Who doesn't love to laugh? I know I do. I grew up during in a great time, when the television was filled daily with Three Stooges and Laurel & Hardy shorts, and there was always a Marx Brothers or W.C. Fields film playing somewhere. And let's not forget Abbott & Costello, Martin & Lewis, Ma & Pa Kettle and, of course, Francis The Talking Mule. Comedy was king. As a youth, I started collecting silent comedies on Super 8mm and discovered the comic trinity of Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd.
The biggest problem with making a list of comedies is deciding what actually is a comedy. How many laughs are needed to turn a drama into a comedy? What about funny musicals? Or funny horror films? It calls for some very subjective judgments.
I am not going to handcuff myself with as many self-imposed restrictions as I did when I made my lists of horror films. My decision concerning what is a comedy will be decided on the basis of the individual film. However, I will try to restrain myself from flooding a decade with the work of a single comic visionary. For example, I am not going to put six Marx Brothers films on my Top 10 Comedies of the 1930s list. I will only pick one of their films as representative of their work during the period.
Also, I am going to try to rate the films in the context of their times. Therefore, expect to see some films on the lists which would be considered politically incorrect today. I will, however, discuss the controversy concerning some of those films when it seems appropriate.
Here's my list of the top comedies of the 1960s. At the time, my favorite films of the period would have been ones by Jerry Lewis, Don Knotts and Disney films like The Love Bug. My taste has subsequently changed, and now I prefer the more satirical films.
Here's the list:
A shy but nutty professor, Jerry Lewis, develops a serum that turns him into the outgoing chick magnet Buddy Love.
I used to be a gigantic Jerry Lewis fan, and he was definitely one of the great comic forces of the 1950s and 1960s. However, my taste has changed but Jerry has remained steadfastly the same. This is a dilemma for me while compiling these lists. Do I include a film or performer that I no longer find (as) funny that represents a major trend in comedy during that decade? I suppose that question I will only be able to answer on a case-by-case basis.
Well, if you have to include a Jerry Lewis film, this is the one to pick. The professor is indicative of the goofy characters played so well. The Buddy Love character is also indicative of characters would increasingly play as the decade continued.
Still, somehow I think I should have put Don Knotts' The Ghost and Mr. Chicken in this slot.....
James Garner plays a drifter who becomes the sheriff of a wild gold rush town who succeeds more by his wits than with his gun.
I am a fan of western comedies and there were quite a few of them during the 1960s. The two of them I see most on lists are Cat Ballou and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. Butch is very funny, but does not make my list because I do not consider it primarily a comedy. And I like this film better than Cat, primarily because of the presence of James Garner. Although he had leading man looks and was believable in action-oriented roles, Garner carved out a niche for himself as a man who relied primarily on his wits. This characterization would fully blossom in his television series The Rockford Files, which remains one of my favorite shows of all time.
BTW, screenwriter William Bowers was previously nominated for two screenwriting Oscars. One for The Gunfighter in 1950 and The Sheepman in 1958. He also appears as an actor in The Godfather, Part II. Pretty cool.
James Cagney plays a Coca Cola executive stationed in West Berlin who finds himself embroiled in Cold War intrigue.
Most lists of sixties comedies would include Billy Wilder's classic film The Apartment instead. Although I would concede that The Apartment is the more significant of the two works, this film is simply funnier and I tend to go with the funnier film. Sadly, this film never found its audience. The Berlin Crisis of 1961 left America less inclined to laugh at the situation. Too bad. Billy Wilder is a genius.
The last words of a dying criminal sent a group of strangers on a race to recover his ill-gotten gains while the police watch, and keep score, from a distance.
