History Main / HarpoDoesSomethingFunny

* The commentary from one of the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' [=DVDs=] reveals that Creator/TobinBell, who plays Jigsaw, was so good at improvising dialogue that sometimes the writers would leave his portion of a script blank and just write "Insert Tobin Bell dialogue here."

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]

** A better example of this might even be the fact that that same night had an audience member named [[AwesomeMcCoolname Hercules]]...cuing off-the-cuff jokes about Olympus. Eventually, the proper reproduction of the play ended with the "Daniel" part ''picking up a local mountain'' to squash Claudius (the "Adam" role), with a joke about how much strength that would need.

* In ''Series/{{Cheers}}'', most of Cliff's "little known facts" were improvised by John Ratzenberger, with the scripts simply cueing him into his lines. Cliff is also notable because Ratzenberger didn't just improvise his lines, he improvised the ''part'': after unsuccessfully auditioning for the part of Norm, Ratzenberger asked the producers if they had a "know-it-all" character, and made up Cliff on the spot.

* In ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', the [[AlmightyJanitor Janitor's]] dialogue is sometimes left blank (or the script says something along the lines of "Whatever Neil Says") so that Neil Flynn can just improvise. Most of the outtake reel shows the other actors {{Corpsing}} at Creator/NeilFlynn throwing out wildly different dialogue every take.
* The scripts of ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' usually didn't specify the content of Terry Gilliam's linking animations. They'd simply say stuff like "Terry takes over here". The skits, however, were very heavily scripted.

* On ''Series/TheOddCouple1970'' some scripts were like this, allowing Tony Randall and Jack Klugman to improvise. For example, a script might say "Oscar teaches Felix how to play football."

* In British comedy ''Series/GreenWing'', Stephen Mangan and Creator/MichelleGomez were never given scripts for their scenes together as both were professional improv actors. If a plot point needed to occur that was all the "script" said and so the scenes were Guy wakes into Sue's office and nothing plot-relevant happens there was no script at all, such as when Guy tries to talk about love or complains about Jelly.

* Creator/ChevyChase, Joel [=McHale=] and Creator/DonaldGlover were generally given free rein to improvise on ''Series/{{Community}}''.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'''s [[http://youtu.be/PlwpQY-Tbls Meet the Sandvich trailer]] was created this way, as was documented on the [[http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=1889 game's development blog]]. The writers came up with the basic scenario before letting the voice actors loose, their improv making up the entirety of the video.

** ''Film/{{Sonic the Hedgehog|2020}}'' was similar, with Carrey remarking that his directions at times were "Here's the room and this is the music, just do something to go with it."

** The writers mention on the [=DVDs=] that recurring guest Creator/AlbertBrooks (Hank Scorpio, Russ Cargill of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'' amongst others) likes to improv, so they tend to write his scripts with only the basic story details, and then just let him go off. This is most obvious in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E2YouOnlyMoveTwice You Only Move Twice]]" is a scene where Scorpio [[TheLongList rattles off all the places in town that sell hammocks]], punctuated only by Homer going "Uh-huh. Yes... Uh-huh..." because Dan Castellaneta has no real reply ready and he's just following along. Though he does pick up on it to add "Oh, in the hammock district," at just the right time.

* ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' had Creator/AlbertBrooks improvise poorly telling a joke. The filmmakers said they had quite a bit of unused audio from different takes of it. Similarly, for the punchline at the end he improvised quite a number of different jokes. Creator/EllenDegeneres also improvised Dory's sleeptalking, with quite a bit also being left out. Brooks was initially annoyed that he had to do his lines in his booth by himself but got over it. Imagine trying to rein in Brooks and Ellen from improvising if they were in the room together?

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' writers mention on the [=DVDs=] that with recurring guest star Creator/AlbertBrooks (Hank Scorpio, Russ Cargill of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'' amongst others), that he likes to improv, so they tend to write his parts of the script this way, only including the important parts for the story, and letting him go off in the recording booth. This is most obvious in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E2YouOnlyMoveTwice You Only Move Twice]]" is a scene where Scorpio [[TheLongList rattles off all the places in town that sell hammocks]], punctuated only by Homer going "Huh uh. Yes... Huh uh..." because Creator/DanCastellaneta has no real reply ready and he is just following along.
** Though Castellaneta did pick up on it enough to add "Oh, in the hammock district" at just the right time.
** Homer's "D'oh!" was scripted as "(annoyed grunt)", and still is to this day, even when it renders episode titles (like "E-I-E-I-(ANNOYED GRUNT)") nonsensical.
** Professor Frink's dialogue is often punctuated with "(Frink noise)", where voice actor Creator/HankAzaria will occasionally insert "glavin" or "m'hey"

* The commentary from one of the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' [=DVDs=] reveals that Tobin Bell, who plays Jigsaw, was so good at improvising dialogue that sometimes the writers would leave his portion of a script blank and just write "Insert Tobin Bell dialogue here."

