Forwarded by Jeremy Butler, please direct comments to Dan Gribbin ([log in to unmask]). --- original message --- A couple of weeks ago, in reference to "Bean," Jim Marsden made reference to the French lionization of Jerry Lewis, a topic which raises interesting questions about the function of humor in different cultures. While Lewis's appeal to American audiences in the 50's may well have depended, to a large extent, on the dynamic between him and Dean Martin, the French may be responding to an entirely different element in the films from what American audiences experienced. The antics of a schlemiel in a postwar American setting may have been particularly appealing to French audiences, raising the possibility that humor may gain something in the translation from culture to culture. Do any other examples come to mind? (How popular was Peter Sellers in England, for example?) A possible French analogy: "Les comperes" played recently on American satellite dish networks, but I have not, as yet, seen evidence of a sudden upsurge of American interest in Pierre Richard's comic work. I've always loved his movies but haven't, up to now, found many Americans who share that weakness. Can we look for a delayed Jerry Lewis effect, here? Who knows. Dan Gribbin Dan Gribbin ([log in to unmask]) Professor of English Ferrum College Ferrum, Virginia 24088 540-365-7303 ********************************************* ---- Jeremy Butler [log in to unmask] ScreenSite http://www.tcf.ua.edu/ScreenSite Telecommunication & Film/University of Alabama/Tuscaloosa/AL ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite http://www.tcf.ua.edu/screensite