Greg Proops to Host Slapstick September Spotlighting Peter Sellers, Marx Brothers and More

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From Buster Keaton to Ron Burgundy, Turner Classic Movies is going to pratfall its way through an entire month of slapstick comedy.

TCM announced that they are dedicating every Tuesday and Wednesday all throughout September to the films of the physical comedy geniuses that defined the genre of slapstick. The series is called “Ouch! A Salute to Slapstick” and it will be hosted by Greg Proops. The classic film channel will also offer a free online course through Ball State University and the Canvas Network on slapstick in the movies.

As it moves through September, TCM will screen their slapstick comedies by historic era. Starting the month with the Silent Era which will include Charlie Chaplin’s first feature film, “Tillie’s Punctured Romance” from 1914, plus an offering from Old Stone Face, Buster Keaton with his masterpiece “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” plus other silent greats will be screened at the beginning of the month.

laurel and hardyFrom there, TCM will have slapstick classics from the 1930s with Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. The 1940s and 50s offer films featuring Abbott and Costello, W.C. Fields and Martin & Lewis. The 1960s will highlight films like “It’s Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World” plus two Peter Sellers classics “A Shot in the Dark” and “The Party”. When TCM gets to the 1970s, you’ll see “Young Frankenstein”, “Bananas” and many others. The final installment of “Ouch!” includes slapstick from “1980s and Beyond”, with “Strange Brew”, “The Naked Gun: From The Files of Police Squad!”, “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and others among the later slapstick films.

The complimentary six-week online course being offered by TCM will be taught by Ball State’s Richard Edwards. It’s called “Painfully Funny: Exploring Slapstick in the Movies” and it’s designed for film fans, comedy fans and anyone who would love to know the science behind a pie to the face. The course promises video clips, original trailers, panels on various slapstick topics and breakdowns of famous comedy scenes in the movies.

“Ouch! A Salute to Slapstick” hosted by Greg Proops begins Tuesday, September 6th on Turner Classic Movies. And to sign up for the free online course, “Painfully Funny: Exploring Slapstick in the Movies”, go to tcm.com.

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Ernie Tripper

Ernie Tripper