Sock it to Me!- A Documentary on Satire and Parody
The definition of satire: The use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices.
The definition of parody: An imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect
Please answer the following questions on parody and satire whilst watching the documentary.
1. What does satire and parody allow us to do?
______
2. How has satire influenced politicians in the past?
______
Will Rodgers 1920-1930s
Fill in the gaps:
3. He had the ______that you could get up and ______the ______.
4. How did things change after the 30s?
When you’re at ______you turn your comedy in on ______. When you’re at ______you turn your comedy ______to the enemy and you’re much more ______about the people internally.
Abbott and Costello
5. What did they give their audience during the war?
______.
The 1950s
6. Name three famous American comic writers of the 1950s: a. b. c. Parody on the ‘Sid Caesar’s Show’
7. What did the ‘Sid Caesar’s Show’ parody?
______
8. Why was the audience who watched the ‘Sid Caesar’s Show’ termed ‘sophisticated’?
______
______
9. Why was the ‘Sid Caesar’s Show’ ultimately terminated?
______
______
Tom Lehrer
10. What was the main humorous technique used by Lehrer in his songs?
______
11. Who were his biggest listeners?
______
Mad Magazine- Bill Gain
12. Who were the biggest readers of ‘Mad Magazine’ in the 1960s?
______
13. Fill in the gaps:
‘Mad’ ______a voice for those kids who saw through the ______in the ______but didn’t know how to ______this.
Alan Sherman
14. How is Alan Sherman described? Fill in the gaps: A ______satirist with ______humour. 15. Fill in the gaps: Rosanne Arnold says: “______groups are attracted to comedy because they’re ______. If you make fun of your own in front of the ______culture you can move ______to them.”
Mel Brooks
Fill in the gaps:
16. Mel Brooks says: “One of my life long ______has been to make the world laugh at ______. Because how do you get ______with him? You have to bring him down with ______.”
17. What is an example of Brooks bringing down Hitler with ridicule?
______
Carol Burnett in 1967 with ‘The Carol Burnett Show’
18. What was the main objective of ‘The Carol Burnett Show’?
______
______
Dan Rowan and Dick Martin in ‘Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In’ in 1968
19. What was the focus of the show?
______
20. Who made an unusual appearance on the show?
______
21. Nowadays, it is standard operating procedure for presidents and candidates to appear on comedy shows. Give 2 examples.
a. ______
b. ______
Saturday Night Live
22. Who satirises George W. Bush?
______23. Fill in the gaps:
“Our ______are mercenaries. We pay them to do the ______things we can’t do. We’d get ______, we don’t have the ______, we’re not that ______and we have to let them do their ______.”
Wayans Brothers and ‘In Living Colour’
Fill in the gaps:
24. ‘In Living Colour’ was the ______successful show to explore ______from a ______perspective.
25. Bill Crystal comments:
“The ______really has to tell the ______… You have to get the ______to nod their head and say, “Damn it, he’s ______.’”
26. In 2004 which American parody news show won an award for outstanding achievement in news and information?
______
27. What did the critics association confuse?
______
28. What parody news shows are currently screening on Australian TV? ______
29. Without looking at the definition of ‘satire’ and ‘parody’ at the top of this worksheet, test yourself. Try and write the definition of each term and see how much you can remember.
a. Satire ______
______
b. Parody ______
______