Dick Martin (comedian) was an immediate hit, becoming the #1 American television program within two months of its debut. It was the top-rated show in its second and third seasons. "Laugh-In" had a kaleidoscopic format, with what was then a uniquely fast-paced stream-of-consciousness style of blackout gags, double entendre, topical satire and catchphrases, much of it delivered by a cast of then-unknowns such as Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, and Arte Johnson. At the center of the maelstrom stood the veterans Rowan and Martin, who bemusedly made no effort to slow down the program. Martin later said, "We designed it so that we are
The Funniest Joke in the World as his German captors die laughing, with one German officer (Cleese) insisting the joke isn't funny before finally cracking up and then uttering a Woody Woodpecker-style laugh before expiring. The Germans attempt counter-jokes. For example, film is shown of Adolf Hitler supposedly saying "My dog has no nose", then a German soldier asking "How does he smell?", with Hitler replying "Awful!" Eventually their best "V-joke" (in reference to the V-1 flying bomb) is attempted on a radio broadcast: "Der ver zwei peanuts, valking down der strasse, und von vas assaulted...peanut. Ohohohoho!" Although the joke is followed triumphantly by the German