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| Laurel & Hardy in Saps at Sea (1940) |
Fox 8 News (which I'm partial to, since the station is very devoted to Vermilion) did a story on the all-time best screen comedies a few weeks ago. The report came about because Variety, the well-known entertainment magazine, did an article on "The 100 Best Comedy Movies of All Time (which you can read here).
The Fox 8 segment only mentioned the Variety top five, some of which had me scratching my head. Then the news anchors all named their favorites. It was fascinating because everyone's list was completely different. They all had their own idea of what's funny (although a few selected Anchorman).
It's a great topic for discussion.
My list of favorite comedies would have to include only those that I enjoy seeing and laughing at again and again, and never get tired of. That would eliminate a lot of movies that I've seen in the last 20 years, most of which I only saw once and promptly forgot. Thus my list is naturally steeped in nostalgia and hopelessly dated.
Here (in order of when they were first released) are my favorites:
Saps at Sea (1940) – Every list of great comedies should have at least one Laurel & Hardy movie on it. I watched Saps at Sea the other night (for about the 100th time) and still laughed out loud at Stan & Ollie. Besides, as a fan of the movie, I'm in good company – it was a favorite of Winston Churchill too!
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – I've devoted several posts to why I love this film. It's probably my favorite movie of all time.
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) – any family that trekked across the country by car on their vacation (like my family did, several times) can relate to this movie and find it hilarious. It has such a great cast too, with Chevy Chase, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Brian Doyle-Murray...
Groundhog Day (1993) – I'm a big Bill Murray fan, and he's great in this movie, which is hilarious and has a great message too. I watch it every year on – what else? – Groundhog Day.
But, Dan (you might say) – that's only four movies. Isn't there a fifth?
Well, I just couldn't decide. There are several comedies that I enjoy seeing over and over, even if I don't have a deep emotional connection with them: Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), which I wrote about here; Support Your Local Sheriff (1969); Animal House (1978); The In-Laws (1979) with Peter Falk and Alan Arkin; Caddyshack (1980); Ghostbusters (1984); Back to the Future (1985); and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989).
It's kind of funny that the most recent movie on my list is from 1993. I guess I really like the comedies of the 1980s, as that seemed to be the era in which the SNL and SCTV alumni did their best work.
Anyway, be sure to leave a comment about your favorite comedies.
Blazing Saddles
ReplyDeleteEnd of story
Saw it at Avon Lake in HS and still remember the packed theater roaring with laughter!
Todd
The 80's or a golden age for comedy, because they stop making good-hearted movies sometime after that. I'm with you on Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, and Christmas Vacation (my favorite of all). I've still got PTSD from that Laurel and Hardy movie where they're skeletons at the end. I would add Spaceballs and Monty Python's Holy Grail.
ReplyDeleteLaughing at your PTSD comment about the L&H skeletons. I saw it as a kid and had bad dreams for weeks!
DeleteIn no particular order: "Ghostbusters" would be on my list, too, as would "Saps and Sea." Reaching back further would be Buster Keaton's "The General," if I had to pick just one of his. He always makes me laugh because almost all of his visual jokes have an unexpected 2nd punchline. "Being There" with Peter Sellers. Like you, a 5th one is difficult, but I'm going with "Caddyshack."
ReplyDeleteMy list pretty much mirrors yours... I'd have to add Airplane and Plane/Trains and Automobiles... but yes, it seems like a lot of mine are from the 80's as well. One thing about Vacation... when I watched it as a kid, I saw it from a kids perspective ("soooooo embarrassed by my parents"), but later as an adult, I see it differently - I sympathize with Clark and Ellen lol!
ReplyDeleteIn no particular order:
ReplyDeleteCaddyshack (1980), Christmas Vacation (1989), Spies Like Us (1985, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd), Stripes (1981), and Revenge of the Nerds (1984).
Honorable mention: Animal House (1978), The Jerk (1979), and Hollywood Knights (1980)
All in the late 70's/early 80's, in my teen years and early 20's. I think a lot had to do with cable tv becoming available and everyone having HBO for the first time.
Well, these days I never go to the movies or watch television, so my list is inevitably biased toward the days when I did engage in such activities. In other words, these are real oldies, none of them less than 65 years old:
ReplyDeleteBringing Up Baby (Grant and Hepburn)
The Awful Truth (Grant and Irene Dunne)
Pillow Talk (Doris Day and Rock Hudson)
A Night at the Opera (Marx Bros.)
Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, of course)
I also am a great admirer of Stan and Ollie, primarily for their short films.
Duck Soup: The Marx Brothers at their most thoroughly anarchic, and the political humor still rings true no matter which side of the aisle you're on.
ReplyDeleteThe Court Jester: Danny Kaye riffing on Robin Hood in a delightfully funny romp. And remember - the vessel with the pestle has the pellet with the poison; the flagon with the dragon has the brew that is true.
It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World: Not even gonna TRY and explain it; just sit back and watch a dozen or so classic comedians try to steal a million dollars.
The Blues Brothers: They're on a mission from God and backed up by the last great collection of blues artists we'll ever see. Plus the greatest car chase of all time.
AIRPLANE! : Surely one of the greatest.
Mike