Alphonse & Gaston

Alphonse and Gaston were once one of Frederick Burr Opper's most popular creations. A bumbling pair of Frenchmen with a penchant for politeness, they first appeared in The New Journal in 1902. Their "After you, Alphonse." and "No, you first, my dear Gaston!" routine entertained readers for more than a decade.

Anyone familiar with the Platinum Age of Comics will recognize the name Opper. A prolific artist and writer, Opper's creations included Willie, Hans from Hamburg and, of course, Happy Hooligan.

And yet they eventually became known as one of the earliest examples of shtick's limitations. After all, just how much steam can you wring from the same gag of politeness getting in the way of progress? And how many ways can your characters say "After you!" and "No, after you!"?

Even though they were never daily or even weekly features, Alphonse and Gaston shone brightly for a while, appearing in a few comedy shorts and Hearst collections and even being licensed as product mascots, before fading from public view altogether shortly following Opper's death in the 1937.

While their gag is still recognizable in comedy skits today, we now know that developing trademark schtick means more than coming up with a single, solid punchline.

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