Word: humorous
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...walks in with a wisecrack. Neither the intellectual pomp inherent in the lecture format, nor the stolid, somber Eliot House library can dampen his compulsive sense of humor. "The plays are the essence of me," he says. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say he is the essence of his plays; his wit flows so effortlessly, so smoothly that it seems innate. Neil Simon, apparently can't help being funny...
Simon insists that he never tries to "write funny." The humor comes when he has correctly set up the situation and the characters. He begins a project with only a general plan; too detailed an outline kills his writing's spontaneity. "In a way, making an outline of a play (a technique he once, but no longer, uses) robs you of the joy of discovery." When it comes time to write, Simon starts at the beginning and has an idea of the conclusion, though often he does not use that ending. Sometimes the characters take off in their own directions...
...huge for those companies that know how to tap it. Unfortunately, not many Americans have yet acquired expertise in the art, and some of the advice the neophyte China trader will get is conflicting or just plain wrong. Some traders insist that an American should avoid all attempts at humor in dealing with the Chinese; others assert that Chinese negotiators enjoy a hearty laugh. One American advises colleagues not to wear suits and ties, for fear of embarrassing the Chinese, who will almost certainly be dressed to a person in Mao jackets. Nonsense, say older China hands: the Chinese...
Throughout all this, Blake produces more fog than film. Nevertheless, there are two reasons to view Murder by Decree: Christopher Plummer and James Mason. As the detective, Plummer grows from insufferable know-all to a man of sympathy and dimension. As the good doctor, Mason shuttles cannily from pawky humor to utter bewilderment. He steals the picture, and if Holmes has any sense, he will remain blind to the theft. This delightful pair should be employed again in a more credible adventure than Murder by Decree. Conan Doyle suggests one in The Problem of Thor Bridge: "That of Isadora Persano...
...Buchwald, humor columnist, on Coca-Cola's Chinese franchise: "I don't mind 800 million Chinese drinking a bottle a day, but I don't want them to bring back the empties...