What makes something funny? To even ask the question begins down an academic road that inevitably pours sour egghead-laced water over the roaring flames of hilarity. Maybe a better question is: why do I (and in this case feel free to direct "I" to yourself or to yours truly, your humble comedic tour guide) find something to be funny?

I've always been a fan of the absurd, the ridiculous, the strange. This condition was probably was fueled by a childhood filled up with reruns of Monty Python's Flying Circus, '80s era Saturday Night Live, and perhaps above all, The Kids In the Hall.

The '80s and early '90s was also a ripe era for screwball comedy at the movies, with films like The Naked Gun, Back to School, Bachelor Party, Real Genius, and Revenge of the Nerds bringing comic delight and joy to adolescent lads across the comedy nation. (Anyone remember Moving Violations, by the way? That's a good one to see if someone is in sync with my particularly bizarre-tastical ancient comedic groove.)

In any event, I give you a classic moment from a truly screwball and classic film, Airplane! In this scene, a most proper young lad offers a fine young lady coffee, and... well, explaining it kind of ruins it, doesn't it? Check it out for yourself: