“Comedy has to be based on truth. You take the truth and you put a little curlicue at the end.” Sid Caesar
Overemphasize things and they become funny, whether Jimmy Durante’s nose or Beavis’ stupidity. The former was just a physical feature while the latter is a reflection, a fun house mirror of reality that distorts for entertainment but actually accentuate the underlying issues that can be so sad or scary they make us laugh.
Why are the political skits on Saturday Night Live so hilarious, whether from forty years ago or today? Because as Sheldon says on “The Big Bang Theory”: it’s funny because it’s true.