The colour of laughter under greyness of communism

On this Sunday morning in my dear Hamden, an excellent article from Spiegel got me hunting for old jokes I remember from Rutzi and Milla of the infamously silly Graf Bobby (Count Bobby in English) and his best friend Baron Rudi, the daft anecdotes so popular in Bucharest during WW2 and the early 1950's. Here are a few gems just for you. Please bear in mind the general atmosphere in E.Europe at this time, particularly in Roumania, from whence I first heard these fabulously idiotic side-splitters, so remeniscent of our Paddy cracks:

A Night At The Opera

Count Bobby and Baron Rudi have gone to the opera to see the ballet. They are both very fond of ballerinas. During intermission, Bobby looks around with his opera glasses and then tells Rudi "You know who is here? Thesi Esterhazy is in the second box over there." Rudi says "Impossible! Thesi Esterhazy died last year." Bobby looks again and says "Oh really? Well, I would have sworn I saw her move just now..."

The Cover-Up

When Bobby was still better off financially, he had a manservant. One day he sent his manservant down to the Drogerie to get some insect repellant powder to fight the bedbugs. As his man is about to leave on the errand, Bobby calls him back and says "No, wait a minute, Johann. You can't just get bedbug powder. They know us at the Drogerie and they'll think we have bedbugs. We have to do this in a different way. You know what? Ask them to gift wrap it."

The Great Hunter

Count Bobby goes into his local Drogerie and asks for a dozen mothballs. After half an hour or so he is back and asks for another dozen; another half hour, and he comes back for two dozen more. The salesman asks Bobby why he needs so many mothballs. Bobby says "Well, you know, you are probably more skilled at this than I am. But I find it really hard to hit the moths with these balls."

The Weight Of Time

Count Bobby is walking past the Imperial Hotel on the Ringstrasse when he sees Rudi struggling to carry a large pendulum wall clock. Feeling helpful, Bobby taps Rudi on the shoulder, points to his own wristwatch and says "Rudi, why didn't you buy one of these? Much more sensible."

Step By Step

Count Bobby is living in a rented room. One evening he knocks on the kitchen door. The landlady opens the door and Bobby politely asks for a glass of water. After five minutes, he is back, full of apologies, and asks whether he could trouble her for another glass of water, maybe even a Kruegel (a half liter). A few minutes later, Bobbie knocks again and asks whether he might have a small bucket of water? The landlady asks "Well, of course, Count. But why do you need so much water?" Bobby says "Well, what can I say...I am really so sorry to trouble you...but you see, originally only the curtain was on fire."

Comments

[sairj]

That's a great one! Hahahaha! And do you remember the one when Graf Bobby is in bed and wakes to find Baron Rudi standing at the end of it and...what happens next? I remember being in hysterics when Milla told it, but the whole thing escapes me completely!!

[Vérinok]

I remember the ones my father used to tell me when I was a child :
Grav Bobby comes home completely drunk. He wants to make pipi but instead he opens the window and pees by the window. Someone who was passing just downstairs begins to yell at him : "Hey you! Why do you pee on my head ?? " And Bobby, very surprised, answers "But what are you doing inside my loo? "