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'': The freestyling during Snips and Snails' rap was genuine freestyling courtesy of Lee Tockar and Richard Ian Cox. It was also [[StylisticSuck supposed to be bad]], so without any kind of prior instruction, lines, or a beat, they came with something on the spot, and it was left in as a perfect example of CringeComedy.

* ''Film/{{District 9}}'' was almost entirely improvised. Director Creator/NeillBlomkamp had specific ideas for each scene and directed the actors with timing cues for when and where certain actions were to take place, but the actual dialogue and performance for the scene was entirely improvised. They would do several takes, usually without the cameras rolling and often with several different variations on the scene until Neill and the rest of the cast decided that they had a good approach to how the scene should specifically play out; they would then film it with that direction in mind. Neill and the rest of the actors commented in the DVD extras that Sharlto Copley (Wikus) was the undisputed master of this trope.

* Creator/FrankWelker would often make up noises and dialogue for the creatures he voiced in live action films such as ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'' and ''Film/MarsAttacks'' where no specific dialogue was written in the scripts.

* The infamous "How am I funny?" confrontation from ''{{Film/Goodfellas}}'' was mostly ad-libbed by Creator/JoePesci, to marvelous effect.

* The doll scene in ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'' was made like this. {{Creator/Rick Moranis}} (Dark Helmet) was given the dolls and told to "do something funny." Needless to say, [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments it worked]].

* In ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' whenever scientific facts are needed in the script the writers simply leaves an "insert science here" in the script, then it is up to the scientific consultant Prof. David Saltzburg, his colleagues or Dr. Creator/MayimBialik to fill in the blanks, usually using cutting-edge, state-of-the-art science fresh off papers in recent journals, or in some occasions the scientists' own research.

* According to the creators, scripts for ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' often included the line "[[Creator/ChrisPratt Chris]] does something funny."

* One of the running gags in the ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' episode "The Rashomon Job" involves Sophie's British accent getting more and more exaggerated with each retelling of the episode's plot. According to WordOfGod, her dialogue for [[CloudCuckoolander Parker's]] version of the story simply read "Sophie: Absolutely incomprehensible British-sounding gibberish", with her actress (Gina Bellman) making it up herself.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "Equestria Games", actor Cathy Westluck wasn't given any lines for when Spike the Dragon has to sing Cloudsdale's national anthem. She also wasn't told how long the song would be or given any of the music beforehand, making Spike's incredibly desperate, awkward fumbling through the song seem more genuine.

* ''You'', potentially. The more interactive video games -- say, ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' -- tell you to go from point A to point B, but leave it up to you to decide how to get there. Want to fuck around and build a castle out of oil drums, spray rude pictures on the walls with bullet holes, or get an [=NPC=] to glitch out and ragdoll in the middle of a dramatic speech? Go wild. There's a whole cottage industry of people on the internet sharing funny clips (of varying quality) about the shenanigans they get up to in video games. The ''Elder Scrolls'' and ''Grand Theft Auto'' series are rich with these scenarios (a lot of GTA missions can be completed in 1/10 the intended amount of time by using a DiscOneNuke, for example). It was a major selling point of the ''DeusEx'' series, where you were supposed to find creative ways to complete a mission with minimal bloodshed, but you still had the freedom to do things any which way.

** On another note, there's all the other silly shenanigans Link can get up to while steadily working to save Hyrule. He can help put a town together with a requirement that only people with "-son" in their name maybe live there; gather korok seeds that [[spoiler:turn out to be pieces of [[ToiletHumor korok poop]]]]; [[TheJoysOfTorturingMooks screw around with various enemies]] and make their lives miserable; and a whole lot more. However your slice it, Link will defeat Ganon... [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny eventually.]]

