A Tip of the Hat to Hats Off Entertainment

Constant readers of this blog (all seven and a half of you), will know that one of my consistent interests is comedy. I love it. Why? Because there's nothing more fun than laughing with your friends...or by yourself, for that matter. And I love it in nearly every form it comes in: films, sketch, stand up, of course, and even sitcoms (the good ones).

So, whenever I find a fellow comedy connoisseur, I have to give them a shout-out. In this case, it goes out to the YouTube Channel, Hats Off Entertainment.

Like all the channels I love frequenting on YouTube, I found this one completely by accident. Once I did, I proceeded to binge every video the YouTuber, Joe Ramoni, had uploaded.

The channel mostly specializes in doing mini-documentaries, most less than 20 minutes long, on famous figures in comedy. Mostly American comedy, but he throws in a couple of international figures as well. For some subjects, such as the incomparable Laurel and Hardy, Ramoni dedicates multiple videos to cover their expansive careers. He also has a series of videos on "almost" cult classic films, and ones where he defends comedy films that, upon released, got panned, but in retrospect aren't as bad as many critics first thought.

What I love about Ramoni's channel is threefold. First, it's clearly an endeavor undertaken out of love; this is a YouTuber who loves talking about this subject. He truly let's his comedy nerd show, and I, as a fellow nerd, appreciate that. Second, his exhaustively comprehensive approach. When he decides to focus on a subject, it's clear from his commentary that he knows the subject inside and out to minute detail. Whatever research he undertakes to produce one of these videos, he's done that homework to make sure he can speak with total authority on the subject in question. Finally, the quality. Ramoni painstakingly edits together footage from films, TV clips, interviews, production photos, and other primary sources to illustrate every point he makes about a given subject, and the videos are utterly seamless. By the end of watching just one, you might well wonder why this guy is only working on YouTube and not in larger arenas of documentary, like PBS.

If I had to suggest one place to start to get a feel for the kind of material Ramoni puts on his channel, I'd look no further than his video about the actor Leslie Nielsen, one of his many mini-documentaries that profile a sungle major figure in comedy. It perfectly captures the tone Ramoni strikes in every video he puts out there, one filled with enthusiasm, affection, and appreciation for the talent he discuesses.

If I've peaked your interest in Hats Off Entertainment, then hopefully next time you're just browsing YouTube ,looking for something to watch, you might give Joe Ramoni's channel a watch. If you're a comedy fan, I guarantee, it's worth your time.