- 12 years ago
Oh boy, a funny talkie! Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the top 10 comedy movies of the 1930s. This is part of a series of videos spanning the decades of comedic films from the 1930s to the 2000s.
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00:10Oh boy, a funny-talkie!
00:13Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Comedies from the 1930s.
00:23For our series on the top comedies of all time,
00:26we've chosen comedy films per decade based on their iconic status, critical acclaim, box office success, watchability, and, of course,
00:35how funny they are.
00:38This is part of a series of videos spanning the decades of comedic films from the 1930s to the 2000s.
00:49Greta Garbo was a big name back in the 30s. Just ask your grandparents.
00:54Why do you bring this up after all these years?
00:55But rarely did she ever stray into the waters of comedy.
00:58It's funny to look back. I was brought up on goat's milk, had a ration of vodka in the army,
01:04and now champagne.
01:06Ninotchka pokes light fun at mad-capped Russians under the rule of Joseph Stalin, without ever outright mocking the Soviet
01:13Union.
01:14A Russian! I love Russians!
01:16Satire and charm are heavy, and Garbo will put a smile on your face with her razor-sharp quips and
01:221930s charm.
01:24You know the jokes you told me a few days ago? I wake up in the middle of the night
01:28and laugh.
01:29Bela Lugosi even makes an appearance.
01:31Don't waste my time, camarades. Do your duty. Goodbye.
01:35Are you sure this is your bag?
01:37But of course it is. Are you doubting me?
01:39Not in the least, madame.
01:41Number 9. Trouble in Paradise.
01:43I hardly think so, but let's look.
01:46A gentleman thief played by Herbert Marshall, and a beautiful pickpocket portrayed by Miriam Hopkins, team up in this match
01:53made in romantic comedy heaven.
01:55I'm mad about you. My little shoplifter. My sweet little pickpocket.
02:02As with most rom-coms, a love triangle is soon established.
02:06Well, uh, yes and no.
02:09But, don't be put off by the film's romantic exterior, as it offers a lot in the way of comedy
02:14as well.
02:16Especially when the two attempt to get the better of one another.
02:19What day is today?
02:20The 14th of May.
02:21And tomorrow is the 15th.
02:22And the day after tomorrow?
02:24The 6th.
02:27Trouble in Paradise has aged like fine wine.
02:30I think we should have a cocktail.
02:31And can still make you laugh with the best of them.
02:34I know you'll love me.
02:37Oh, why don't you say something?
02:38Come on, be brilliant.
02:40Talk yourself out of it.
02:41Bluff yourself in.
02:43Shut up, you liar, you!
02:44What do you do?
02:46Number eight.
02:47Modern Times.
02:57Charlie Chaplin was a master of silent comedy.
03:00And in his final non-talky film, he doesn't fail to bring the laughter.
03:07Working in a dehumanizing factory and on an increasingly complex assembly line,
03:12the little tramp finds himself beaten and buffeted by the factory's insane machine,
03:17while his boss looks on menacingly.
03:21His struggles continue when he's forced to find another job.
03:29And while Modern Times is evidently a commentary on the looming threat of modern technology,
03:35Chaplin manages to inject the film with his own brand of hilarious slapstick and unforgettable charm.
03:45Is there anything wrong with my nose?
03:48Yes, I like it.
03:50You promised me a dance.
03:52Did I?
03:53A midnight dance.
03:55Oh, but please, it's not there.
03:56Get there.
03:57Sophisticated humor abounds in this comedy about a poor showgirl who schemes with a rich man
04:02so he can win his wife back from the arms of another man.
04:05She's in love with him.
04:07In her role as Eve Peabody, Claudette Colbert delivers the laughs
04:10with expert timing and seemingly off-the-cuff lines.
04:14I need a taxi to find myself a job.
04:15I need a job to pay for the taxi.
04:17Just check out the scene at the hat shop, which is a series of thinly-veiled insults.
