"Say Goodnight, Gracie" recollects GJ

My generation remembers the great humorists/comedians of our time. They were funny for many reasons. They commented on, reacted to, and were involved in the everyday, ordinary, down-to-earth situations that we all faced. Their performances were based on vocal inflection, facial expression, and the all-important timing. Some were called “stand up,” meaning that they were soloists, communicating with an audience as if it were one-on-one. Some worked with a genuine partner, and these equally funny team-mates were called “fall guys.” (Because they “fell for” the punch lines.) Tops among them were George Burns and Gracie Allen in the latter category, and Jack Benny in the stand-up genre.

George could ask a question that gave Gracie an “opening” and then respond with a “look,” after her hilarious reply that made you laugh again, to make it doubly funny. Yes, her replies were often “dumb” in the manner of modern “blonde” jokes, but he never allowed the exchange to become demeaning to her or to her gender.

Burns was great because he played fall guy for his wife (Gracie) yet he was, off and on, a soloist, too. He was, in reality, a combination of the two. His straight-faced, superb timing (which was punctuated by puffing on his cigar) didn’t just provoke laughter, it compelled it. His exit line, that which closed his TV program, was, “Say goodnight, Gracie.”

All of this is to pave the way for me to consider dropping out of the blogging business. The meter tells me that about 400 people a month tune in, and yet, only a tiny, tiny fraction ever respond. I am convinced that I did all that I could do to provoke response and encourage comment. It didn’t seem to work, and that’s OK. It’s a quirk in me, I guess, but I can’t continue much longer to communicate with an unresponsive “audience.” Apparently I need the give and take of other human beings.

On one hand, I could guess that everybody agrees with everything I have said. (Obviously can’t happen.) On the other hand, I could figure that everybody disagrees and never returns. (Not very likely.)

So, I’m thinking I ought to give serious thought to trying something else. Maybe I’d accomplish more by pulling back from an unseen, unknown “audience” to the comfort of family and extended family. If you have any opinion at all, I’d like to hear it, if only to say “thanks” to you and some sort of “Say Goodnight, Gracie.”