r/improv • u/Duke-Berryman • 2d ago

Telegraphing a joke

Here's a great comedy lesson from Steve Martin: you can telegraph a joke from a mile away and it will still be funny. Similar to how Penn & Teller show the audience how a trick is done, then actually do the trick, and the audience is still amazed. Feel free to give away the punchline because it will still be funny when you deliver it.

Know any other examples like this? Or comics that put the punchline first, like a Jeopardy question?

https://youtu.be/276xNCbUDX8?si=DUUdPa9Jevt11PC5

9 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

View all comments

11

u/Thelonious_Cube 2d ago

As far as improv goes, I would not be thinking in terms of telegraphing or setting up a joke at all - that takes you out of the moment and becomes "scripting"

That's more of a sketch-comedy or stand-up thing.

-1

u/Duke-Berryman 2d ago

True, but once something is established, you can torture the audience with it all you want.

2

u/Thelonious_Cube 1d ago edited 14h ago

I'm not sure how what you just said is relevant