I was saddened to hear of the recent passing of Phyllis
Diller, one of America’s iconic funny ladies.
But, heck, she lived to be 95!
That’s a lot of laughs!
I was always drawn to funny women as a girl, and Phyllis
Diller is one of the funny women I remember from my childhood. I loved Erma
Bombeck’s weekly column in the newspaper.
I loved Lucille Ball in her various shows. I loved watching Ruth Buzzi, Jo Anne Worley,
and Goldie Hawn on Laugh-In. Lily Tomlin
sitting in the oversized rocking chair as Edith Ann was a hoot and a half. The
hilarious sketches and unusual costumes on the Carol Burnett Show are the stuff of legend.
Looking back is bittersweet, but it also makes me wonder,
what was it about these women that I admired then and continue to admire today?
Most of all, I think I admired these women because they were
brave. While many Hollywood starlets are
admired for their beauty and grace, these women dared to be different. It’s not that these women weren’t physically
attractive, because many of them were, but they dared to defy the rules of
decorum and weren’t constrained by some outdated notion of how women were
supposed to behave.
These women offered their fans
some levity, a much-needed break from the drudgery of everyday life. They didn’t mind acting goofy if it would
bring a smile to someone’s face. Their
shows gave us all something to look forward to, a time to set aside our
troubles even if only for half an hour or so.
I admired their creativity, too. They could take a mundane topic or an
ordinary event and show the humor in it.
That’s not always easy to do.
These women showed us how to cope, taught us not to take
life too seriously. It’s only life,
after all.
Rest in peace, Phyllis.
Do you have any special memories of funny women from
television or movies? What do you admire
about these types of women? What did you
learn from them?
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3 comments:
I loved Roseanne Barr. I learned from her TV show that dinner was just one speed dial- away.
I loved all the legends you mentioned! Lily Tomlin's One ringy dingy always cracked me up :) And Lucy & Ethel whether in the chocolate factory or the grapes. They were some pretty special ladies!
Carol Burnett was on when I was young and I remember loving the show and the comedy that was not always slapstick, but sometimes more subtle. And I can't think of Phyllis Diller without thinking of the Scooby Doo episode where she was "cartooned".
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