Everyone needs to laugh, including (especially?) film nerds like us. Only two lists this time around, but we're stressing quality over quantity in this case (and if you would've seen my tentative list, you'd be glad we did -- Warren).
See you in December.
Lloyd Bridges in Airplane (1980/Jim Abrams/David Zucker): He picked the wrong day to quit sniffing glue, drinking coffee and all kinds of other vices in this classic that's filled with many hilarious supporting performances (including those by Leslie Nielson and June Cleaver). Bridges work is by far the funniest, though the leader of the Malongas (tribe that Stryker teaches to play basketball) is pretty damn hilarious too.
John Belushi in Animal House (1978/John Landis): It could be argued that Belushi is the lead, but I'd say that it's more about Otter (Tim Matheson), Boone (Peter Riegert), Larry (Tom Hulce) or even Flounder (Stephen Furst, who signed my Animal House DVD. Yes!). Belushi has less screen time than the others do, but his character (Bluto) is easily the most memorable of the bunch, and he gives the single greatest comic performance of all-time in the single greatest comedy of all-time. They sure as hell don't make 'em like this anymore. Although this has nothing to do with Belushi, my favorite Animal House line (if anyone cares) is, "Do you mind if we dance with yo dates?"
Sam Kinison in Back to School (1986/Alan Metter): In only five minutes, Kinison makes the most lasting impression in the entire movie. His scene-stealing role as Rodney's manic, crazy and out-of-control history teacher has me on the floor every time. "I was up to my neck in rice patties, duking it out with Charlie..."
Slim Pickens in Blazing Saddles (1974/Mel Brooks): Remember when Mel Brooks actually made funny movies (or, actually made any movies)? It's hard to believe that two classics such as this and Young Frankenstein (which you'll find further down the list) opened during the same year. Anyway, Pickens is my pick here, although you could substitute him with any one of the other supporting players (David Huddleston anyone?). I can't really tell you why I chose him, but I couldn't have a top 10 list that didn't include this movie, so someone had to be the representative and Pickens has the funniest name.
Bill Murray in Caddyshack (1980/Harold Ramis): Is there a more classic character than Carl Spackler? This is my favorite Murray performance in one of my top 10 favorite comedies of all-time. The scene between Carl and Ty Webb (Chevy Chase, who hasn't been funny since this, well actually, the first Vacation was pretty damn good) in Carl's apartment is one of the great scenes in movie history. Favorite Carl exchange: After being asked by his boss (an annoying guy with a thick accent) to kill all of the gophers, Carl responds, "But, sir, if we kill all the golfers" Classic.
Rick Aviles in The Cannonball Run (1981/Hal Needham): "Where the hookers man?"
Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda (1988/Charles Crichton/John Cleese): Kline received a well-deserved Academy Award for his brilliant turn as Otto, the world's stupidest criminal. "What was the second part?"
John Cleese in Time Bandits (1981/Terry Gilliam): Cleese only has about five or ten minutes of screen time, but everything that comes out of his mouth is pure comic gold. His portrayal of a sadistic Robin Hood (alongside the strangest Maid Marion ever to appear in a movie) in this time-jumping adventure is one for the ages. If I were able to get a hold of Cleese and tell him that he made the list, I'm sure his response would be, "Thank-you very much, thank-you very, very, very, very, very, very, very much."
Michael Richards in Young Doctors in Love (1982/Gary Marshall): The only thing more comical than Richards' performance, as a hitman trying to knock-off a sick gangster in a hospital, is the fact that I have a Gary Marshall film on a top 10 list.
Gene Hackman in Young Frankenstein (1974/Mel Brooks): My dad said that when he first saw this classic horror spoof, the scene between the monster (Peter Boyle) and the blind old man (played by Hackman) made him piss his pants. For this reason alone, Hackman deserves a spot on this list.
Ted Knight in Caddyshack (1980/Dir. Harold Ramis): Okay, so you have Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield doing some of their funniest film work. So explain to me how it is that Ted Knight steals the show? His Judge Smails is so non-stop hilarious, a lot of the times as a straight man no less, that it is truly a wonder. Caddyshack is simply one of the funniest movies of all time, with loads of incredibly funny lines. But it is "How about a Fresca?" with Knight's brilliant delivery that drops me every time.
George C. Scott in Dr. Strangelove (1964/Dir. Stanley Kubrick): I'm not sure if this really counts, because Scott is more part of an ensemble in Strangelove than a supporting actor, but I include it for one reason: I always forget how unbelievably funny he is in this movie. I always remember Sellers in his three roles, Slim Pickens riding that bomb to Armageddon, and Sterling Hayden's "precious bodily fluids." But I am always stunned when I watch George C. Scott's manic performance in that war room. The scene where he stumbles, does a half somersault, and raises to his feet and freezes in that crazy pose is making me laugh out loud as I write this. And that was actually a blooper that worked out so well Kubrick included it. I'm glad he did.