The unbearably earnest, issue-oriented filmmaker Stanley Kramer let his hair down with this epic comedy loaded with cameos. Kramer was not known for his skills with comedy. It seems like he compensated by throwing everything he could against the wall hoping enough would stick. It did. The film is actually pretty funny and gives a number of performers mainly known for their work on television -- Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers -- a chance to strut their stuff on the big screen. Plus, it was one of the few opportunities Jonathan Winters got to really cut loose at the time. Plus, you have cameos from Buster Keaton, Jack Benny, Jerry Lewis, Joe E. Brown, Zasu Pitts, Carl Reiner, Don Knotts, Leo Gorcey, Peter Falk, The Three Stooges and many others. What's not to love?
James Coburn plays the President's psychiatrist, who soon finds himself the target of various nefarious characters and institutions.
A great little paranoid satire that captured the zeitgeist of late-60s. I have seen film a number of times and always enjoyed it. I have not, however, seen it over ten years. After watching the trailer, I suspect I might find at least the visual approach dated....
BTW, the writer/director also created one of my favorite TV shows of the 1970s: Barney Miller.
Aged James Bond, played by David Niven, is called out of retirement to deal with the evil organization SMERSH, which has been killing spies all around the world.
The producers, who owned the rights to this Ian Fleming James Bond novel, felt the world was ready for a spoof of the previous films. This unorthodox comedy features different segments by different directors. The film was panned upon its release as disjointed and unfunny. I will concede the first point, but I have always found the film very funny. Woody Allen as James Bond? Peter Sellers as James Bond? Count me in.
Plus, I always liked the Burt Bacharach soundtrack.
A day in the life of The Beatles at the height of Beatlemania is depicted in this witty, ground-breaking comedy.
This film didn't have to be any good. All that interested United Artists was the soundtrack album. The film itself could be a loss leader. Fortunately, the Beatles wanted to make a good film. They surrounded themselves with a hungry, innovative young director and a Liverpool playwright who had to opportunity to tour with them and see how they lived. The result was the best rock film ever. And let's not forget the soundtrack....
An unscrupulous Broadway producer, Zero Mostel, and his accountant, Gene Wilder, discover they can make more money from a flop than a hit. Problems only arise when the play, Springtime for Hitler, becomes a hit.
This film put television writer (and Get Smart co-creator) Mel Brooks on the cinematic map. This film, his first feature, won Brooks the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. (Gene Wilder was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor.) It is a great film, and the 2005 musical, based on the Broadway version, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick is also worth seeing.
A schlubby fry cook, Dudley Moore, convinced he will never get the girl of his dreams, sells his soul to the devil, Peter Cook, in return for seven wishes.
As someone who has written twelve faith-based films, I confess I enjoy this film quite a bit. I think it slyly makes some cogent theological points now and then, but mostly it is just funny. The devil takes a genuine liking to Dudley but can't resist tricking him into wasting all of his wishes. It doesn't hurt that the love interest is played by the delightful Eleanor Bron, who was also the leading lady in the Beatles' film Help!.
The 2000 remake, starring Brandon Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley is terrible. It was doomed from the start. Casting a woman as the devil completely throws off the dynamic between the leads that was so important in the original.
After an unbalanced Air Force general sends his bomb wing to attack the Russians, the President and his advisors meet in the War Room to try to avert nuclear war.
Stanley Kubrick is arguably the world's greatest filmmaker. So it shouldn't be surprising that when he made a comedy, he made one of the best ones ever. For a filmmaker often defined by his cold, cerebral approach to his work, the comedy in this film is surprisingly broad. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have Peter Sellers play three characters. Still, Slim Pickens practically steals the film away from him as the cowboy pilot of the B-52. He plays the character with an earnest, straightforwardness which makes all the more affecting. Any time I am flipping through the dial and find this film, I know I will be locked in place until it finishes. It always works. It always makes me laugh. Brilliant.
