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Maybe we should all think of one moment in a movie or a book that made us laugh or that we found really, genuinely funny and share it here, then try to figure out what makes it tick.

How many of you know The Andy Griffith Show? It’s an old one— black and white, and made back when comedy was actually a legitimate art instead of just a bunch of crude clowning around.

Andy is a sheriff and the main character. His deputy, Barney Fife, is the main supporting character, and basically a nervous, anxious wreck.

Without giving a huge amount of context, one of the moments that sticks with me most came about like this: Barney was hunting a really dangerous criminal who had threatened to kill him if their paths ever crossed again. He was sitting in the middle of an old barn nervously shoving wad after wad of gum into his mouth while he was waiting.

The criminal is hiding in the hayloft. The entire episode has built up to this showdown between them.

So the criminal comes sneaking down, and long story short Barney completely loses it and jumps up with a scream and fires blindly.

The criminal is so terrified he gives up immediately.

Other sheriffs come running and take him into custody, and then Andy comes up and is slapping Barney on the back, congratulating him and saying how he’s so proud and it’s such a wonderful thing and everything, and Barney is just standing there in a daze, staring blankly.

Finally Andy asks him what’s the matter.

Barney simply replies in a dull, horrified voice— “I swallowed my gum.”

End scene.

XD

The strength here is its clever use of the unexpected and misdirection. Because of the build-up to this moment, our logical minds were expecting a punchline that has to do with the main conflict. Not only does Barney’s reply hit a completely unexpected (but nevertheless, foreshadowed) note, it breaks the tension with a laugh and turns our attention away from the excitement of the climax so we can start winding down, settling our satisfaction that all came out well and letting us walk away from the story with a smile on our face.

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