One lucky commentor will win a copy of WITNESS FOR THE PERSECUTION by E.J. Copperman!
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Our friend E.J. Copperman (aka Jeff Cohen) is a fan favorite here, in part because his books always leave you laughing. And honestly we can all use more laughter these days, right? Today, he's celebrating the publication of his third Jersey Girl Legal Mystery, WITNESS FOR THE PERSECUTION, about which Publishers Weekly said, "Vibrant characters, a suitably complicated plot, sparkling dialogue,
plenty of laughs, and some shrewd observations on L.A. and the film
industry make for a rollicking good time. Copperman knows how to
entertain." (That's a starred review, btw.)
Along with his books, what else is guaranteed to give you a laugh? Jeff's going to tell us.
In the 1941 Preston Sturges classic
Sullivan’s Travels, a director of film comedies wants to break into the
serious side and make a Statement with his next film, O Brother Where Art
Thou, a title the Coen Brothers borrowed some 59 years later. He thinks
that an artist shouldn’t be demeaning himself with silly antics and should be
improving the world with his Art.
Suffice it so say he goes through some things to reach the conclusion that maybe laughter isn’t such a bad calling after all. (If you haven’t seen the movie, stop reading right now and go watch it.)
I’ve been going through something a little like that lately, on a much smaller scale. Comical mystery novels are, let’s say, not the most respected branch of the library, and after 20 years (give or take a month) in the biz it tends to get to a writer. So I thought maybe I should be thinking about the bigger picture. Make a statement. Not forgo the jokes necessarily, but have more of a point.
Luckily I got over that particular
neurosis fast enough and so the third Jersey Girl Legal Mystery, Witness For the Persecution, was published… let me check here… Tuesday. And it has
little on its mind other than to get you hooked and hopefully make you laugh
while you’re guessing whodunnit. Or even if anyone dunnit.
But that did make me think about the past two years and how difficult they’ve been for virtually every human on the planet. Has comedy been enough to get us through it? I can only speak for myself, and my experience has not been nearly as horrific as others’, but I have a much lower tolerance for Serious than I did before, and I didn’t have that much before.
If I don’t see something funny at least once a day, I start to get the bends. It’s not a pretty picture.
So here are some works of art (small “a”) that have helped get me to today. Maybe you’d like to take a look yourself, or suggest something else that might lighten our mental loads. I’ll be watching the comments.
The Marx Brothers. They’re pretty much my religion. I
don’t put on a Marx movie as often as I want to, but that’s only because I live
with other people who are, in the eyes of society, more normal than I am. If
you’re only watching one I’d recommend any of the last three Paramount
features: Monkey Business, Horse Feathers or Duck Soup. The
laughs never stop. Except when Harpo sits down to play that stupid harp. (If
you have no tolerance for the harp, go with Duck Soup.)
Ted Lasso. Yes. The feel-good show of the pandemic. But it’s also hilarious. The characters of Roy Kent and Coach Beard alone are good for at least five out-loud laughs per half hour. The fact that the show has uplift and characters who are legitimately trying to do the right thing is icing on the cake. And I love icing. Although I’ve been told recently that icing and frosting are not the same thing.
Mel Brooks movies. Start with Young Frankenstein. It’s as close to perfect as a comedy film has ever been (even with a couple of scenes that are… um… less woke than they might be. But always in a good cause. The cast is actually perfect; no one else could have done any of the roles as well. Then move on to The Producers – the original, not the musical, which was great onstage and not fabulous on film – and if you aren’t easily offended, Blazing Saddles. There are plenty more but that’s enough to start.
30 Rock. If you’re not averse to seeing Alec Baldwin these days, check it out. The comedy is so off-kilter that there’s really not much else like it, and all the characters have a heart. It’s just that sometimes you need to look a little harder for it. That Tina Fey has a future in comedy, I think.
Schitt’s Creek. The Ted Lasso of 2020. The first season, I’ll grant you, takes a while to find its voice and its heart, but once you hit the episode where Eugene Levy actually defends Chris Elliott, it’s all pure pleasure from there. Funny and touching.
Galaxy Quest. It’s not just for Star Trek fans, but it treats them with respect. The wonderful ensemble cast is playing, well, an ensemble cast of a TV space opera that went off the air quite some time ago, but is picked up by actual ETs who have seen their show and think it’s a documentary. They need help with an intergalactic bad guy. What could go wrong? The characters aren’t just types and the pacing is excellent. You’ll forget your troubles for a while.
His Girl Friday. I don’t know who it was, but someone at RKO took a look at the classic stage and film satire The Front Page and realized exactly what was wrong with it. They changed the reporter leaving to get married into Rosalind Russell, then hired Cary Grant to be her unreasonable editor trying to keep her from bolting, and in a stroke of genius decided they were a divorced couple who really wanted to get back together. The dialogue comes at lightning speed and don’t for a second sleep on silent-film stalwart Billy Gilbert, who shows up in two scenes and steals the movie, proving he can be hilarious talking, too.
My Favorite Year. Co-written by psychologist and mystery author Dennis Palumbo, this could fall under the category of Mel Brooks-adjacent movies. Brooks’ company produced this hilarious fictionalized memoir of his time on Your Show of Shows shepherding somewhat troublesome guest Errol Flynn, here in the guise of “Alan Swann,” played with great relish by Peter O’Toole, one of the many Oscars he should have won. With a stellar comedy supporting cast including Selma Diamond, who actually wrote on Your Show of Shows.
I could go on. But I’d like to hear your suggestions for the next time life is overwhelming me. Where should I turn for a badly-needed laugh?
You can find out more about EJ Copperman/ Jeff Cohen and WITNESS FOR THE PERSECUTION at his website. You can also friend him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter as @ejcop.
