Tragic Laughter

"A joke owes its character to the miscarriage of the intended sense into something ludicrously different."

Alvin Boyd Kuhn

"It is a psychological decoy which gives a false impression of relief so that the more dangerous issues can fester undisturbed"

Tony Staveacre

"I have found--especially on the stage--that when I finish a stunt, I can get a laugh by just standing still and looking at the audience as if I was surprised and slightly hurt to think they would laugh at me. It always brings a bigger laugh."

Buster Keaton