Hitler's Dog, Gossip & Trickery
Netflix · 2017 · 60 min
An hour of stubborn, minimalist stand-up from an older Norm Macdonald.
Norm Macdonald spent decades refining a style that felt completely effortless and unbothered by what contemporary comedy thought it should be. This hour is built on that stubborn minimalism, starting the second the camera turns on without any intro sketches or musical transitions. He stands in a single spot on stage, grinning through his own long-form, meandering premises as if he is just as surprised by the punchlines as the crowd is.
The material hinges on taking historic myths and modern cliches to their most literal, absurd conclusions. He questions why anyone is surprised by suicide when life itself is such a grind, and breaks down the myth of George Washington chopping down a cherry tree, pointing out that a father would still be furious about his ruined yard regardless of his son’s honesty. The title bit about Adolf Hitler’s dog uses the idea of canine loyalty to create a deeply uncomfortable, funny image of a pet waking up every morning thinking Hitler is the greatest guy in the world.
Filmed at The Wilbur in Boston in January 2017, the special was his first televised stand-up hour since 2011. Directed by Liz Plonka, the production keeps the focus tight on Macdonald, rarely cutting to the audience and relying instead on low angles that capture his deadpan delivery. At this point in his career, Macdonald was hosting his popular video podcast, and this hour captures him leaning into his age, treating gravity and mortality with the same casual indifference he famously gave to network executives.
The set list
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Adolf Hitler's dog loving him unconditionally.
Explores the paradox and limitations of perspective through the image of a loyal dog that views history's greatest monster as a loving provider.
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Fame and the moon landing compared to reality TV stars.
Contrasts Harrison Schmitt, the last man on the moon whom nobody remembers, against the Kardashians, who became famous solely for having large posteriors.
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Autoerotic asphyxiation and suicide.
Deconstructs societal confusion over suicide and spins it into an acid, tragicomic routine about a family man accidentally hanging himself.
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The Las Vegas slogan.
Examines the literal absurdity and dark implications of what 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas' actually implies.
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Lee Majors in a hearing aid commercial.
Draws pathos from an aging TV icon negotiating an advertisement and asking his agent to put into the contract that he is sad.
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Dining out on pork chops versus cooking at home.
Deconstructs the altered standards of etiquette and expectations people demonstrate at restaurants.
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Gossip and trickery disclaimer.
Compares himself to a cheap magician and insists that his entire act consists of unsubstantial gossip and trickery.
How it plays
- Tone
- Deadpan, sardonic, macabre, dry, and philosophical with underlying warmth.
- On stage
- Sly, deadpan, self-effacing elder posing as an out-of-touch, opinionless simpleton who disguises sharp cunning behind an unassuming demeanor.
- Pace
- Deliberately unhurried, meandering cadence marked by mid-sentence self-interruptions, abrupt pauses, and straight-ahead momentum rather than conventional setups and twists.
- About
- mortality and suicide, modern technology and magic phones, the passage of time and aging, the nature of fame and trivia, absurdity of colloquialisms and metaphors
What the critics said
Universally acclaimed by critics as a strange, fabulous, and deeply hilarious masterclass in deadpan absurdist stand-up comedy.
In the room: Uproarious and enthusiastic response from the Wilbur Theatre audience in Boston.
Backstory
Released on Netflix in May 2017 during a major platform stand-up boom; performed while Macdonald was privately battling cancer and reflecting on mortality and aging.
Details
- Released
- Taped
- Wilbur Theatre, Boston
- Runtime
- 60 min
- Where
- Netflix
- Director
- Liz Plonka
- Honors
- Rotten Tomatoes 100% Tomatometer rating
- Topics
- Before
- Me Doing Stand-Up (2011)
- After
- Nothing Special (2022)
More from Norm Macdonald
-
Nothing Special
Netflix
-
Me Doing Stand-Up
Comedy Central
-
One Night Stand
HBO
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