"I won't laugh much at a genuinely funny comedy if I've already seen it 10 times, so why would I laugh at 500-year-old puns that I've heard before...when even the best puns rarely cause laughter the first time?"<p>I've seen the film Animal House[0] about 20 times and still think it's  funny.  Part of the humor is the set-up and delivery. Yes, I <i>know</i> John Belushi is going to force potatoes out of his mouth, but when it happens it's  <i>still</i> funny  because of all the little details.<p>Same for A Night at the Opera.  Dated in some ways, but hysterical in others.  Grouch Marx is just <i>funny</i>, even when you know the jokes.<p>Now, my wife wonders how I can watch the same movie twice, since I what happens and how it ends.<p>My brother, though, compares this to listening to music;  you know the words and how the melody goes, but you still like listening to a familiar song.   Some people are that way with books and plays and movies, too.<p>[0] Yes, I am <i>that</i> old.