I was watching A Shot In The Dark this evening after waking up from my afternoon nap. I realized while watching it that Peter Sellers was simply brilliant in this movie. Now of course maybe that doesn't seem like a profound observation because everyone recognizes this movie as a classic. But I was watching it carefully and the man was SO subtle, his sense of timing so utterly sublime... I couldn't take my eyes off him. And, while almost all the Pink Panther movies had some brilliant moments, it's hard to dispute that A Shot In The Dark was the movie where Sellers was at the absolute peak of his powers.
It started me thinking. We often talk about movies we think are funny, or roles that crack us up. And we also often talk about great dramatic performances. But what about those great individual comedic performances? Where it's not just the writing that's funny, the story that's funny, the lines that are funny, but where the acting itself is simply brilliant? Not just funny, but subtle, carefully crafted, and so good you say, "man, almost no one could pull that off the way that was pulled off! Genius!"
I mean performances where you might even say you've seen funnier movies, but the individual performance in the movie was untoppable. For example, I would argue that there may be movies every bit as funny as Young Frankenstein, and while you might even think that individual Gene Wilder movies are funnier (some would suggest that Blazing Saddles was Gene Wilder's funniest movie, for example), I think you'd have a very hard time arguing that the actual role of young Dr. Frankenstein was Gene Wilder's very best work as an individual performance. Some might argue that Monty Python's funniest movie was Holy Grail, but I don't see how you couldn't acknowledge that as an individual performance, Graham Chapman in the role of Brian in The Life of Brian wasn't his best individual work and a truly unforgettable performance. Ditto, you might say that Some Like It Hot was a classic movie, but you probably wouldn't say that any of the people were particular standouts, it was just a great ensemble cast and a great script.
See what I'm saying?
So, I have a few nominations for immortal individual comedic performances:
* Peter Sellers: A Shot In The Dark
* Gene Wilder: Young Frankenstein (with honorable mention to Cloris Leachman in one of the most brilliantly-played supporting comedic roles ever.
* Groucho Marx: Duck Soup
* Graham Chapman: The Life Of Brian
* Frances McDormand: Fargo
Anyone got any other suggestions?
Kevin Kline in "A Fish Called Wanda"
There are some ones that I recommend to young people interested in comedy as well as ventriloquism (since that is a comedy team really):
WC FIELDS: It's a Gift
LAUREL & HARDY: Their HAL ROACH (n-o-t) shorts and films. All of their shorts are great. Way Out West (colorized version is great) and Sons of the Desert are the best. Pardon Us is wonderful but due to politically incorrect comedy scenes its harder to find.
THE HONEYMOONERS: The original 39 episodes are sheer genius. Watch Gleason and Carney's timing. Also, watch how Audrey Meadows remains largely still when Gleason does his schtick most of the time, to keep attention on him. Also watch how they all react.
BILL MURRAY: An absolute master of comedy whose work will be analyzed in detail one day. What About Bob and Scrooged are two of my favorites.
JACK BENNY: It's hard to find his stuff but some of the videos of his old shows are classic. Best ones to find are in the 50s. Johnny Carson and Frazier were heavily influenced by him. Even his old radio shows still hold up VERY WELL. IN fact, if you watch them you realize that the humor in the Jack Benny Shows and the Warner Brothers classic cartoons is the same style. Interestingly, both also shared the talents of Mel Blanc.
PETER SELLERS: He is now finally getting his due. His death was a huge loss. Hopefully his work will be viewed by comedy fans and aspiring young comedians for many years to come.
I always felt that Peter Sellers was better in Casino Royale, as was David Niven. Such a hysterical romp though the James Bond mythos mixed liberally with 1960's drug culture. Mod, Flashy, and just plain fun. And Woody Allen as "Little Jimmy Bond" is hysterical.
I also have always enjoyed Woody Allen in "Everything you always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask." The Gene Wilder vignette with Daisy the Sheep is classic. And the scene of the gigantic runaway breast terrorizing the countryside? Ha! Best line of the film: "Are you sure there's just one? They usually travel in Pairs."
Zero Mostel in The Producers.
Cary Grant, Kate Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart in The Philadelphia Story
Donald O'Connor in Singin' in the Rain
Buster Keaton in Sherlock Junior
Ben Stiller in There's Something About Mary
Eugene Levy in A Mighty Wind
Anyone in Raising Arizona
Tom Hanks in Big
Dudley Moore in Arthur
The Marx Bros. in Duck Soup
Albert Brooks in Lost in America
whatshisname Keaton in Beetlejuice
Charles Grodin in The Heartbreak Kid
Grodin and DeNiro in Midnight Run
(DeNiro: "I got two words for you: Shut the fuck up.")
etc etc etc
Geez. No women? What's up with that? Oh, Hepburn!
Madaline Kahn in Young Frankenstein and High Anxiety and just about any other movie she was in.
John Cleese in Wanda was equal to Kevin Kline. I'm hard pressed to decide who was the funnier of the two.
Eddie Murphy in Trading Places.
(Continued)
Diane Keaton in Annie Hall
Margaret Dumont in Night at the Opera
Madeline Kahn in Blazing Saddles
Tatum O'Neal in Paper Moon and Bad News Bears
Cloris Leachman in Young Frankenstein
Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally
Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin
Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot
P.S.
Bob Hope in The Road to Morrocco
Peter Sellars in Dr. Strangelove
Bill Murray in Groundhog Day
Charlie Chaplin in City Lights
In no particular order,
Peter Sellers, The Party
Buster Keaton, The General
Jack Benny, To Be Or Not To Be
Carole Lombard, My Man Godfrey
William Powell, The Thin Man
Cary Grant, His Girl Friday
Marilyn Monroe, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Bill Murray, Rushmore
James Stewart, Harvey
Peter Lorre, Arsenic and Old Lace
Vincent Price, Theatre of Blood
Kevin Kline, A Fish Called Wanda
Merle Oberon, That Uncertain Feeling
Maurice Chevalier, The Merry Widow
Robert Preston, The Music Man (of course!)
