What is the name of the following comedic style:

[OO7MIKE]

What is it called when someone tells you something and you intentionally take it the wrong way or you intentionally misdirect your listener. Not in a bad way just a completely unexpected way that turns out to be the most rediculious way it could be taken.

Example:

"Hey, do you like Smashing pumpkins?"
"No... I've kinda outgrown that, it seems pretty adolecent to me now days."


"I have a personal question for you and I want you to be really open minded about it. *sigh*
"uh... ok I will"

"So.. How was your week end?!!"


I dont think this can be classified as sarcasm at all. I just found it interesting the other day where I did this to a fellow classmate and she didnt get it, she thought I was serious and felt she had to correct me when I did this. Her neighbor though it was very funny. Not only because I wasnt serious but because someone just didnt get the joke.

 

[QUALTHWAR]

Hmm, that’s a tough one. It sounds like some sort of misdirected comedy, but if you do a search for that, you just get sites talking about how “directors” didn’t do a good job.
I tried a search for comedy styles, then types of comedy and found this: http://www.filmsite.org/comedyfilms.html But that’s not really what you want.

It might take some research to crack this nut, unless somebody here just happens to know the answer. I just tried “comedy misdirection” and it looks like that might be more promising, but I haven’t the time to search around at the moment.

 

[OO7MIKE]

thx for the effort

It could be one of those things that doesnt have a name.

 

[Rukee]

According to "That 70`s Show" it`s called a BURN!!!

 

[Nachimir]

I'm not sure if what you're referring to has a name. The one about smashing pumpkins is just taking things literally.

 

[Stilgar]

uh, you're being facetious?

 

[Twrecks]

Don't call me Shirley.

 

[Btljuice]

Technically, one party is playing the Straight Man, feeding lines to the other party who then makes witticisms.
So basically, it's called the Straight Man comedy routine.

 

[Balton]

Technically, one party is playing the Straight Man, feeding lines to the other party who then makes witticisms.
So basically, it's called the Straight Man comedy routine.

Sheet... I think even oscar wilde used that style of comedy in his "importance of being earnest", I should know the answer.

 

[Btljuice]

Sheet... I think even oscar wilde used that style of comedy in his "importance of being earnest", I should know the answer.

A prime example of this type of routine is the classic Who's on First by Abbot and Costello. Another great team of this type of comedy was George Burns and Gracie Allen.