Running gag
From Free net encyclopedia
The running gag is a popular hallmark of comic and serious forms of entertainment. A running gag is an amusing situation or line that reappears throughout the work. They are often unintentional at first, but familiarity or popularity of such gags among viewers encourage their reappearance. Often, the humor in a running gag derives entirely from how often it is repeated.
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Examples of running gags
- In the movie Airplane! there are many running gags. Perhaps the most well-known gag involves the character Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen) responding to sentences containing the word "surely" with "Don't call me Shirley."
- In the animated series The Simpsons there are many running gags, especially noted in its opening sequence, which has a different message on a chalkboard, musical interlude on a saxophone, and segment involving a couch.
- On the animated television series South Park, the character Kenny McCormick died in nearly every episode, followed by the character Stan Marsh shouting "Oh my God, they killed Kenny!" and then Kyle Broflovski shouting "You bastards!". Kenny reappears in each subsequent episode as if nothing happened, yet the children know that Kenny has died more than once.
- On the television series "Friends," there were several running gags, but the longest, and most popular with fans, was a repeated line by Ross: "We were on a break!" This referred to an argument Ross and Rachel had in the 3rd season, and was referenced all the way through the series into the series finale in season 10.
- In the Metal Gear (and Metal Gear Solid) video game series, the cardboard box is an item used by the main character, Solid Snake, in order to hide from enemies. His fondness for the trick developed into a running joke over the course of the series.
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