The Best Medicine

I joined the Edmonton Film Society this spring to review old "silver screen" movies (1943-1963)from an era before digital special effects and gratuitous scenes that plague every blockbuster movie of today. Every Monday evening they show a film at the museum from their Comedy Gold series and I couldn't be happier! I invited some friends to join me to experience this with me and we are probably the youngest people in the theatre. Each week I find myself chuckling along with a room full of maturity. To be completely honest, many times I am not laughing at the quick wit in the line delivery of the actor but in the roar that is soon to follow from the audience. The laughter that fills the room is so refreshing! I can hear a sense of maturity and appreciation of a simpler time when the older man behind me bust out laughing at a ridiculous line or the elderly lady in the middle giggles at the on screen humor.


This past week was especially enjoyable as the opening scene of The Thrill Of it All (1963) starring Doris Day and James Gardner shows a woman (Arlene Francis who plays a supporting character, Mrs. Fraleigh) snickering to herself, trying to keep her composure on her way to tell her husband some good news. One of my favorite parts was as she entered the elevator in her husband's office building filled with serious business men in suits on their way in to work. She starts to snicker and they try to ignore her foolishness, she then looks a man square in the eye and begins to laugh out loud. He awkwardly smiles and lets a little laugh out to ease the uncomfortable moment in front of all the other business executives. She then turns to another and another and just starts to laugh hysterically, meanwhile the men in the elevator are joining in the laughter along with her for no obvious reason. It's such a great scene where this explosive laughter become contagious to the viewing audience. I found myself laughing and listening to those sitting around me start to join in this contagious laughter. It was a random and unanimous outburst of laughter for everyone.

I love humor and laughing and enjoying life but in a world of anger, cynicism and pain it is hard to come by these days. I remember when I was a young girl sitting with my friends laughing hysterically until we cried about silly things. As I got older and into my teens we would have sleep overs with my friends and in the middle of the night we would be shushing each other so we didn't get yelled at by our parents for being so loud.

I love that deep belly laugh, the one where your eyes start to water and your breathing changess because the laughing is coming from your diaphragm. It is such a great feeling when you laugh in such a liberal way, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks because in that moment nothing else is as important as that funny moment in time. I remember saying "stop, stop, my stomach/face hurts" and holding my cheeks from the muscle strain while I wipe the tears from my eyes. Man, those are some good times.

They seem less and less as I have grown up but I cherish them just the same. I wonder if I could start a riot of laughter where people spontaneously start to laugh along with you just because laughter is so contagious! Hmmm... Maybe, I could start a revolution of joy. Ha ha!