Prompt Cast
The History and Evolution of the Pie-in-the-Face Gag
TLDR The pie-in-the-face gag originated in Vaudeville in the late 1800s and became popular in movies in 1913. It had a resurgence in the late 1920s and early 1930s and has been used to show that powerful people are not invincible, with instances of public figures being pied.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The podcast episode is about the comedy bit of getting a pie thrown in your face.
02:12
The pie-in-the-face gag started in Vaudeville in the late 1800s and quickly made its way into movies, with the first documented appearance in 1913.
04:35
The pie-in-the-face gag became popular quickly and was overdone by 1916, but had a resurgence in the late 1920s and early 1930s with other comedy acts like the Morascals, Three Stooges, and Buster Keaton.
07:11
The pies used in the pie-in-the-face gag were baked to brittleness and had a double layer crust to prevent injury, but later on, some people started using pie tins filled with whipped cream or shaving cream instead of real pies.
09:14
Some people started using cool whip or shaving cream instead of real pies for the pie-in-the-face gag, and while it tasted alright, it didn't feel right on the face.
11:56
Buster Keaton advised not to turn around too early during the pie-in-the-face gag to avoid flinching and having to reshoot, and it was discovered that using shaving cream instead of real filling was preferable because it didn't spoil.
14:04
Pies in the face became a way to show that powerful people are not gods among humans, and there have been instances of public figures being pied, such as Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch.
Categories:
Society & Culture
