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276 voters

The Funniest Classic Wacky Comedies, Ranked

Updated July 27, 2020 2.4k votes 276 voters 6.1k views21 items

List RulesVote up the funniest comedies with zany plots and slapstick humor that were released before 1980.

Slapstick comedy can create the type of belly laughter that is all but impossible to hold back. The best wacky comedy films feature over-the-top characters endangering their physical well-being for a hilarious punchline. This is a list of the top classic comedy movies including everything from Blazing Saddles to The Pink Panther to Duck Soup.

What films will you find on this list of the funniest classic movies? Maybe you'll vote? Monty Python and the Holy Grail to the very top. The scene during which the Black Knight gets his arm cut off and declares it “just a flesh wound” has been tickling funny bones for generations. Young Frankenstein – starring Gene Wilder – is another one of the best classic comedies released before 1980. Jerry Lewis starred in several of the best slapstick films of all time, including the iconic 1963 version of The Nutty Professor. Other good movies featured on this list include Bananas, City Lights, and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Which classic comedy deserves the top spot on this list? Give your favorites a thumbs up, and please add any great films that are missing.

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Young Frankenstein
Gene Hackman, Mel Brooks
Released: 1974
Directed by: Mel Brooks
Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene... more
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Monty Python and the Holy Grail
John Cleese, Terry Gilliam
Released: 1975
Directed by: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 British comedy film written and performed by the... more
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Blazing Saddles
Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder
Released: 1974
Directed by: Mel Brooks
Blazing Saddles is a 1974 satirical Western comedy film directed by Mel Brooks. Starring... more
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Airplane!
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Leslie Nielsen
Released: 1980
Directed by: Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker
Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical disaster comedy film directed and written by David... more
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Monty Python's Life of Brian
George Harrison, John Cleese
Released: 1979
Directed by: Terry Jones
Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as Life of Brian, is a 1979 British comedy film... more
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History of the World, Part I
Mel Brooks, Orson Welles
Released: 1981
Directed by: Mel Brooks
History of the World, Part I is a 1981 comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel... more
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The Jerk
Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters
Released: 1979
Directed by: Carl Reiner
The Jerk is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and written by Steve Martin,... more
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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Mickey Rooney, Spencer Tracy
Released: 1963
Directed by: Stanley Kramer
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a 1963 American epic comedy film produced and directed by... more
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Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
James Earl Jones, Peter Sellers
Released: 1964
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
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Duck Soup
Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx
Released: 1933
Directed by: Leo McCarey
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Up in Smoke
Dick Elliott, Huntz Hall
Released: 1957
Directed by: William Beaudine
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A Shot in the Dark
Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer
Released: 1964
Directed by: Blake Edwards
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The Kentucky Fried Movie
Donald Sutherland, Tina Louise
Released: 1977
Directed by: John Landis
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The Nutty Professor
Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens
Released: 1963
Directed by: Jerry Lewis
The Nutty Professor is a 1963 American comic science fiction feature film produced, directed,... more
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The Pink Panther
Peter Sellers, Claudia Cardinale
Released: 1963
Directed by: Blake Edwards
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Bananas
Sylvester Stallone, Woody Allen
Released: 1971
Directed by: Woody Allen
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Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Vincent Price, Bela Lugosi
Released: 1948
Directed by: Charles Barton
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High Anxiety
Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn
Released: 1977
Directed by: Mel Brooks
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City Lights
Charlie Chaplin, Jean Harlow
Released: 1931
Directed by: Charlie Chaplin
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His Girl Friday
Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell
Released: 1940
Directed by: Howard Hawks
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The General
Boris Karloff, Mike Donlin
Released: 1926
Directed by: Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman
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