Here's why Dick Martin got real serious about silly comedy

The world can be so serious. Between politics, world events, natural disasters and rocky relationships, there is always something that keeps us stressed. But in a serious world, there’s no doubt comedy can take us a long way.

No one knew the importance of comedy more than Dick Martin, one half of the famous comedy duo behind the TV show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. But why did Martin believe Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was important for comedy — and even for humanity?

According to a 1968 interview with The Journal News, Martin said comedy was the broad stroke that could paint a picture for people to understand what was going on in the real world.

It was the common factor and the thing that brought many people together, both in life and on TV.

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"We can illustrate what is happening out there in 'the real world' in a flash on television, make it burlesque, fast and explosive," Martin said. "You see it for what it is. That’s the style of our times, and finally television is catching up."

According to Martin, for a while TV was all about commercials first and making money. TV started shifting to focus on content before commercials — and that’s where his show came in.

Martin loved TV and was glad it was doing more for social change rather than simply offering mindless entertainment. 

"At the root of the matter lies the fact that comedy is a buffer for social changes," Martin said. "If you can see humor in it, then the changes become more palatable. We can deal with subjects in our show like race, religion, funerals, politics and motherhood."

How did they get away with tackling all those controversial topics? As Martin said: "Because the public is hip, because the medium is hip."

The fans of Laugh-In were indeed hip and they helped the show shine, earning high ratings for around six seasons on the air.

"We are at the period in our cultural development where everything is being hauled out in the open and being re-examined," Martin explained.
"That’s a tremendous freedom right there: the freedom of hauling it out. Comedy is part of all that, just as much as those serious reprisals underway all around us."

Martin said TV had to grow up, and it was long overdue. His only hope was that he and Dan Rowan could be at the forefront of it.

"I hope that Dan and I can contribute something to the growth of this medium," Martin said. "It’s a liberation for us, and I hope it will be for our public."