The Only Place to Be

"I'm telling ya, Jack, the motion picture business is the only place to be!

Yeah, got myself a new phone, can you hear me?  You and me together, bubbela, like in the old days!  With our connections, we'll be making pictures in no time.  We can get Pickford, we can get Chaplin, when the timing’s right, we can get Jolson!

Ah, Jackie, come on!  Take a week and drive with me to LA, we'll talk it though. There's gold in them thar Hollywood Hills!" 

Told you, Jack, I just got the latest phone.  Yep, with all the apps!

Of course I'm talking to you from 1913!   Who'd be crazy enough to want to go into the movie business in 2057?!"

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Picture prompt above, story below, 120 words .... that's the run down of my weekly contribution to the Fabulous Friday Fictioneers and Justice League of America Superheroes for this third week of January, 2013.

I'm no superhero for being above 100 words, but I'll try to come to the rescue of that imperiled word tally next week. Til then, you guys ought to be in pictures! 

If we can just convince Jackie to make them. 

A New Joke for Humanity

LOL!  LMAO!  ROTFLMAO!

(It's all good.)

As many of you know, I happen to be somewhat of an inventor. And in my sincere hope of bringing merriment and joy to the world, I have invented a totally new form of humor!  

I call it the New Joke for Humanity. (pat. pend.)

Never mind the fact that last year I invented the world's first pair of pants that makes you look Jewish.  Although I was quite proud of the patented "Crouch Control" spandex  feature, not only did my pants fail to catch on with the American public, I'm facing lawsuits from half a dozen men who bought them including one guy who came down with something called "Inverted Penis Syndrome" who's being represented by Alan Dershowitz.

But the New Joke for Humanity will be different. 

We live in an age crying out for humor. "Shit My Dad Says" still has three million followers, Kristin Wiig is given a send-off on Saturday Night Live as if she were Charlie Chaplin, and in some remote pockets of the northernmost reaches of the central United States, Jay Leno is considered sporadically amusing.  

So several weeks ago I retreated to my Comedy Laboratory  (Note to Self:  Invent Comedy Laboratory)  intent on creating  a joke guaranteed to make you laugh your bejesus off!  BTW, unlike your ass, you can survive quite well without a functioning bejesus. 

After weeks of working feverishly without food, drink, or rest --- which will be condensed into an action-packed montage when the movie is made --- I fashioned the first three prototypes of my New Joke for Humanity: 

• "I just can't remember how you describe an article of clothing for someone of average build," the medium sighs.

• "I just can't remember the name of that famous drag queen," rued Paul.

• “Be-be, be-be,-be-be, I just can’t remember the name of that animal with the-the q-q-q-quills,” Porky opined. 

Cute premise, huh?  Thank you very much!

How do I know I have actually invented this revolutionary new joke format and that no person before me has ever scaled the heights of this incredible Mt. Everest of Comedy? 

Frankly I've conducted extensive and painstaking research in dusty libraries, esoteric museums, out-of-the-way antiques shops, and third-rate comedy clubs all throughout the world (or Google has) and found only one instance in history of the existence of a similar joke. That joke was delivered by an obscure young Greek comic named Drolius at open mike night in the Athens Lyceum in 427 BC. 

He did orate as follows:

• "As sure as I am  the greatest philosopher of all time, I forget what I did to Plato that night he and I spent together in a cave," butted in Socrates.

It didn't get a laugh.  Drolius went on to sell aluminum siding for Ionic and Corinthian split levels.  

So when it comes to the New Joke for Humanity, I be da man!

Here, Humanity!   A few exemplars of the world's newest joke to LOL you to sleep:

• "As sure as I am the former star quarterback for the now defunct Baltimore Colts, I can't remember the name of the country I live in," Johnny Unitas states.

• "As sure as I am the popular older actor named Van Dyke,  I just don't know what I should have done to show my new young wife that part of my body I want her to pay most attention to," pointed out Dick.

• "I can't seem to remember how I got that tough stain out of my shirt last week," Ida shouted out.

• "As sure as I am the founder of a University in Baltimore named Hopkins, I just cannot remember what my former wife who is a trial judge does when she picks up her gavel to keep order in the court,"  Johns expounds.

• "I can't seem to remember the name of the capital of American's second largest state," Austin texts us.

• "And as sure as I'm a famous British actor named Michael, I can't remember the name of the second largest city in Washington State," spoke Caine.

• "As sure as I'm the founder of Motown, I can't remember the name of that small round red fruit," rasped Berry Gordy.

• "As sure as I'm the late Chicago author named Turkel, I just cannot remember what happened that night when everyone on the Chicago Bulls had sex," Studs ejaculated. 

Want to play around with the New Joke for Humanity yourself?  Be my guest!   But you better do it now!   Once the patent issues, there will be royalties.  Big time. 

"Because as sure as I'm that young-looking sportscaster named Bob,  never forget what'll happen if any one of us tries to make unauthorized use of Perry's invention," jokes Costas!  

Humanity is one thing, my friends.  Business is another!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I just don't remember what happened that time we had sex twice in one night," he came back at her.