Honorable Mention:
If you didn't get enough Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove, you can catch his most famous recurring role in THE PINK PANTHER, 1963. However, the Inspector Clouseau character doesn't really come into his own until the later films like A SHOT IN THE DARK, 1964. Fans of Cold War comedy don't have to go any further than 1966's THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING! THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING! with Alan Arkin. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon travel around the world in Blake Edwards' THE GREAT RACE, 1965. If yout taste runs to German cars, check out Disney's THE LOVE BUG, 1968. My family were early Volkswagen converts, so that film was a favorite. Another favorite from the decade was 1966's A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, directed by Richard Lester starring Zero Mostel and based on the ancient Roman play by Titus Maccius Plautus. 18th Century author Henry Fielding also got a big screen work-out with the 1963 adaptation of his novel TOM JONES. The film won four Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The 1960s were also the era of naughty sex comedies like A GUIDE FOR THE MARRIED MAN, 1961. And let's not forget the Woody Allen comic redubbing of a Japanese spy film WHAT'S UP, TIGER LILY?,1966. Overall, a pretty good decade for comedy.
Other Lists:
The biggest problem with making a list of comedies is deciding what actually is a comedy. How many laughs are needed to turn a drama into a comedy? What about funny musicals? Or funny horror films? It calls for some very subjective judgments.
I am not going to handcuff myself with as many self-imposed restrictions as I did when I made my lists of horror films. My decision concerning what is a comedy will be decided on the basis of the individual film. However, I will try to restrain myself from flooding a decade with the work of a single comic visionary. For example, I am not going to put six Marx Brothers films on my Top 10 Comedies of the 1930s list. I will only pick one of their films as representative of their work during the period.
Also, I am going to try to rate the films in the context of their times. Therefore, expect to see some films on the lists which would be considered politically incorrect today. I will, however, discuss the controversy concerning some of those films when it seems appropriate.
Here's my list of the top comedies of the 1960s. At the time, my favorite films of the period would have been ones by Jerry Lewis, Don Knotts and Disney films like The Love Bug. My taste has subsequently changed, and now I prefer the more satirical films.
Here's the list:
(10), THE NUTTY PROFESSOR, 1963
Directed by Jerry Lewis
Written by Jerry Lewis & Bill Richmond
A shy but nutty professor, Jerry Lewis, develops a serum that turns him into the outgoing chick magnet Buddy Love.
I used to be a gigantic Jerry Lewis fan, and he was definitely one of the great comic forces of the 1950s and 1960s. However, my taste has changed but Jerry has remained steadfastly the same. This is a dilemma for me while compiling these lists. Do I include a film or performer that I no longer find (as) funny that represents a major trend in comedy during that decade? I suppose that question I will only be able to answer on a case-by-case basis.
Well, if you have to include a Jerry Lewis film, this is the one to pick. The professor is indicative of the goofy characters played so well. The Buddy Love character is also indicative of characters would increasingly play as the decade continued.
Still, somehow I think I should have put Don Knotts' The Ghost and Mr. Chicken in this slot.....
(9). SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF, 1969
Directed by Burt Kennedy
Written by William Bowers
James Garner plays a drifter who becomes the sheriff of a wild gold rush town who succeeds more by his wits than with his gun.
I am a fan of western comedies and there were quite a few of them during the 1960s. The two of them I see most on lists are Cat Ballou and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. Butch is very funny, but does not make my list because I do not consider it primarily a comedy. And I like this film better than Cat, primarily because of the presence of James Garner. Although he had leading man looks and was believable in action-oriented roles, Garner carved out a niche for himself as a man who relied primarily on his wits. This characterization would fully blossom in his television series The Rockford Files, which remains one of my favorite shows of all time.
BTW, screenwriter William Bowers was previously nominated for two screenwriting Oscars. One for The Gunfighter in 1950 and The Sheepman in 1958. He also appears as an actor in The Godfather, Part II. Pretty cool.
(8). ONE, TWO, THREE, 1962
Directed by Billy Wilder
Screenplay by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond
Play by Ferenc Molnar
James Cagney plays a Coca Cola executive stationed in West Berlin who finds himself embroiled in Cold War intrigue.
