25 old-school comedies that are still worth a watch

“Some Like It Hot” is one of those movies that feels a little derivative at first, until you realize it is the movie that everybody else is deriving from. The wacky farce of this comedy classic was fresh at the time and also just straight up hilarious. Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe all give arguably the best performances of their lives, especially Lemmon. And he has an Oscar!

Yes, we are starting this list with two films that are built around the premise of men pretending to be women. However, while “Some Like It Hot” aims for hijinx, “Tootsie” has some of that but also a fair amount of satire. There is more edge, and more commentary, in this Dustin Hoffman vehicle. Plus, stick around for great performances by Oscar winner Jessica Lange and Teri Garr and a small role for Bill Murray.

To this day, Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” is arguably the best anti-war satire of all time. Peter Sellers has three roles, and he knocks each of them out of the park. The film is dark, obviously, as the whole time nuclear annihilation looms. But it’s also truly hilarious.

Yes, a Woody Allen movie can be a tough watch for some people these days. If you don’t want to support his work, nobody would blame you. That caveat aside, "Annie Hall" is a truly hilarious movie but also a solid film beyond that. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have become one of the extremely rare comedies to win Best Picture.

The Marx Brothers made a lot of movies. Some of them are good, others are mediocre. The best of the bunch, though, is “Duck Soup.” Though it is an extremely old movie at this point, it holds up better than a lot of comedies from, say, the ‘80s. It turns out those comedy legends knew what they were doing.

Everybody has a favorite Mel Brooks film, but “Young Frankenstein” is our choice for best of the bunch. It’s not as joke-heavy as others, though it is still very funny, but that’s to its credit. Instead, what we get here is an impressive, detailed parody of “Frankenstein” with a bunch of dumb bits in it. Give Gene Wilder the bulk of the credit.

On a jokes-per-minute scale, no movie on this list can beat “Airplane!” It’s arguably the best parody movie ever made. Not every joke hits, but that’s fine because there are five more coming two seconds later. It also gave Leslie Nielsen a comedy career, which then gave us “The Naked Gun.”

They don’t make movies like this anymore. The dialogue is spat out at a mile a minute, and all the characters seem to know their way around a clever phrase. Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell both give career-best performances, playing two former lovers who are working together on a big story even if Russell just wants to go on off with her new beau.

The cast in this one! All we really need to do to sell this is let you know some of the classic comedy names in this film. We’re talking Sid Caesar, Edie Adams, Milton Berle, Jonathan Winters, Ethel Merman and many more. That includes a cameo from the Three Stooges.

This is not exactly traditional film fare, but that’s what makes it the favorite film of many a cineaste. Hal Ashby’s movie features a young man obsessed with death who meets, and falls for, a 79-year-old woman who has a carefree philosophy. It’s weird, but charming.

Some movies have a ton of stuff happening. “Diner” is not that. It’s something of a hangout comedy. A bunch of young friends in the ‘50s just hang out and talk through a lot of it. Those are the best moments, though. It reminds you of hanging out with your friends when you were young, just shooting the breeze and riffing. That gives it a warm feeling, even if you don’t remember the actual ‘50s.

Of all the “early, funny” Woody Allen films, “Sleeper” is the best. Once again, he’s paired with Diane Keaton. This time, though, there is no pathos or dramatic material. It’s a series of jokes and absurd moments, and Keaton does a Marlon Brando impression. It’s incredibly funny thanks in part to its sci-fi premise.

Some people consider “Caddyshack” an all-time classic; one of the finest comedies ever made. That’s an exaggeration. Time has been less kind to it than other movies. Nevertheless, the highs are quite high. Plus, we’ve got a cast featuring peak performances from Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight. You can’t go wrong with that.

For a living comedy legend, Steve Martin has a movie career that wasn’t as sterling as it could be. That being said, “The Jerk” is a pretty great first swing at making a starring vehicle for yourself. It’s pure, unadulterated gem sprung from the mind of Martin, with fellow legend Carl Reiner helming the directing. Together, they made gold.

This is not the first film starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau. However, it is the first one to make him the actual main character and to be focused on his clumsy adventures. “The Pink Panther” is as much a heist film starring David Niven as it is a Sellers comedy piece. “A Shot in the Dark” gives itself over to Sellers’ genius and lets him pratfall his way into history.

So thoroughly did Beatlemania strike the United States that the lovable lads from Liverpool got to star in movies as heightened versions of themselves. While “A Hard Day’s Night” is in part an excuse for showing the Beatles performing their hit songs, the Fab Four do a bit of acting and show some genuine acumen for it. In particular, Ringo comes across as the best actor of the bunch with his comedic timing.

We almost included “Life of Brian” as well, but in the end only “Holy Grail” made it to represent Monty Python. Obviously, the legendary comedy team had to be included in some way. “Holy Grail” is extremely silly, but it remains highly quotable and clever. The Black Knight will forever remain a pop culture staple.

Don’t forget about sports comedies! While they picked up in frequency in the ‘80s, “Slap Shot” was the first successful film to really showcase hockey. It’s a dark comedy with bleak sensibilities, but it’s an impressive piece of filmmaking. These are underdogs, but not lovable underdogs, which gives the film a fresh feeling you don’t normally get in sports movies.

Yes, this movie was produced by Roger Corman on his usual shoestring budget. Sure, the Ramones can’t really act. It’s still a really good, incredibly enjoyable movie. P.J. Soles is profoundly charming as Riff Randell, a punk-loving teen who helps bring the Ramones to her school and, well, chaos assumes. Long live anarchy.

The Muppets have been a cultural institution for decades for a reason. “The Muppet Movie” is full of fun cameos, catchy songs and joyful moments. It may not be funny, but who doesn’t love Kermit singing “Rainbow Connection” to open the film?

“Cannonball Run” isn’t what you would call great filmmaking. It’s not even the best car-related movie starring Burt Reynolds ever made. However, as a particular kind of comedy, we had to include it on the list. It’s chaos and insanity in the guise of a car race. You know those “Wacky Racers” cartoons? It’s like those but with actual people and actual cars. It was never going to win awards, but it’s a ton of fun.

Horror comedy is a tricky needle to thread. Joe Dante has an acumen for it, but “Gremlins” came out in 1984 and barely misses the cut. John Landis’ “An American Werewolf in London” makes it though. It’s genuinely chilling and, at times, harrowing. It’s also really funny in its best moment. Plus, it has that transformation scene, which is grotesque and amazing in equal measure.

Mel Brooks sneaks onto the list with one more movie. “Blazing Saddles” isn’t for everybody. It has some uncomfortable language in it, though it’s using it in a condemning way. The comedy is also zanier and cheesier than in “Young Frankenstein.” On the other hand, you can’t really talk old-school comedy and not include “Blazing Saddles.”

A striking number of the movies on this list star men, so it’s nice to be able to include another movie that is definitively led by a woman. And i's not just any woman either, but it's the iconic Goldie Hawn. Hawn plays a spoiled woman who joins the Army after her new rich husband dies. She learns about herself. She gets to act alongside the amazing character actor Harry Dean Stanton. This is a really quality film that also happens to be funny.

Since we’re talking “old school,” we wanted to end with a film from way back in the ‘30s. This one is starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. That alone lets you know it’s good. Grant showed he could be a smooth-talking gentleman in “His Girl Friday,” but here he plays a nervous nebbish arguably dealing with one of the first iterations of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl in film. Just because a film was made when your grandparents were children, if they were even born, doesn’t mean it can’t be a joy to watch today.