Did you ever do or say something that made someone laugh so hysterically they couldn't stop laughing, and even cried from laughing so hard?
Did you ever do or say something that made someone laugh so hysterically they couldn't stop laughing, and even cried from laughing so hard?
Do tell us your story, but to get started, here are two of mine, about half a century apart.
First of all some background info so you'll understand the story. I'm going to call the story "Chutzpah", and if you don't know what that means, it means what I had the nerve to do:
My maternal grandfather Louis had two brothers, Hayim and Sam, and all 3 had sons who all served in the Canadian Armed forces during WWII. At the end of the war they all came back except Hayim's son Sydney, who was a navigator in a bomber that flew missions over Europe that was shot down in 1944, and he is buried in Europe. To the dismay of Hayim's wife and two remaining sons, Jack and Dave, Hayim never laughed or even smiled much since the day he was notified of Sydney's death until this story happened.
I was ten years old in 1947, and uncle Hayim had a clothing store downtown that was around half a block from a movie theatre that was showing my favourite Captain Midnight serials in its Saturday afternoon matinees.
My father gave me 50 cents a week allowance on Sundays, and by the time Saturday rolled around I had spent most of it on candy, ice cream cones and comic books. Without my parents knowing, on Saturday after lunch I would go to uncle Hayim's store, where he was behind the cash register while Jack and Dave looked after customers. I would go up to Hayim and ask him for a quarter to go to the movies. He liked me (maybe because my real name was also Sydney), and he would open the antique cash register that went 'jingaling' when the drawer opened, and always give me a quarter. After a few weeks all I needed to do was go up to him, hold out my hand and he would open the 'jingaling' cash drawer and he would put a quarter in my hand. One Saturday, I came with a friend, amazingly I still remember his name - Cecil Kipfer. I went up to uncle Hayim, held out my hand, and he opened the 'jingaling' cash drawer and put a quarter in my hand. I looked at the quarter, I looked up at uncle Hayim, and I said: "But uncle, I brought a friend." Uncle Hayim looked a little shocked, but he opened the 'jingaling' cash drawer again and gave me second quarter, so Cecil and I ran out of the store to the movie theatre to make sure we were on time for the Captain Midnight serial.
When I got home, my father was waiting for me. He said: "I should spank you for begging uncle Hayim for money, but I can't, and from now on I'll give you an extra quarter every Saturday to go to the movies. Uncle Hayim's son Dave phoned me this afternoon and told me what you did. He was in tears when he told me that when you left the store, Hayim started to laugh. He would repeat: "But uncle, I brought a friend", and go into hysterical laughter, over and over. He had to sit down. He couldn't stop repeating "But uncle, I brought a friend" and go into another fit of hysterical laughter. They had to take him home. Their whole family can't thank you enough for makiing uncle Hayim laugh again;"
And from then on, uncle Hayim smiled and laughed just like everyone else.
About fifty years later, I had purchased a lakeside log chalet 4 cottages away from my best friend's cottage. We would drive up to the Halliburton Lake district in the Spring to check out our cottages there. Apparenty there were a number of breakins of the cottages because they weren't occupied yet, so the police were driving around the area looking for the culprit. It was a nice day, and knowing that my (now ex-) wife loved pussy willows, and they were blooming out along the road behind our lakeside places, I went up to gather some pussy willows to take back to Toronto.
While I was doing that, the police pulled up in their SUV and got out and walked up to me. One of them asked "What are you doing?" I said "I own the chalet down there and I'm just up here picking pussy willows." One cop looked at the other and said: "Ralph, somehow I don't think this is the guy we're looking for." and they turned around and while walking back to their SUV I heard them laughing and repeating "I'm just up here picking pussy willows" and then laughing again.
That's not the hysterical laughter - that happened next. I went to my friend's cottage and told him the story, and what I had said, and he started to laugh, and couldn't stop. In fact he was laughing uncontrollably and virtually rolling on the floor. When we got back to Toronto he told my Law Partner the story and HE couldn't stop laughing.
Is there something wrong with picking pussy willows?
Now, if YOU have caused anyone to laugh hysterically, let's hear YOUR stories.
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Hope you enjoyed my stories - I'd like to be able to enjoy yours.
Seems like I'm the only one on NT who was able to make anyone laugh hysterically.
Dear Friend Buzz: Not the only one.
Been busy with the High Holy Days and all.
Plus Chaplaincy remote in Florida and area, following Houston and area.
Once when my daughter and I were going for a ride when she was growing up, we jointly recited her favorite rhyme.
For some reason it tickled our funny bones. I had to pull over we were laughing so long and hard.
Just one of those beautiful moments you never forget.
E.
Well, at least ONE person other than myself has the ability to have made someone laugh hysterically.
Churchy La Femme from Pogo had some philosophy for everyone: "Don't take life so serious, son. It ain't nohow permanent."