Three Greatest American Talkie comedies

[MikeBSG]

I'm reading a book, "Woody Allen Interviews," and he says that the three greatest American comedies of the talkie era are:

"Trouble in Paradise," "The Shop Around the Corner," and "Born Yesterday."

I was surprised to see so much Lubitsch on the list and no Sturges or Wilder.

I like the first half of "Trouble in Paradise" but it runs out of gas for me. I've never really liked "Born Yesterday." Of Allen's three, only "The Shop Around the Corner" really works for me.

In some ways, I can see the Margaret Sullavan character in "Shop," trying to model herself on a character in a novel she read, as a Woody Allen character.

[MikeBSG]

I forgot to say that Allen prefaced his list by saying that these were the three best, setting aside the Marx Brothers and W. C. Fields.

I like "It's a Gift" and "The Producers" very much.

[MissGoddess]

I agree with the first two but I find Born Yesterday a bit heavy-handed. I would add My Man Godfrey to the top of the list.

[jdb1]

I do hope more people reply here - it's so remarkable to me to learn how very different our tastes are, and I think that more than any other genre, comedy is purely in the eye of the beholder.

I love It's a Gift, which I find slyly funny, as I find all the works of W.C. Fields. I've never seen Female Trouble; do you mean the John Waters film? If so, I'd probably like it, based on my enjoyment of so many of his other films.

Shop Around the Corner -- it's nice, it's sweet, but I don't really see it as a "comedy" in the sense I think we've discussing here. I've grown a bit tired of The Producers, and of Born Yesterday. I liked BY when I first saw it as a youngster, but I don't find it so charming any more.

As for movies like My Man Godfrey - here we get into the subjective mode. I don't care much for this movie, mostly because I don't care much for either Lombard or Powell. I don't dislike them - I just don't find them very funny. They can be pleasant, cute, chuckle-inducing, but not "funny."

It's so amazing how humor works and how it affects us. I well recall endless debates with my mother about the TV version of M*A*S*H. She hated it (she hadn't seen the movie, but I don't think she would have like it either). Her reason was that "people just don't stand around making witty remarks to each other all day; it's not natural." This from a woman who prided herself on the intelligence and sharpness of her constant stream of zingers.

Well, I do like people standing around making witty remarks all day, and that's why the Tracy-Heburn vehicle Desk Set is my favorite comedy. I guess my top three (at least for today) are:

Desk Set
Million Dollar Legs
Just about all of the "oeuvre" of Laurel & Hardy

[movieman1957]

Judith:

It's all so subjective, isn't it? For some reason I don't find Fields funny at all. For me he is just mean. I know some people feel that way about Groucho but I think there is still some charm when he's after someone.

I find many of the comedies that "My Man Godfrey" and "Born Yesterday" and "Some Like It Hot" of the charming type. They are fun but you don't laugh out loud a great deal. That is probably as the dramatic elements take the comedic edge off of them.

Mine? I 'm not sure and will likely change tomorrow.

Palm Beach Story.
The More The Merrier.
Midnight.

(How odd McCrea is in two of mine.)

I certainly agree with Stan and Ollie as a body of work. For my money they had a longer and more successful "life" than anyone save for Chaplin. I almost think since films by L&H, The Marx Brothers, Keaton, etc. are such different animals they are classifed differently. However, I don't always find him funny and he's far from being my favorite.

[jdb1]

Yes, Chris, even with L&H you will get lots of "nay" votes, as we have seen in discussions about them on the TCM site.

I remember comments about Hardy being "cruel" to Laurel, and even about discomfort some people felt at the "dumb" character Laurel portrayed. To me, those people are missing the historical (as in commedia dell'arte) and satirical elements that infuse all L&H movies. (And now I can hear people who may read this posting saying "Historical? Satirical?? Is she crazy???")

Yup, it's all in how you look at it. Personally, I can't think of too many "major" comic personalities around today who less deserve to win a Mark Twain Comedy Award than Billy Crystal, but he's getting one just the same. I suppose if they gave the award to some really funny old guy that no members of the "coveted" 14-18-year-old male TV audience ever heard of, no one would watch the show.

