"Comedy Happens to You, Tragedy Happens to Me"

My colleague Kal Raustiala—who is writing a book about the life and legacy of Ralph Bunche, an American diplomat, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and (key!) UCLA graduate (and valedictorian)—found this in Bunche's personal notes:

At a Finnish mission lunch Thursday 17 oct 68, Gunnar Jarring, Swedish diplomat working for UN, says to Romanian dep FM, talking about film, "The Russians Are Coming was quite funny"

Romanian says, "It isnt so funny in my country"

(I've seen the quote in the title of this post credited to Mel Brooks, though not in any definite way; English writer Angela Carter has a version of it, as I imagine others do, too.)

Comments

[Bob from Ohio]

The full Brooks quote:

“Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.”

[santamonica811]

heh

[bernard11]

That's right.

[larvatus]

Mel Brooks:
Tragedy is when I cut my finger.
Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.

[Dan Schiavetta]

The idea of Russians invading the U.S. was seriously put forth in those days. The movie successfully mocked the idea. The producers would not have made a comedy about invading Hungary because it was a different situation.

Ok you can go back to saying “you do not get to pick the day you need a guy” and go back to manning the barricade in Room 713 of the Faculty Tower.

[Eugene Volokh]

??? I just thought it was a funny exchange; I'm not trying to fault the movie, or the Swedish diplomat, or Ralph Bunche, or anyone else.

[Dan Schiavetta]

Ok
It just shows different perspective
What Jarring (who I remember well) learned is that one should know ones audience

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

An American says to a Russian, "I can march around the White House and call the President a liar. That's what free speech is."

The Russian says he too has free speech. He too can march around the Kremlin and call the American President a liar.

[Armchair Lawyer]

+1

[Rat on a train (non donor)]

American: We have freedom of speech.
Russian: We also have freedom of speech, but we don't have freedom after speech.

[MaverickNH]

"Emergency. Everybody to get from street."

A quote I've found useful on many occasions.

[James Pollock]

Red Dawn came out while I was of draft age, had we had a draft at the time.

[Armchair Lawyer]

That was a great movie.

[bernard11]

The actual title was "The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!"

Alan Arkin was fabulous.