04:22Oh, I think it's a dream on you.
04:23You know, it does something for your face.
04:26It gives you a chin.
04:28Meanwhile, John Barrymore, a staple of 1930s comedy, is hilarious as the eccentric millionaire.
04:34Do you know him?
04:35Yes.
04:36It's early screwball at its finest.
04:44Goodbye now, dear.
04:45I'll see you soon.
04:46This is the land of the free.
04:50The last man nearly ruined this place.
04:52He didn't know what to do with it.
04:53If you think this country's bad off now, just wait till I get through with it.
04:56Number 6, Duck Soup.
04:58I welcome you with open arms.
05:00Is that so?
05:01How late do you stay open?
05:02Now widely regarded as one of the Marx Brothers' seminal films, this political satire about a
05:07bankrupt country and ineffective dictator is instantly recognizable for many of its slapstick gags.
05:14I'm a man of few words.
05:15I'm a man of one word.
05:16Scram.
05:17The famous scene in which Groucho Marx's every move is mimicked by an impersonator in a mirror
05:22frame has been parodied countless times over.
05:33As with most of the Marx Brothers' productions, the sight gags and slapstick provide timeless
05:39laughs, and it's considered a classic in the comedy canon.
05:42Why?
05:55You know, we do know each other.
05:56Well, of course we do.
05:57We know each other for years.
05:59Aren't you Nick Charles?
06:00Number 5, The Thin Man.
06:02Well, that's a hot one.
06:03As tipsy sleuths Nick and Nora Charles, William Powell and Myrna Loy join forces in this comedy
06:09mystery about the disappearance of the eponymous Thin Man and the murder of a woman named Julia
06:14Wolfe.
06:15Where were you the afternoon?
06:16She was knocked off.
06:18So you don't think I had anything to do with it?
06:19Where were you?
06:20Though seemingly a detective drama on the surface, the movie delivers laughs and smiles in all
06:25the right places.
06:26Nice food, isn't it?
06:27Yes, it's the best dinner I ever listened to.
06:30The pair's on-screen chemistry goes a long way, and their back-and-forth banter is always
06:35good for a giggle.
06:36Oh, Nicky.
06:38I love you, because you know such lovely people.
06:42No surprise, it was nominated for Best Picture.
06:45Well, congratulations.
06:47Yeah, well, you wouldn't mind if I looked around.
06:49Me too deeply.
06:50Number 4, The Awful Truth.
06:53I wouldn't do that if I were you.
06:54This screwball comedy finds divorce in the cards for a married couple after they begin
06:58suspecting one another of being unfaithful.
07:01Just get on with the divorce proceedings.
07:02I can hardly wait.
07:03However, while their separation plans are being made, husband and wife go to insane lengths
07:08to keep each other from getting remarried.
07:10Well, I'm convinced he must care about me, or he wouldn't do the funny things he does.
07:13Cary Grant is charmingly hilarious opposite Irene Dunn, who gives a deep and bitingly
07:18satirical performance as his soon-to-be ex-wife.
07:22Yes, I'm sure you'll be very happy.
07:24Just one viewing, and you're sure to find that over three-quarters of a century have done
07:28nothing to strip the awful truth of its charm and wit.
07:33Oh, excuse me, Dan.
07:34I do laugh at the oddest times.
07:36Oh, you?
07:37You see what I mean?
07:39What does it say?
07:40What does it say?
07:40Are you pleased with baby?
07:43No.
07:43Baby?
07:43Mark.
07:44Mark.
07:45Number three, bringing up baby.
07:47You've given away baby?
07:48Yeah.
07:48You have no right to do that.
07:49He doesn't belong to you.
07:50Oh, it's all your fault, you're brilliant.
07:51Oh, I've had enough.
07:52I quit.
07:53Howard Hawks, Cary Grant, and Katharine Hepburn are all names that needed no help bringing
07:58audiences into movie theaters separately.
