- Blackout gag
A blackout gag is a term mainly used in
animated cartoons to describe a manner in which a gag or joke is played out.The term refers to a rapidly set-up situation in the cartoon storyline, that may be irrelevant to the rest of the story, that has a quick-fire gag then cuts to the fade-out, or "blackout". This accentuates the joke with a swift cut off without any need for a follow-on line or wrapping the joke up in any way. It may use a shock value to define the joke.
The abrupt ending is what makes the joke funny as it is usually an unexpected event. It may not be initially noticeable to all viewers if it is a very fast joke.
Fast-paced cartoon shorts, such as those made by Warner Bros. (particularly the
Road Runner series) and the MGM cartoons ofTex Avery use this technique frequently.Because many of the blackout gag cartoons feature explosions and the character's face going black (as in a
Negro caricature or similar style), the term is sometimes misinterpreted literally. A similar technique where the screen is black except for illuminated eyes or similar is not a "blackout gag" either.A recent similar use of a blackout gag was in "
Family Guy ", the episode where it ends with Brian the Dog pushing Stewie in front of a Bus, in revenge for Stewie's violent treatment in a previous episode. But the storyline it concluded started long before, so it is merely similar in the ending style to a blackout hag.Blackout gags have also appeared in non-animated, live-action film and TV comedy. Many of the slapstick comedies of the
silent film era have employed them, for instance, as have the television comedies ofRed Skelton andBenny Hill .External links
* [http://ask.metafilter.com/65826/What-is-a-blackout-gag What Is A Blackout Gag]
* [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/03/tashlin.html Frank Tashlin Blackout Gag]
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