"The real good comedians, like Chaplin, would make you laugh and a second later, cry"
About this Quote
The intent is also a quiet corrective to how “comedy” gets dismissed as lightweight. Landau, an actor’s actor, is arguing that the highest form of funny is built on the same tools as tragedy: timing, vulnerability, and a precise understanding of what an audience wants to believe about the world. Chaplin’s Little Tramp works because he’s always one step from humiliation or hunger; the humor isn’t pasted over suffering, it’s generated by it. The cry that follows isn’t a genre switch. It’s the bill coming due.
Subtext: real comedians don’t chase laughs as an end product. They chase recognition. Chaplin’s era - silent film, the Great Depression’s shadow, mass audiences hungry for relief - demanded broad physical comedy, but Chaplin smuggled in tenderness and social critique. Landau’s “second later” is the key: it’s about control. The greats can pivot an audience’s nervous system on a dime, proving that comedy isn’t the opposite of sorrow; it’s its most accessible doorway.
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APA Style (7th ed.)
Landau, Martin. (n.d.). The real good comedians, like Chaplin, would make you laugh and a second later, cry. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-real-good-comedians-like-chaplin-would-make-82526/
Chicago Style
Landau, Martin. "The real good comedians, like Chaplin, would make you laugh and a second later, cry." FixQuotes. Accessed February 1, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-real-good-comedians-like-chaplin-would-make-82526/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The real good comedians, like Chaplin, would make you laugh and a second later, cry." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-real-good-comedians-like-chaplin-would-make-82526/. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
