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The Golden Age of Comedy - Mick - 07-18-2020
It's the pandemic, so I've been re-watching a few old favorite comedies, and I got to thinking two things: first, that comedies evoke intensely personal reactions. I think virtually everyone has a sense of humor, but they impact us all differently. For example, to me, Woody Allen is amusing rather than funny. I find most comic actors very hit-and-miss. So maybe my tastes are eclectic.
The second thing is that I'd always believed the Golden Age of Comedy started with Animal House (1979). That was the first movie that I thought was side-splittingly funny, followed in rapid fashion by Caddyshack, Blues Brothers, Airplane, Stripes, 48 Hours, Fast Times at Ridgmont High, Tootsie, Trading Places, Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, Sixteen Candles, This is Spinal Tap, Better Off Dead, Breakfast Club, Back to The Future and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Those 17 movies were released between 1979 and 1986. For the longest time, I thought of that period as the Golden Age of Comedy, or at least my Golden Age of Comedy.
Then, there was a long period of lightly amusing comedies, puncutated by occasional really funny movies. From 1990 to 1992, I couldn't find an "A" level comedy, at least not for me. I didn't think there were any hilarious movies for the decade following 1986, with the exception of Say Anything, Groundhog Day, Sleepless in Seattle and The Mask.
In 1997; Liar Liar, Grosse Pointe Blank, Men in Black and As Good As It Gets all came out, followed by The Big Lebowski, There's Something About Mary, Waking Ned Devine, Rushmore, 10 Things I Hate About You, Election, Office Space, and What Women Want, all in the space of four years. A mini-Golden Age of Comedy, if you will, followed by another drought.
Then, between 2003 and 2005, what I think of as my personal Golden age of Comedy: Old School, Bruce Almighty, Elf, School of Rock, Love Actually, Dodgeball, Anchorman: the Story of Ron Burgundy, Sideways, Shaun of the Dead, Wedding Crashers, and 40 Year Old Virgin.
In the 15 years since, there's only been a few solid comedies: Tropic Thunder, The Hangover, Crazy Stupid Love, Bridesmaids, We're the Millers.
I omitted sequels, and while I thought Chaplin and Buster Keaton were gifted physical comedians, Abbott & Costello were the height of vaudeville humor, the Three Stooges were tough to take for more than about 15 minutes at a time, I didn't include any of them. Nor did I include Hope & Crosby (who had some very funny lines) or Martin & Lewis.
What's been your experience?
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - Genuine Realist - 07-18-2020
You omitted 30's screwball comedies.
'It Happened One Night' and Bringing Up Baby', for openers.
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - BobK - 07-18-2020
While I’ve seen every movie you mentioned Mick except one. Nothing beats the Marx Brothers and WC Fields
You left off The little Rascals about 1995 with Trump. Watched that not long ago with the grandkids
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - CompSci87 - 07-18-2020
Random mentions:
From 1991, What About Bob?
From way back, Laurel and Hardy.
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - PVTree - 07-18-2020
Loved Abbott and Costello.
The Three Stooges were great.
Laurel and Hardy were pioneers.
John Belushi could have been amongst the all-time greats.
I liked Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler in their prime.
Like Jack Black comedies, Ben Stiller is also funny.
Love Princess Bride and many others already mentioned.
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - Mick - 07-18-2020
(07-18-2020, 05:17 PM)PVTree Wrote: Loved Abbott and Costello.
The Three Stooges were great.
Laurel and Hardy were pioneers.
John Belushi could have been amongst the all-time greats.
I liked Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler in their prime.
Like Jack Black comedies, Ben Stiller is also funny.
Love Princess Bride and many others already mentioned.
I thought Belushi was amazing in Animal House. Apparently, the writers felt they had to offer Chevy Chase a part, so they offered him the part of Otter (played by Tim Matheson), but they sold him the movie as a "real ensemble" when they knew that Chase wanted to be the star. They didn't really want him in the movie, as such.
Other than School of Rock, it's hard for me to get behind Jack Black. I think Ben Stiller is better as the #2 comic actor (e.g., Dodgeball, when Vince Vaughn had the main lead) or as part of an ensemble (Tropic Thunder with Black, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise et al) or with a lot of comic actor help (Zoolander, which had Will Farrell, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Milla Jovovich, Jerry Stiller, Jon Voight, David Duchovny, Christian Slater, Cuba Gooding Jr., and real world designers Tom Ford, Tommy Hilfiger, and about 30 cameos).
Early Jim Carrey was pretty darned good. Adam Sandler's can turn in some terrific efforts, though I'm not wild about him.
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - BostonCard - 07-18-2020
Turns out Adam Sandler is a better actor in serious roles. He was great in Uncut Gems.
BC
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - Phogge - 07-18-2020
You are so young BC. I loved the first Hangover and several others you mentioned but my Golden Age happened a long time ago.
