European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 3, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Daily Magazine a dearth of Tif. Comic Johnny Carton right pooling boxing promoter Don King t Hir it Boon joking about president Hagan Fol Cal humor by Steven 0. Stark new York times Johnny Carson like a Tot of other american comedians has found a subject he can t Stop making jokes about Ronald Reagan and the Iran Contra arms scandal. There s a new Strain of flu making the rounds the adm John p. Poindexter flu. Once you get ii it s easy to get rid of you Swallow a Lite note asking it to resign Iron your body the president is doing Tine alter surgery but in Case of any discomfort the doctors gave him something to help him sleep through the foreign policy  the Iran Contra affair has temporarily put political humor into the . National spotlight and is providing Grill for those who do political material on tha thriving club circuit. On several recent occasions Abc has run in prime time spilling image a Brilis reproduced puppet show of Sharp political satire. But by and Large political comedy is a scarce commodity in the to dominated american entertainment world of the 1980s. That is Why Many professionals involved in the comedy scene say the recent increase in . Political humor is Only a temporary aberration triggered by the Iran arms imbroglio. Though a few american humorists have practice the Craft successfully throughout this decade the comedian Mark Russell the cartoonist Gary Trudeau and Carson the Reagan Era is still not producing anything As popular or As biting As the comedy of a Flo it san in Hie 1950s and 60s, a Dick Gregory the smothers Brothers or even a Chevy Chase who Rose to Lama 12 years ago stumbling Over everything in his path in imitation of president Gerald Ford that s Why comedians Tike Sahl insist Hal despite the Iran Al air political humor is much less Papular in he United slates today than it was in the 60s or 70s their in t really any political humor now says Sahl. The kids Are apolitical and the democrats platform is to wait for Reagan to slip on a banana Peel " if political humor has become less popular Over inc past decade it is partly a reflection of Tho times in general tha belter the limes Are the less political humor there is says Arthur Dudden a history professor at Bryn mawr College and author of several books on american humor. Indeed some of the Best political humor has traditionally come in times of trouble. Will Rogers helped the United Stales laugh its Way through the depression tha nation s internal conflicts Over the Vietnam Wai and civil rights during the 60s sparked an abundance of political comedy. We re not a revolutionary nation anymore so when we find drastic shortcomings in our politics we laugh about them says Dudden. We do it out of a sense of helplessness it preserves some degree of stability according to Many who have worked extensively in the medium television has altered the Quality of political humor in american culture at Large. Much of the political humor i see today satirizes the news meaning television news rather than tha issues says Herb Sargent a senior writer for saturday night live and former producer of thai was the week that was. It s nol really Aboul substance. I also think political humor today focuses much More on personalities As opposed to issues than  satire has always been a minority Art form but 25 years ago there was a consensus in the Type of audience that likes political humor says Tom Lehrer a popular topical humor song writer during the 60s, who now leaches and writes in Santa Cruz Calif. We All agreed thai Lynching was bad and that to liked Adlai Stevenson. The issues were clearer. Nowadays that s not True. If you Lell a joke Aboul Israel or the space shuttle you alienate Aboul Hall the  liberals Don t have anything to Cay anymore. They be lost their sense of humor says Sahl who opened a one Man show in los Angeles this month. The liberals just want to talk about problems abroad like South  today s Slud cols Are concerned Aboul stability. They re career minded they weren t brought up to sneer says Dudden. Malcolm Muggridge once said that All Greal humor is in bad Tasto. Today s Young people Are in infinitely Good  others attribute this generation s Lack of interest in political humor to different factors. There was an orgy of political humor about watergate and Gerald Ford in the 70s, and in became like drug or dead baby jokes people got jaded says Steve o Donnell head writer for David Letterman whose late night television show does very Little political humor. In the 60s, political humor was Iresh. Unusual  i think the real problem is that what s happening these Days is so surreal that it s much harder to make fun of it says Lehrer in a comment echoed by others. I said 10 years ago thai political satire became obsolete the Day Henry Kissinger won the Nobel peace  there is of course one notable exception to network television s avoidance of political humor Johnny Carson s nightly tonight show monologue now the viewing Public s principal exposure to the genre unlike others Carson can get away with slinging political humor on television because he has a late night audience less easily offended than one during prime time. Indeed after almost 25 years of monologues Carson s audiences have come to expect his Brand of political humor. It s a tradition Johnny doing the events of the Day says o Donnell. Besides if you do a monologue every night what else can you talk Aboul Carson and his writers also clearly know their audience. Among politicians Tho tonight show monologue is widely considered an often Moro accurate gauge of How americans eel about issues and world loaders than a Public opinion poll. Yet others cite Carson s finely honed sense of Public opinion As an example of How lame political comedy has become. Tho Best political comedians have always prodded their audiences Carson they claim Only reflects his Carson has no Hase he s an Seq dial Oppio Lucily satirist says Ono political humorist when people snarl calling Johnny Corson one of our leading political commentators what has happened to or o country asked Sard the stars and stripes Page 13