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Funniest TV episode Of All Time

C

ChuckRoast

Last night ME TV aired an episode of Nat Hiken's "Car 54, Where Are You?" that is, to me, the funniest half hour of TV ever produced. "Boom! Boom! Boom!' was originally broadcast on January 14, 1962. All the various departments of the city government of New York participate in a Barbershop Quartet contest. The catch is that they are all required to sing the same song. One of the celebrity judges is Jan Murray, playing himself, who is driven insane in hilarious fashion on hearing the same song over and over again by hundreds of quartets all using the same arrangement of a solo voice accompanied by the rest of each group intoning "Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! What makes this episode especially surreal is that the 53rd Precinct's soloist is lanky Patrolman Francis Muldoon(the great Fred Gwynne) whose speaking voice is in the bass register but singing voice is an obviously dubbed Irish tenor sound. The plot unfurls from this point in crazy ways and wraps up in a sentimental finish.

What do you think is the funniest episode of a TV show ever produced?
 
There are probably a number that would qualify but if I get to pick only one it would be the "Three's Company" episode of "8 Rules" where Ritter's character falls into a dream and imagines he is back in "Three's Company" and his Rules daughters are his 3's roommates.
 
Rev. Jim taking the test on "Taxi."

What does a yellow light mean?

cd
 

What does a yellow light mean?

Sloooooow down!

Another Car 54 episode had a cemetery salesman pitching plots to the cops. His pitch was it was a former golf course and the 16th hole overlooked a drive in theatre showing first run films. Toody says: "oo, oo, I can't wait I want to go now!"
 
I was thinking of starting a thread like this just recently. I'd agree with the WKRP Turkey Drop, Jim's test on Taxi, and the Adam's Ribs episode of MASH. I'd also add the following:

The Yankee Doodle Doctor episode of MASH, where Hawkeye and Trapper take over the filming of a documentary on the 4077th and do a routine as Groucho and Harpo Marx.

From the Carol Burnett Show: The dentist routine with Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, and Tim Conway's Siamese Elephants routine, which was actually an outtake that showed up in later years on bloopers shows and the reunion show.

And finally, The Last Newhart, which is my favorite final episode of any show ever. ;D
 
Archie Bunker explaining how to prevent air hijacking by arming all the passengers with guns.

Fred Sanford's comment (which I can not use the word here) regarding the racial makeup of a courtroom.

Al Bundy telling a female customer that she needed horseshoes instead of regular ones.

Johnny Carson appearing on the Dean Martin Show uttering a swear word (which was bleeped out) and Martin falling to the floor laughing.
 
anotherguy said:
From the Carol Burnett Show: The dentist routine with Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, and Tim Conway's Siamese Elephants routine, which was actually an outtake that showed up in later years on bloopers shows and the reunion show.
Click to expand...

Don't forget "Went With The Wind", when Carol's Scarlett O'Hara parody descends a grand staircase wearing the "dress".

"Well, I saw it in the window and I couldn't resist..."
 
Legend City said:
Fawlty Towers, "Don't mention the war"
Click to expand...

That's a great one, but my vote would have to go to Fawlty Towers, "Basil the Rat."

The first time I saw that one I laughed so hard I was sore the next day.
 
Most posters are missing the mark on this thread. The OP asked "what is the funniest TV episode of all time", not the funniest sketch.
 
Mark_Giardina said:
Johnny Carson appearing on the Dean Martin Show uttering a swear word (which was bleeped out) and Martin falling to the floor laughing.
Click to expand...

Ed Ames appearing on The Tonight Show in 1965 and throwing a hatchet that landed on the target's uh... "important region." Johnny Carson said (after about half a minute), "I didn't know you were Jewish!"
 
"Don't Mention the War" and "Chuckles" mentioned earlier are right up there with my favorites, but I'll add the Seinfeld episode where Jerry and Elaine are on a flight together. He's in 1st Class where everything is beyond wonderful, she's in coach where everything is beyond horrible. Near the end Kramer comes flying out of the baggage unloader onto the carousel - it's just a panic! I've watched it over and over.
 
The Bob Newhart Show where Bob, Jerry and Howard spend Thanksgiving together. They all
get drunk and try to make a turkey, before finally ordering out for a pallet of Chinese.

Green Acres where Dinky Watkins, the 12 year old electronical genius, turns Oliver Douglas into
an unwitting TV and Radio star.

Cheers when Cliff becomes a contestant on Jeopardy

Gomer Pyle, USMC when Sgt. Carter sells his car to Gomer because it uses too much gas.
Sgt Hacker then secretly fills the tank each night so that Gomer gets very good mileage.
Then Carter buys the car back and Hacker siphons gas out each night. This cycle repeats
several times until Carter finally blows the car up with an errant cigar.

Married with Children where Marcy keeps having a dream that she is about to
go to bed with Steve and suddenly he turns into Al.

Mr. Belvedere where Bob Uecker's character George, a TV sportscaster, tries to be more
controversial so he delivers an editorial trashing the playing of the National Anthem before ballgames.
The station tries to fire him but he is under contract. So they give him all the crap jobs,
including dressing as a hobo to show Albanian cartoons at six in the morning.
 
The mention of Fawlty Towers made me think of a couple of other British shows:

Monty Python's Spam and Dead Parrot sketches

Mr. Bean's Christmas episode where he gets his head stuck in a turkey.  ;D
 
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