Bill Murray in Kingpin (1996/Dir. Peter and Bobby Farrelly): The final half hour or so of Kingpin is about as consistently funny as it gets, and it is Bill Murray's evil Big Ern McCracken that is its deliverance. On the DVD commentary, the Farrellys admit most of what Bill Murray did in this film was ad-libbed, and it is an amazing accomplishment. The musical montages during the big tournament, particularly the final game set to ELO's "Showdown," is so comically delicious, so inspirational, so perfect, that sometimes I can't believe I am witnessing such inspired comedy in a movie like Kingpin. And the scene where Big Ern says hello to that woman in the diner, and what immediately follows, is just the improvisational genius that is Bill Murray.
Garry Marshall in Lost In America (1985/Dir. Albert Brooks): He only has two scenes, but Garry Marshall makes the most of it as the bemused Desert Inn casino owner dealing with demented Albert Brooks after his wife loses all of their money -- their "nest egg" -- for their journey across America, at the roulette table. This is one of the funniest movie scenes I have ever seen, and non-actor Marshall milks it for all it's worth. "In the mooovie, Santy Claus saves the day. We don't have Santy Claus."
Herbert Lom in The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976/Dir. Blake Edwards): Honestly, Herbert Lom gave hilarious performances in all of the Pink Panther films, growing loonier with each new installment. But it is in Strikes Again that Lom achieves some sort of comedy nirvana as the poor, insane Inspector Dreyfus, driven mad by the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. So insane in fact, that he retreats to a gothic castle, and threatens to disintegrate the world with a giant laser if his one demand is not met: give him Clouseau. I dare you not to pee your pants during the scene in which Clouseau (disguised as a dentist who looks curiously like Albert Einstein) enters the castle to yank Lom's sore tooth, but accidentally leaves the laughing gas on full blast. As a little boy, it was The Pink Panther series that first made me fall in love with the movies.
Barry Fitzgerald in The Quiet Man (1952/Dir. John Ford): Barry Fitzgerald was one of the great character actors film has ever seen, but he was never so hilarious as when he played the tipsy chaperone to John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara's courting lovers in John Ford's charmingly funny The Quiet Man. Set in rural Ireland, the film depicts the old-fashioned ways of romance in the Emerald Isle. Fitzgerald makes it all look too easy (as he did also in his Academy Award winning performance in Going My Way) and is a constant source of laughs in his supporting role, with that constant twinkle of Blarney in his eyes. Check this classic out!
Jackie Gleason in Smokey And The Bandit (1976/Dir. Hal Needham): Jackie Gleason just might give the funniest supporting performance of all-time as the foul-mouthed redneck sheriff Buford T. Justice in this classic comedy. Gleason's performance is flawlessly hilarious, and my stomach hurts after watching this film. My favorite scene occurs in the diner, as Gleason explains to Burt Reynolds about his "hot pursuit" of a man named Bandit, all the while wolfing down a giant cheeseburger. The comic timing is so brilliant in this scene, as well as the rest of the film, that for me it is a truly magical experience upon each and every viewing.
Robert Preston in S.O.B. (1981/Dir. Blake Edwards): It is between Jackie Gleason and Robert Preston as to who gives the funniest overall performance on this list, and I really think it is a draw. Preston's "Hollywood" doctor in Blake Edwards' satire is so amazingly hilarious every time he opens his mouth, I wanted more and more of him. Sample dialogue exchange (although it is Preston's droll delivery that packs the punch): FEMALE: So have you always been a doctor? PRESTON: No, I once bred armadillos. FEMALE: Did you enjoy doing that? PRESTON: Not particularly, but the armadillos sure got a kick out of it.
Richard Crenna in Summer Rental (1985/Dir. Carl Reiner): This may seem a strange and abstract choice, but in Summer Rental, Richard Crenna does something that I really admire. He takes an otherwise stereotypical bad guy role, and makes it far more hilarious than could have ever been imagined. Crenna has great fun in the role of the mean landlord, and the film is so much better for it. The scene in the lobster restaurant, as Crenna has his first confrontation with renter John Candy and he "establishes his territory" at the table, leaves me on the floor every time.
Sydney Pollack in Tootsie (1982/Dir.
Sydney Pollack): I just noticed
that I have two directors on my funniest supporting performance
list, and that seems very strange. But it is also appropriate
as Pollack's confused agent adds the glue to the complex story
of Tootsie. Although he is only in a few scenes overall,
they are all key to the story, and he is very funny. The scene
where Dustin Hoffman's Dorothy joins him at his table in a posh
restaurant is my favorite of the movie I think. "Jesus, I
begged you to get therapy."
|
|
|
|
|