* Creator/JimCarrey, in an interview during the making of ''Film/MeMyselfAndIrene'' said, "It's amazing how blank a script will be. It just says 'Jim does something funny.'"
** ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'' was similar, with Carrey remarking that his directions at times were "Here's the room and this is the music, just do something to go with it".

** In ''Film/AClockworkOrange'', Kubrick told Creator/MalcolmMcDowell to just sing whatever song he knew, leading him to choose "Singing In The Rain".

* By the time Film/TheThreeStooges' "schtick" was well-established, scriptwriters found it easier to just write in generic stage instructions such as "Moe punishes Curly" and let the boys work it out on their own. If nothing else, it was easier than trying to describe their chaos in words. Directors varied in their approach; Jules White tended to stick more to the script (but still allowed the Stooges considerable leeway), while Edward Bernds encouraged ad-libbing and got the best performances out of Shemp, who was an excellent ad-libber. As a result, many of the best Shemp shorts (''Brideless Groom'', ''Who Done It?'') were directed by Bernds.

'''Fozzie:''' Oh, come on Kermit! Every show has a script! Yeah, that way you leave nothing to chance! (''Rowlf and Lew Zealand enter, about to go on stage for the Musical Moment'') Hey guys! Guys! This is the Musical Moment for this week.\\
'''Rowlf:''' (''reading'') "Curtains open. Rowlf and Lew Zealand do something funny. Curtains close." (''Rowlf and Lew Zealand exit for the stage'')\\
'''Fozzie:''' (''shouting offstage'') Go get 'em!\\

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*** On another note, there's all the other silly shenanigans Link can get up to while steadily working to save Hyrule. He can help put a town together with a requirement that only people with "-son" in their name maybe live there; gather korok seeds that [[spoiler:turn out to be pieces of [[ToiletHumor korok poop]]]]; [[TheJoysOfTorturingMooks screw around with various enemies]] and make their lives miserable; and a whole lot more. However your slice it, Link will defeat Ganon... [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny eventually.]]

* Because of his ability to choreograph and animate absolutely ''[[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome breathtaking]]'' action scenes that simply cannot be put into words, all of [[Creator/MontyOum Monty Oum's]] fight scenes in ''{{WebAnimation/RWBY}}'' and ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' are described simply as: "Monty action ensues." Even Rooster Tooths, a fan site dedicated to transcribing all of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' sticks to this method.
-->''"The Meta attacks her and the epic fight scene begins; I can't do it justice, so I won't try."''
** Miles Luna revealed during a talk with Monty that Caboose is the most difficult character to write for on the show. On at least one occasion he left a note in the script simply telling Joel to do whatever he wanted.

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* According to commentaries, when Creator/DougWalker wrote and directed the anniversary specials ''WebVideo/{{Kickassia}}'' and ''WebVideo/SuburbanKnights'', he left room for the other cast members to make stuff up and ad lib, knowing they would know their personas better than he would. In particular, he claims that any time [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] made a recommendation, they went with it because his ideas were always funnier. Three examples came up in ''WebVideo/SuburbanKnights'':
** The first was Linkara's idea that he gets pissed at the Critic for claiming that magic was not real (Linkara's reasoning was that he had to do ''something'' to acknowledge the statement, because, at the very least, it was ridiculous for the Critic to talk about Linkara's Magic Gun and then say that magic did not exist).
** The second was that most British-related insults [[WebVideo/BadMovieBeatdown Film Brain]] used ("wanker", "bloody", etc.) was thrown in by him.
** The third was when Spoony gave his ''D&D'' rant to the Cloaks. The Critic wrote a very basic rant but admitted that he knew nothing of the details of [=LARPing=] and asked that Spoony improvise to make it more authentic.