[melwalton]

Judith ....Chris
Of course, you're right, it's entirely subjective. I'd like to hear some comments about these which I thought very funny, hilarious at times:
'Enter Laughing'
'Your Past Is Showing'
'Make Mine Mink'
And a few others I liked;
'The Bank Dick' ....'Three Men on a Horse' .....the Miracle of Morgan's Creek' ....'A Slight Case of Murder' ....'Top Banana' ....'the Inspector General' .... 'the Busy Body' ......Any opinions? ..... mel

[mrsl]

Whoever said Woody Allen knew anything about comedy anyway? His kind of comedy turns me off like a water spiggot.

On the old TCM I did quite a diatribe on comedic films. In brief, I feel a comedy should keep me laughing up to the last scene and continue as I'm walking out of the theater. I hate so-called comedies that turn serious halfway through, which most so-called comedies do in the last 15 years or so. Some of them even turn into tear-jerkers.

My idea of a comedy is:

The Egg and I - Just purely a cute story. It doesn't need slapstick or hitting each other for jokes, simple situations make you laugh.
His Girl Friday - The best thing about this (Roz and Cary), are the fast talking over each other.
Some Like it Hot - It's not the guys in drag in this one, it's Joe E. Brown who keeps it going strong.
Bringing Up Baby - Again the fast talking, and the ludicrous situations. Being the first time, the situations were funny, but so much of it has been done and over done, that those attempts at admiration by imitation alone have undone much of its' original charm and fun.

I'm not a great fan of comedy, but every now and then you come across a film that keeps you engaged all through it. That's rare, but possible.

Also, as I said the other day about comedy, you have to be in the right frame of mind for it, if you're having a bad day, the funniest movie in the world may fall on flat eyes and ears, just as on a good day, a mediocre little piece of fluff may seem like the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Anne

[SSO Admins]

I'm not sure the feature format is entirely suited to best comedy. There are great moments in movies. It doesn't matter how many times I've seen them, I'll crack up at that first shot of the audience reaction to "Springtime for Hitler" in The Producers, or Keaton running downhill in Seven Chances.

But for serious, continual laughing, anything over 30 minutes grows wearisome. The Simpsons makes me laugh all through some episodes. A lot of Keaton's shorts are non stop -- One Week is one of the funniest films ever.

[movieman1957]

Mel:

I think "Miracle at Morgan's Creek" is really funny. As Anne said situations in themselves are funny, well this is the mother of all situations. It's even funnier in the context of the thime it was made.

Betty Hutton is great. So is the little sister. Bracken, for me, borders on being over-the-top as do a couple of the situations. All in all a fun film and worth the time.

One of my favorite comedies that is hardly ever seen is "Easy Living" with Jean Arthur. Sturges wrote it.

[jdb1]

I love It's a Gift, which I find slyly funny, as I find all the works of W.C. Fields. I've never seen Female Trouble; do you mean the John Waters film? If so, I'd probably like it, based on my enjoyment of so many of his other films.

Yes, the John Waters' film. His absolute funniest film, imo.

Don't know how I've missed it so far. I'll have to find it. I think Polyester is one of my favorite comedies.

I'm a fan of Preston Sturges as well. Miracle is a hoot, and I think it's one of the few movies that used Betty Hutton properly. I love Palm Beach Story, and I think it wouldn't have been half as funny with a different cast.

I haven't seen The Egg and I in years, but I remember it fondly. I like Midnight, too. I guess I find Claudette Colbert funny.

In contemporary terms, I never cease to laugh at The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, and I find new things in it every time I see it. That's a movie that should have gotten wider general release. I'm also very fond of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, which I think slides into the "subversive comedy" category. It's funny at face value, and even funnier if you dig deeper.

[mrsl]

Jondaris:

I agree about continuous laughter, I meant laughter on and off throughout the movie, unlike so-called comedies that end up as comedy-dramas and leave you in a downer mood. I'm thinking of the recent Family Stone which started out with some great comedic situations, but ended up as a real heart wrencher.

Anne