08:00You're so good-looking without your glasses.
08:02Put Them All Together and What You Have is a madcap comedy with romantic elements that also
08:07happens to feature a leopard.
08:12And while it wasn't considered successful initially, it has since grown in popularity.
08:18Yes, but goodness knows how long that's going to last.
08:20Bringing up baby didn't only demonstrate Hepburn's talent for low comedy, but also helped cheer
08:25up the masses during the Great Depression.
08:27Who are you?
08:28What, who are you?
08:29What do you want?
08:30Well, who are you?
08:32I don't know.
08:32I'm not quite myself today.
08:34In addition, the screwball comedy effectively fleshed out a pretty convincing love story
08:38while remaining timeless and refreshing.
08:41Well, my dear young lady, you don't seem to realize you've placed me in a very embarrassing
08:45position.
08:46Number two, My Man Godfrey.
08:48And so out of the ruins of Godfrey Park, a new edifice is sprung up in the form of Godfrey
08:53Smith.
08:54A scavenger hunt between two wealthy socialites leads to the hiring of the eponymous Godfrey,
08:59a hobo who is more than meets the eye.
09:01How'd you like to make five dollars?
09:04I didn't quite catch what you said.
09:06A biting social commentary that pokes fun at the rich and gives center stage to the poor.
09:12My Man Godfrey is chock full of the zaniness that defines screwball comedy.
09:16Oh, money, money, money.
09:19The Frankenstein monster that destroys souls.
09:22The comic timing of actors William Powell, Carol Lombard, and Eugene Pallet makes this
09:27movie an enduring and hilarious classic.
09:30I assure you, it'll be a pleasure for me to go back to a society of really important people.
09:35Before we unveil our pick for comedy of the 1930s, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:40I can't eat a piece of it.
09:41I'll knock him down and pick him up and then knock him down again and then pick him up and
09:45It hasn't happened yet.
09:46It's going to happen.
09:47Oh, it is, is it?
09:48The only thing that's going to happen to him is a terrible accident.
09:50I'll seize him by the...
09:51I'm thinking that maybe you ain't the most tittering imbecile on earth.
09:55I'm thinking that maybe you've learned your lesson.
09:58Even a simple concussion may have curious effects upon an imaginative person.
10:02Yes, but I can remember every little detail.
10:04Her name, Miss Froy, everything.
10:07So interesting.
10:08You'll remember me.
10:09I'm Henderson, plain clothes man.
10:11You look more like an old clothes man to me.
10:14Oh, yeah?
10:16If you keep that up, we're not going to get anywhere.
10:19Number 1.
10:20It Happened One Night.
10:21Excuse me, lady.
10:23But that upon which you sit is mine.
10:25Frank Capra proves that matters of the heart always trump dire circumstances.
10:29I couldn't live without you.
10:31Produced during the Great Depression, this film about two completely different people falling for each other against all odds,
10:37manages to pull at the heartstrings as well as tickle the funny bone.
10:41He did an excellent job.
10:43He kept me thoroughly entertained.
10:45Clark Gable's scheming out-of-work reporter blackmails Claudette Colbert's rich heiress in order to secure a juicy story.
10:52It's the biggest scoop of the year.
10:53Timelessly funny and charming,
10:55It Happened One Night is a must-watch for fans of comedies, romances, and cinema in general.
11:01Come on, baby.
11:02Get a police escort.
11:07Do you agree with our list?
11:09The whole thing's so new to me.
11:11What's your favorite 1930s comedy?
11:15For more hilarious top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
11:20Why, my partner, he's got a nose just like a bloodhound.
11:23Really?
11:24Yeah, and the rest of his face don't look so good either.
11:27For more detailed 12 stuff, come on.
11:28I love you.
11:28I love you.
11:29Bye-bye.
11:29Give meifi.
11:30I love you.
11:32Bye-bye.
11:33Bye-bye.
11:33Bye-bye.
11:34Bye-bye.