Most lists of sixties comedies would include Billy Wilder's classic film The Apartment instead. Although I would concede that The Apartment is the more significant of the two works, this film is simply funnier and I tend to go with the funnier film. Sadly, this film never found its audience. The Berlin Crisis of 1961 left America less inclined to laugh at the situation. Too bad. Billy Wilder is a genius.
(7). IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD, 1963
Directed by Stanley Kramer
Story and Script by William Rose & Tania Rose
The last words of a dying criminal sent a group of strangers on a race to recover his ill-gotten gains while the police watch, and keep score, from a distance.
The unbearably earnest, issue-oriented filmmaker Stanley Kramer let his hair down with this epic comedy loaded with cameos. Kramer was not known for his skills with comedy. It seems like he compensated by throwing everything he could against the wall hoping enough would stick. It did. The film is actually pretty funny and gives a number of performers mainly known for their work on television -- Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers -- a chance to strut their stuff on the big screen. Plus, it was one of the few opportunities Jonathan Winters got to really cut loose at the time. Plus, you have cameos from Buster Keaton, Jack Benny, Jerry Lewis, Joe E. Brown, Zasu Pitts, Carl Reiner, Don Knotts, Leo Gorcey, Peter Falk, The Three Stooges and many others. What's not to love?
(6). THE PRESIDENT'S ANALYST, 1968
Written and directed by Theodore J. Flicker
James Coburn plays the President's psychiatrist, who soon finds himself the target of various nefarious characters and institutions.
A great little paranoid satire that captured the zeitgeist of late-60s. I have seen film a number of times and always enjoyed it. I have not, however, seen it over ten years. After watching the trailer, I suspect I might find at least the visual approach dated....
BTW, the writer/director also created one of my favorite TV shows of the 1970s: Barney Miller.
(5). CASINO ROYALE, 1967
Directed by Val Guest, Kenneth Hughes,
Suggested by the novel by Ian Fleming
Aged James Bond, played by David Niven, is called out of retirement to deal with the evil organization SMERSH, which has been killing spies all around the world.
The producers, who owned the rights to this Ian Fleming James Bond novel, felt the world was ready for a spoof of the previous films. This unorthodox comedy features different segments by different directors. The film was panned upon its release as disjointed and unfunny. I will concede the first point, but I have always found the film very funny. Woody Allen as James Bond? Peter Sellers as James Bond? Count me in.
Plus, I always liked the Burt Bacharach soundtrack.
(4). A HARD DAY'S NIGHT 1964
Directed by Richard Lester
Written by Alun Owen
A day in the life of The Beatles at the height of Beatlemania is depicted in this witty, ground-breaking comedy.
This film didn't have to be any good. All that interested United Artists was the soundtrack album. The film itself could be a loss leader. Fortunately, the Beatles wanted to make a good film. They surrounded themselves with a hungry, innovative young director and a Liverpool playwright who had to opportunity to tour with them and see how they lived. The result was the best rock film ever. And let's not forget the soundtrack....
(3). THE PRODUCERS, 1967
Written and Directed by Mel Brooks
An unscrupulous Broadway producer, Zero Mostel, and his accountant, Gene Wilder, discover they can make more money from a flop than a hit. Problems only arise when the play, Springtime for Hitler, becomes a hit.
This film put television writer (and Get Smart co-creator) Mel Brooks on the cinematic map. This film, his first feature, won Brooks the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. (Gene Wilder was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor.) It is a great film, and the 2005 musical, based on the Broadway version, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick is also worth seeing.
(2). BEDAZZLED, 1967
Directed by Stanley Donen
Screenplay by Peter Cook
Story by Peter Cook & Dudley Moore
A schlubby fry cook, Dudley Moore, convinced he will never get the girl of his dreams, sells his soul to the devil, Peter Cook, in return for seven wishes.
