ABSTRACT
When examining the editing of a comedy sequence, it is critical to distinguish the role of the
editor from the roles of the writer and the director. The burden of creative responsibility for
the success of verbal humor, whether a joke, a punch line, or an extended witty repartee, lies with the writer for the comic inventiveness of the lines and the director and the actor for eli-
citing the comic potential from those lines. The editor may cut to a close shot for the punch line, but the editor’s role in verbal humor is somewhat limited. With regard to visual humor,
the editor certainly has more scope.1 Indeed, together with the writer, director, and actors,
the editor plays a critical role.
