Jesus -- I was never this rough on Benny Hill.
I confess to liking some of Franken's early humor, performed with ex-partner Tom Davis. As I put it recently:
"But perhaps the best-known [SNL] writers [in 1978] were Al Franken and Tom Davis, who regularly appeared in their own show-within-a-show. These bits are often very funny, if sometimes harsh, a razor wire Bob and Ray. A couple of times, Franken and Davis announce that they are communist revolutionaries working to overthrow the US government. In one bit, they illustrate bourgeois political corruption, ending in assassination; in another, they try to undermine our imperialist culture by using massage-oriented porn. Each of these scenes are sponsored by the Communist Party -- 'The Shah's Not Our Friend' -- complete with large hammer and sickle. Of all the things Norm Coleman could've used against Al Franken in the Minnesota Senate race, I'm surprised he didn't put these images in a commercial. Oh sure, Franken would say it was satire, but was it really . . .?"
Tom is a smart sweet guy. He didn't go for the gold like his ex-partner, who became well-known in comedy circles for his cutthroat demeanor. I've interviewed many SNL vets, and they all have Franken horror stories. His humor was harsh because he is. Franken should fit well within the Beltway. Shit, he can headline his own fundraising parties.
Dennis