeller, Chuck Austen producer = Andrew Makarewicz starring =… …   Wikipedia

  • List of The Mary Tyler Moore Show episodes — This is a list of episodes for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , a U.S. television series that aired from 1970 to 1977. Season One 1970 1971 *1. Love is All Around *2. Today I Am a Ma am *3. Bess, You is My Daughter Now *4. Divorce Isn t Everything *5 …   Wikipedia

  • Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing — The Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series is one of the annual awards given by the Directors Guild of America. Contents 1 Winners and nominees 1.1 1970s 1.2 1980s 1.3 1990 …   Wikipedia

  • David Lloyd (writer) — David Lloyd Born July 7, 1934(1934 07 07) Bronxville, New York, USA Died November 10, 2009(2009 11 10) (aged 75) Beverly Hills, California, USA Occupation …   Wikipedia

  • Phyllis (TV series) — Phyllis Phyllis with mother in law Audrey Dexter, 1975. Genre Sitcom Created by …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”