Laurel and Hardy, The Dead End kids, Red Skelton (Whisper in the Dark), Harold Lloyd (dad worked on some of his), Buster Keaton in "The Cameraman," screwball comedies with Carole Lombard, Cary Grant, William Powell, Judy Holliday, the Marx Brothers.....
Consistently nothing was funnier than I Love Lucy. Especially the Harpo skit and the chocolate assembly line.
Perhaps the funniest movie scene of all for me was the second time I saw Psycho. This time I watched the audience around me when Perkins in drag rushes out of the bedroom and stabs Martin Balsam. The reactions were unbelievable.
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - cardcrimson - 07-18-2020
The Golden Age of Comedy?!? TC, er Phogge, is right. I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, and even Leave it to Beaver were the Golden Age, albeit on the small screen. Some Like it Hot, Singin' in the Rain, and Pillow Talk were pretty influential on the big screen . . .
I'd call Animal House, Caddyshack, and Airplane perhaps a renaissance of comedy, though none of these would have happened without Blazing Saddles. Now that was a ground breaking comedy.
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - CowboyIndian - 07-18-2020
Thank you!
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - Hurlburt88 - 07-19-2020
Anyone for Monty Python?
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - BobK - 07-19-2020
Yes on the Monty group. Just watched Life of Brian.
A Fish called Wanda
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - jonnyss - 07-19-2020
there are many great, amusing movies. i'll offer ferris bueller's day off and the big lebowski. and maybe napoleon dynamite and office space. death at a funeral. got to include robin williams - maybe good morning vietnam. peter sellers - maybe the party. for a recent great, amusing movie, i'll throw in booksmart. for an amusing animated feature, how about the south park movie (blame canada!)
funniest movie? if we are talking laugh-out-loud rather than just amusing, then i vote for super troopers, especially the opening 2 scenes: the meow game and the traffic stop of the teen stoners.
also hilarious are best in show, borat. the leslie nielsen films (airplane, naked gun) are so quotable ("surely you can't be serious." / "i am serious, and don't call me shirley"). road trip has 2 falling-off-the-chair funny scenes: the fraternity, and the visit to grandpa.
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - Spiny_Norman - 07-19-2020
(07-19-2020, 06:59 AM)Hurlburt88 Wrote: Anyone for Monty Python?
Um, yes.
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - Griffins78 - 07-19-2020
I agree. Blazing Saddles is a classic. Before that, there was. “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” with all the great comedians at the time along with Spencer Tracy. Oh, and after Animal House, I would include 1941 with Belushi that came out right after in ‘79
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - CowboyIndian - 07-19-2020
The Great Race with Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk
The In-Laws (original) with Alan Arkin and Peter Falk
Little Big Man (not exclusively a comedy but some very funny lines and scenes) with Dustin Hoffman
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - Phogge - 07-19-2020
A Brit comedy, "The Jokers" with Oliver Reed and Michael Crawford.
"Shot in the Dark," the best Clouseau.
"Morgan," another Brit.
"MASH."
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - PVTree - 07-19-2020
(07-19-2020, 03:15 PM)CowboyIndian Wrote: The Great Race with Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk
The In-Laws (original) with Alan Arkin and Peter Falk
Little Big Man (not exclusively a comedy but some very funny lines and scenes) with Dustin Hoffman
The Great Race was my favorite comedy movie when I was a child. The great Leslie (Tony Curtis), dueling with Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon) and Maggie (Natalie Wood) had all the features of a great movie; the hero, the villain, the love interest, the righteous cause, travel, competition, mischief, gallantry, etc.
A perfect casting for each of the roles as each was terrific portraying their character. It's been a while since I last saw it, and hope it's on TV soon enough to watch it again. The Sting is also another one I would want to watch again after many years without seeing it.
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - jonnyss - 07-19-2020
(07-19-2020, 05:08 PM)Phogge Wrote: A Brit comedy, "The Jokers" with Oliver Reed and Michael Crawford.mentioning british comedies reminds me of the wonderful irish comic thriller "the guard." super enjoyable. very amusing rather than fall-off-the-chair funny.
"Shot in the Dark," the best Clouseau.
"Morgan," another Brit.
"MASH."
going a bit off topic and a bit downer here, but, to refresh my memory, i just looked at lists of best british comedies and saw lots of alex guiness (makes sense) but then was stunned to see brazil and in bruges (say what?) on the lists. both of those movies are well done but among the most depressing, horrifying films i have ever seen. comedies? i think not. those 2 films are comedies like get out and parasite are comedies. brazil is an adaptation of kafka's "the trial." kafka a comic writer? i-don't-think-so!
RE: The Golden Age of Comedy - PVTree - 07-19-2020
Good thing Clockwork Orange was not amongst the listed comedies.