* In the commentary for WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic and WebVideo/{{Phelous}}' joint review of ''Film/ChildsPlay'', the part where [[spoiler:Phelous transfers his soul into a pencil sharpener]] was largely unscripted. Doug Walker essentially wrote "Improvise, make it up, I don't care," and ended up using all of Phelan Porteous' ad-libs.
* WebVideo/MarbleHornets is largely improvised. Scripts are often only one page with important information on it. Also due to them shooting in abandoned buildings they often find things to throw in, including one character wearing a blanket they found there.
* Any scene featuring Creator/TommyWiseau in his Hulu original series ''The Neighbors'' features a gratuitous amount of improv hoping to get a funny reaction from Wiseau.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''WebVideo/UltraFastPony'': Wacarb explained in the "Behind the Scenes" video that every episode has some degree of planning, whether he writes a script out or just keeps a plan in his head. The one exception is Rainbow Dash's dialogue. For her lines, he just turns the mic on and says the first thing which pops into his head. He explains it's a sort of MethodActing; he doesn't know what Rainbow Dash will say, because [[TheDitz Rainbow Dash has no idea what she's saying, either]].
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[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]

** The third was when Spoony gave his D&D rant to the Cloaks. The Critic wrote a very basic rant but admitted that he knew nothing of the details of [=LARPing=] and asked that Spoony improvise to make it more authentic.

* In the commentary for WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic and WebVideo/{{Phelous}}' joint review of ''Film/ChildsPlay'', the part where [[spoiler:Phelous transfers his soul into a pencil sharpener]] was largely unscripted. Doug Walker essentially wrote "Improvise, make it up, I don't care", and ended up using all of Phelan Porteous' ad-libs.

* At some point, the script for ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale's'' second-anniversary episode apparently read, "CECIL: (honest opinion about the impression)", referring to Steve Carlsberg's squeaky-voiced imitation of Cecil's boyfriend. The result:
--> '''Cecil:''' I am not dating a Munchkin from ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''.

* Creator/NathanLane would get this often. The worst was ''Film/TheBirdcage'', where he starred with Robin Williams and director Creator/MikeNichols realized he had to find a way to rein them in, as they were so funny that they were interfering with the shooting. He eventually got them to promise to do one take exactly as scripted, then doing whatever they wanted in subsequent takes.

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* The commentary from one of the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' DVDs reveals that Tobin Bell, who plays Jigsaw, was so good at improvising dialogue that sometimes the writers would leave his portion of a script blank and just write "Insert Tobin Bell dialogue here."

* In Series/TheBigBangTheory whenever scientific facts are needed in the script the writers simply leaves an "insert science here" in the script, then it is up to the scientific consultant Prof. David Saltzburg, his colleagues or Dr. Creator/MayimBialik to fill in the blanks, usually using cutting-edge, state-of-the-art science fresh off papers in recent journals, or in some occasions the scientists' own research.

* The commentary from one of the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}''DVDs reveals that Tobin Bell, who plays Jigsaw, was so good at improvising dialogue that sometimes the writers would leave his portion of a script blank and just write "Insert Tobin Bell dialogue here."

* The commentary from one of the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' DVDs reveals that Tobin Bell, who plays Jigsaw, was so good at improvising dialogue that sometimes the writers would leave his portion of a script blank and just write "Insert Tobin Bell dialogue here."

* In ''Film/AClockworkOrange'', Kubrick told Creator/MalcolmMcDowell to just sing whatever song he knew, leading him to choose "Singing In The Rain".

* The entire character of Jesus Quintana in ''Film/TheBigLebowski''. Creator/JohnTurturro agreed to be in the film under the impression that his role was much bigger than the one-scene SpearCarrier it actually was. He was really disappointed to learn otherwise, so Creator/TheCoenBrothers (who normally very meticulous with thier scripts to the point that things that seem like ad-libs frequently ''aren't'') made it up to him by basically telling him go crazy with the character. The result? A [[CampStraight flamboyant]], [[LargeHam scenery-chewing]], and [[SmallNameBigEgo hyper-arrogant]] bowling player/[[PaedoHunt pederast]] who did six months in Chino for exposing himself to eight year olds, dresses in bright neon purple, and seems to be constantly dancing for no reason. Talk about a OneSceneWonder.

* The entire character of Jesus Quintana in ''Film/TheBigLebowski''. Creator/JohnTurturro agreed to be in the film under the impression that his role was much bigger than the one-scene SpearCarrier it actually was. He was really disappointed to learn otherwise, so Creator/TheCoenBrothers made it up to him by basically telling him go crazy with the character. The result? A [[CampStraight flamboyant]], [[LargeHam scenery-chewing]], and [[SmallNameBigEgo hyper-arrogant]] bowling player/[[PaedoHunt pederast]] who did six months in Chino for exposing himself to eight year olds, dresses in bright neon purple, and seems to be constantly dancing for no reason. Talk about a OneSceneWonder.