As someone who has written twelve faith-based films, I confess I enjoy this film quite a bit. I think it slyly makes some cogent theological points now and then, but mostly it is just funny. The devil takes a genuine liking to Dudley but can't resist tricking him into wasting all of his wishes. It doesn't hurt that the love interest is played by the delightful Eleanor Bron, who was also the leading lady in the Beatles' film Help!.
The 2000 remake, starring Brandon Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley is terrible. It was doomed from the start. Casting a woman as the devil completely throws off the dynamic between the leads that was so important in the original.
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Based on the book by Peter George
After an unbalanced Air Force general sends his bomb wing to attack the Russians, the President and his advisors meet in the War Room to try to avert nuclear war.
Stanley Kubrick is arguably the world's greatest filmmaker. So it shouldn't be surprising that when he made a comedy, he made one of the best ones ever. For a filmmaker often defined by his cold, cerebral approach to his work, the comedy in this film is surprisingly broad. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have Peter Sellers play three characters. Still, Slim Pickens practically steals the film away from him as the cowboy pilot of the B-52. He plays the character with an earnest, straightforwardness which makes all the more affecting. Any time I am flipping through the dial and find this film, I know I will be locked in place until it finishes. It always works. It always makes me laugh. Brilliant.
Honorable Mention:
If you didn't get enough Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove, you can catch his most famous recurring role in THE PINK PANTHER, 1963. However, the Inspector Clouseau character doesn't really come into his own until the later films like A SHOT IN THE DARK, 1964. Fans of Cold War comedy don't have to go any further than 1966's THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING! THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING! with Alan Arkin. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon travel around the world in Blake Edwards' THE GREAT RACE, 1965. If yout taste runs to German cars, check out Disney's THE LOVE BUG, 1968. My family were early Volkswagen converts, so that film was a favorite. Another favorite from the decade was 1966's A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, directed by Richard Lester starring Zero Mostel and based on the ancient Roman play by Titus Maccius Plautus. 18th Century author Henry Fielding also got a big screen work-out with the 1963 adaptation of his novel TOM JONES. The film won four Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The 1960s were also the era of naughty sex comedies like A GUIDE FOR THE MARRIED MAN, 1961. And let's not forget the Woody Allen comic redubbing of a Japanese spy film WHAT'S UP, TIGER LILY?,1966. Overall, a pretty good decade for comedy.
Other Lists:
Top 10 Comedies of the 2000s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1990s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1980s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1970s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1960s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1950s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1940s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1930s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 2010s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 2000s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1990s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1980s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1970s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1960s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1950s
Top 15 Horror Films of the 1930s and 1940s
My 10 Favorite James Bonds Films
My 10 Favorite Faith Based Films
My 10 Favorite Laurel & Hardy Shorts
Top 10 Comedies of the 1990s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1980s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1970s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1960s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1950s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1940s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1930s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 2010s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 2000s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1990s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1980s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1970s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1960s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1950s
Top 15 Horror Films of the 1930s and 1940s
My 10 Favorite James Bonds Films
My 10 Favorite Faith Based Films
My 10 Favorite Laurel & Hardy Shorts
The 10 Worst Films I Paid To See!
My 5 Favorite Westerns
7 Guy Films
20 Films, or Confessions of a Misspent Youth
The Marx Brothers Films Ranked
The Chaplin Mutual Shorts Ranked
Beatles Albums Ranked
My 20 Favorite Beatles Songs
My 5 Least Favorite Beatles Songs
My 5 Favorite Rolling Stones Albums
My 5 Favorite Dylan Albums
My 5 Favorite Westerns
7 Guy Films
20 Films, or Confessions of a Misspent Youth
The Marx Brothers Films Ranked
The Chaplin Mutual Shorts Ranked
Beatles Albums Ranked
My 20 Favorite Beatles Songs
My 5 Least Favorite Beatles Songs
My 5 Favorite Rolling Stones Albums
My 5 Favorite Dylan Albums
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