Andy Kaufman on The Dating Game
A remarkable example of playing a character straight, and making everything as simple as possible for hilarious results. His first line is, "What?" which gets a huge laugh, seemingly going against all the rules of improv. While it is a question, it adds massive information-he paints himself as a completely clueless character, with an immediate game-the game of not answering the hypothetical situation question that make up the dating game and instead answering them in the most honest ways possible. I'm having trouble describing this game, and why it's so funny. He immediately establishes a strong character, and commits himself with perfectly honest answers every time. Instead of the phonyness every guy goes for on this game show, he's real in a completely absurd way. So, I can't put it into words it turns out, but explaining why Andy Kaufman is hilarious is no easy task. Also attached is an interview of his with Steve Martin. The last 30 seconds where he describes his foreigner bit is classic.
