Movies are magical. They make people laugh, cry, and feel everything in between. Many people go to the cinema to forget their troubles for a while and to live in a world where the impossible is possible. They love to pretend and make-believe, but, the most important thing for most people is to be entertained. People marvel at mysteries, cry at tragedies, and laugh atcomedies, and generally audience members like to feel good after they leave the movie theater. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why comedies are so popular. After all, laughing is universal and something that everyone enjoys doing.
Throughout the years, Hollywood has produced a slew offeel-good comedy movies. One of the most iconic decades for comedy was the 1960s. Indeed, the 60s cinematic landscape was filled with groovy vibes, colorful clothing, and classic comedy movies (not to mention the birth of modern dark comedy withDr. StrangeloveandThe Producers), and deserves to be celebrated as such. Without further ado, here are some of the best classic comedy movies from the 1960s.
Updated on August 8th, 2023 by Callum Jones:This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
16The Great Race (1965)
Reuniting the winning combo of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, 1965’sThe Great Raceis a truly bonkers slapstick comedy from the man behindBreakfast at Tiffany’sand thePink Pantherfilms, Black Edwards. Curtis and Lemmon play two rival daredevils at the start of the twentieth century who compete in an epic automobile race from New York to Paris.
The fact thatThe Great Raceis remembered for one scene particular scene that was promoted as"the greatest pie fight ever"and that featured around 4000 pies being thrown, tells you everything you need to know about the sheer, unadulterated silliness of the movie. It did go on to gain five Academy Award nominations though, proving that silliness, when done well, can be highly entertaining.
15Cactus Flower (1969)
For a film that opens with a suicide attempt, 1969’sCactus Floweris a surprisingly light and humorous affair, that acts as a perfect example of the type of screwball comedy that was, by this point, starting to die out. Starring Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, and a young Goldie Hawn, the film tells the farcical story of a commitment-phobic dentist.
He enlists the help of his assistant to pretend to be his wife, after lying to his girlfriend about being married. It’s hard to imagine a movie likeCactus Flowerbeing made today, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy it for the contrived, ridiculous, and above all else, hilarious, piece of cinema it is.
14The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Most people are probably familiar with the 1986 remake starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin, less well-known is the original version ofThe Little Shop of Horrorsfrom 1960. Like the remake, as well as the stage adaptation, the film is a horror comedy that sees a hapless florist’s assistant (Jonathan Haze) unwittingly nurture a carnivorous plant that feeds on human blood.
The Little Shop of Horrorsis fondly remembered for its bizarre premise and elements of dark comedy, as well as the fact that it features Jack Nicholson in one of his earliest screen appearances. Subsequent remakes and adaptations are also very good, but sometimes the originals are still the best.
13The Party (1968)
To clarify,The Party– Black Edwards’s 1968 fish-out-of-water comedy starring Peter Sellers – hasn’t aged well. It features Sellars (a famously white actor) playing an incompetent Indian actor who gets invited to a party in Hollywood and makes a string of faux pas and poor decisions based on his limited knowledge of Western culture. The film is problematic, to say the least. However, if you can move past offensive racial stereotypes that were not seen as a problem at the time, there’s a fun movie here.
The always great Sellers once again brings his unique brand of physical comedy, and he gets to show off his improvisational skills more here than in any other movie in his filmography. Sellers’s character inThe Partyis also notable for being the influence of two famous comedic icons; Mr. Bean and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. It may be too much of a hard watch for some modern audiences, but at the timeThe Partywas considered a comedic masterpiece.
12The Fortune Cookie (1966)
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, writer and director, Billy Wilder, made a name for himself as one of thebest comedy filmmakers in the business, continually churning out hit after hit. Among his best was 1966’sThe Fortune Cookie.
It tells the tale of a cameraman (played by frequent Wilder collaborator, Jack Lemmon) who fakes an injury in order to receive a huge payout from his insurance company, and to win his ex-wife (played by Judi West). The comedy is darker here than in some of Wilder’s previous works but retains the same witty dialogue, three-dimensional characters, and laugh-out-loud moments that he became known and loved for.
Related:The Best Ingrid Bergman Movies, Ranked
11The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
The Absent-Minded Professoris, you guessed it, about a professor (Fred MacMurray) that’s absent-minded. He invents flying rubber, which he calls ‘flubber,’ and accidentally misses his own wedding, for the third time. Now, his longtime girlfriend Betsy Carlisle (Nancy Olson), is trying to catch his attention and win his heart while criminals are trying to get his new formula.
Will his girlfriend steal his heart or will the crooks steal his recipe? Find out inThe Absent-Minded Professor.The picture (with some of the most inventivebasketball sequences in movies) was lovingly remade with Robin Williams inFlubber.
10Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
In his final cinematic role, Spencer Tracy appeared alongside his wife Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier inGuess Who’s Coming to Dinner, chronicling the interracial marriage between a strong-willed young woman (Katharine Houghton) and her husband-to-be doctor (Poitier) and the reaction their subsequent families have on their impending nuptials.
The film features charming performances by its star-studded cast and is celebrated for its handling of the then-groundbreaking subject matter, as the dramedy carefully addresses anti-racism and depicts interracial marriage in a positive and influential manner. The classic would ultimately win two Academy Awards (including Best Original Screenplay) while earning praise from audiences and critics alike.
9Barefoot in the Park (1967)
“Why don’t you fall over laughing and go barefoot in the park,”with this 1967 romantic comedy about newlyweds Corie (Jane Fonda), and Paul Bratter (Robert Redford) who experience all theups and downs of married lifewithin the first few weeks of their marriage.
Barefoot in the Parkis full of belly laughs and heartwarming moments, and is guaranteed to make you want to go walking barefoot in the park, just maybe not when it’s cold outside.
8The Nutty Professor (1996)
The Nutty Professorstars Jerry Lewisas the title character who“urges you to see this picture from the beginning, on penalty of losing your popcorn privileges.”Julius Kelp, aka the Nutty Professor, aka Jerry Lewis, is awkward, traditionally unattractive, and clumsy around people, especially women.
Luckily for him, he is actually a decent chemistry professor, and he uses his ability to concoct a potion that transforms him into a whole new man, a beast of beauty. Can he win the affection and love of the woman he admires before his potion runs out? Find out inThe Nutty Professor.
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Worldout there, especially when money is involved. In this goofy action-adventure comedy epic, Smiler Grogan (Jimmy Durante), a just-released convicted thief, perishes from a terrible car crash. However, before he kicks the bucket (literally), he divulges a secret to the five people who have stopped to “help” him.
His secret is that he buried about $350,000 in the Santa Rosita State Park under “a big W.” Now, things get crazy and mad as the race is on to see who will be the first to discover the money and become rich. It’s a wild, wonderful road movie classic with anincredible ensemble castand gorgeous widescreen cinematography.
Related:Here Are 7 of the Most Romantic Movies From the ’60s