Gregory Peck, Designing Woman
Donald O'Connor, Singin' In The Rain
Alec Guiness, The Lavender Hill Mob
Audrey Hepburn, Sabrina
W. C. Fields, The Dentist
Oliver Hardy, The Music Box
Stan Laurel, Sons of the Desert
John Cusack, High Fidelity
Katharine Hepburn, The Philadelphia Story
Melvyn Douglas, That Uncertain Feeling
Edward Everett Horton, The Merry Widow
And as I've started repeating movies, I'll stop now. :)
D'oh! How could I forget:
Steve Buscemi, Ghost World
Woody Allen, Play It Again, Sam
Bob Hope, My Favorite Brunette
Ben Stiller, Zero Effect
Sammi Cheng, Needing You . . .
Jackie Chan, Miracles aka Mr. Canton and Lady Rose
Chow Yun Fat, God of Gamblers
Toshiro Mifune, Yojimbo
Ken Takakura, The Yellow Handkerchief
Masanobu Ando, Adrenaline Drive
Terri Kwan, Turn Left, Turn Right
Katharine Hepburn, Bringing Up Baby
Cary Grant, His Girl Friday
Marilyn Monroe, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Eddie Murphy, Beverly Hills Cop
Zero Mostel, The Producers
and while no one agrees with me
Bruce Willis, Hudson Hawk
yawn,
Somebody missed Rosanna Rosannadanna
Um, guys? Are you naming all of those as "untoppable" performances? Yes, they were all excellent parts, but I have to say not many of them were "best of the best of the best untoppable," which (I think) is what Dean is after.
Although I liked Hudson Hawk too. :)
Some truly brillian performances:
Charles Grodin, Dave.
Barry Otto, Cosi.
William H. Macy, Pleasantville.
Renee Zellweger, The Bachelor.
Elizabeth Perkins, Big.
Dennis Leary,
Judy Davis,
Kevin Spacey, The Ref. (yes, all three!)
Tim Allen,
Tony Shalhoub, Galaxy Quest.
Sissy Spacek, Blast from the Past.
Michael Caine, Without a Clue.
Barbara Striesand, What's Up, Doc?.
I would agree with Hepbrun in Bringing Up Baby.
Some of those other lists are pretty long and not performances I remember being truly unbelievably superb, but, there's no accounting for taste. ;-)
I don't know if it will count, but it is the comedic performance that had me laughing, perhaps, harder than I've ever laughed in my life. Robin Williams as the Genie.
Animated, yes, but still amazing.
Walter Matthau is Hopscotch
I meant IN Hopscotch
Surely Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein ?
I agree with zombyboy.
All good animated movies make me think: "It was OK, but it wasn't nearly as good as the Genie"
Jim Carey as Andy Kaufman was untoppable.
Christopher Guest in THIS IS SPINAL TAP---the shot where McKean's girlfriend arrives ant the camera comes up on Guest's slow burn reaction.
Billy Connelly as the Singing Rebel in WATER (a film seen by about six people, including the cast)
and Sandra Bernhard in THE KING OF COMEDY.
Alec Guinness, The Ladykillers
Charles Grodin, Midnight Run
Why do the call ya Red?
Madeline Kahn in What's Up Doc. It was her movie debut, and it is comedic genius.
Also, Zero Mostel in The Producers.
Tim Blake Nelson in O Brother, Where Art Thou
What about "Its a Mad, Mad World"? There were so many great performances in that film it is hard to pick one, but Jonathan Winters certainly stands out.
As far as TV comedy, I have never seen a bad episode of "Whose Line is it Anyway?", and their good ones exceed anything I have ever seen.
Christopher Guest in Spinal Tap definetely. Graham Chapman (as Brian) in Life of Brian, Eric Idle in Baron Munchausen, Michael Palin in Brazil.
George C. Scott in Dr. Strangelove
John Goodman in The Big Lebowski
Mel Brooks in Blazing Saddles
Cleavon Little in Blazing Saddles
Slim Pickens in Blazing Saddles
Harvey Korman in Blazing Saddles
Madeline Kahn in Blazing Saddles
Burton Gilliam in Blazing Saddles
Hmm. There seems to be a pattern there.
Oh, I get it! Sellers, Scott and Pickens were all in Dr. Strangelove together!
Harpo Marx with Lucille Ball, each dressed and with their hair done up as a mirror image of the other, facing each other through a pane of glass, in one of the funniest wordless mimes I ever saw. (Back in the 50s, as I recall.)
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
I'd have to agree with Madeline Kahn in What's Up Doc? She was the funniest thing in that movie.
Also HURRAH for The Ref! I absolutely loved that movie. It's my own personal X-mas classic--begining to end. Dennis Leary is hilious, I'm sorry his TV sitcom The Job didn't succeed. Badly programmed (can't remember it was up against West Wing or something big).
Also enjoy Who's Line, just wish Drew would stay in his chair, he doesn't even come close to the others. Ryan and Colin are a great team, up there with Korman/Conway, Laurel/Hardy.
Never could understand the appeal of the Stooges however. My ex was embarrassing when he watched them. (Not that that's the reason he's my ex!)
One more: Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis in The Out of Towners. Seen it many times and still laugh til I cry.
Marge, I forgot about that movie! It's been a long time... ;)
Spike Mulligan in HOLY GRAIL; "I'm not dead yet."