The funniest – and unfunniest - comedy films of all time tend to be parodies

There’s nothing quite as unfunny as a bad parody film, and there’s been a spate of American turkeys over the last few years. By the same token, no type of film has made me laugh more over the years. I’ve no idea why this should be. (Just as I’ve no idea why, in my experience, spoof films seem to appeal almost entirely to males.) 

As for my favourite parody films, the only thing they have in common is affection for the genre they’re making fun of - you can tell the film-makers are huge fans of the original material – and charm. 

Without further ado, here’s my Top Ten.

Young Frankenstein

For me, this is the greatest parody film ever made. Gene Wilder’s script is the best screenplay parody I’ve ever roared through. Mel Brooks – for the only time I’m aware of – does a great job of lovingly directing a film, rather than delivering a stream of gags with the camera pointing vaguely in their direction. The comic acting (apart from the leadenly unfunny Marty Feldman) is superb, whether it be Wilder himself as Dr Frankenstein, Cloris Leachman as the housekeeper, Frau Blücher (cue horse neighing) as the housekeeper, Madeleine Kahn as the doctor’s fiancée, Peter Boyle as the Monster, and Kenneth Mars as the one-armed Inspector Kemp. Practically every scene is a comic masterpiece. Gene Hackman’s cameo as a gay blind hermit (“You must have been the tallest one in your class!”) is a real gem, as is the “Puttin’ On The Ritz” sequence, and the violin-playing Frau Blücher’s proud declaration, “He was my boyfriend!”, and the wonderfully overwrought  darts game involving Inspector Kemp and the Doctor. 

The Court Jester

The earliest film on my list is The Court Jester (1956), a parody of a host of medieval sword and armour movies being churned out by Hollywood in garish Technicolour at the time. Danny Kaye is one of those comics who must simply have seemed funnier in their day that they do now (Robin Williams has already entered this category). While the highly successful The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) now strikes us as laboured, The Court Jester, which only recouped $2.2m of its $4m cost when first released (the largest amount spent on a comedy at that time), reveals the talent which had theatre audiences flocking to see Kaye in the flesh. (He appears to have been a thoroughly unpleasant man, by the way – travelling the world gushing about little kiddies as a UNICEF ambassador while treating his own daughter with chilly indifference. In a biography I once read, the phrase most often used by those who came into contact with him was “miserable prick”!) The whole film exhibits a genuine jeu d’esprit, but what everyone remembers, deservedly, are the “Yea, verily, yea!” induction sequence, and the “Vessel with a pestle” business. They still work brilliantly. 

Airplane! I & II

If the above films are the classiest parodies ever made, then the Airplane 

movies are the best examples of straightforward spoof yuckfests. It’s particularly enjoyable watching four great second-string stalwarts - Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack and Peter Graves – released from their leading man strait-jackets. Here’s the “gladiator movies” sequence and a trailer featuring some of the best bits.

The Naked Gun 1 & 3  (2 was disappointing) The makers of Airplane! return to the well, with equal success. (A friend told me recently that the failure of Police Squad, the original TV series on which the films were based, was due to the fact it was just too sharp – it’s thought 1980s’ American audiences weren’t willing to pay sufficient attention lounging in front of the box to get the jokes!) Here are two sets of compilations - Part One and Part Two - featuring some of the good stuff.

Love at First Bite 

Strangely neglected these days, George Hamilton as Count Dracula gives a startlingly good performance - given he’s usually as animated as my desk (and roughly the same colour). The script sparkles with great lines, including “Creatures of the night – shut up!” and “Wake up, master – there’s someone at the door. They want to see you, I think they’re from the government.” “How do you know?” “They’re wearing shoes.” These are both included in this chunk from the start of the movie.

This Is Spinal Tap

The, if you will, rockumentary. Here’s the scene that introduced the concept of “going to eleven” to the English language.

Blazing Saddles

Not quite as amusing as it seemed at the time (the knowing New York Jewish comic coolness grates after a while), but still full of good bits, like the arrival of the new...sherrif. 

Austin Powers Trilogy

Yes, these aren’t exactly the subtlest films on the list, and it really shouldn’t work – but it just does. The Jerry Springer sequence from The Spy Who Shagged Me is a spoof within a spoof, and still makes me snort.

Galaxy Quest

As warm, affectionate and loveable as Love At First Bite – an absolute delight from start to finish. Tim Allen (as the Captain Kirk figure), Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman (no, honestly!) are all brilliant, and they’re matched by the actors playing the charming aliens. Here’s a good bit.

The Princess Bride

One of the most charming films ever made, based on one of the most charming novels ever published: a swashbuckling treat. Mandy Patinkin and Christopher Guest are outstanding, especially in the scenes in this mini-compilation.

I’ll end with a shameful admission. I have always loved Top Secret, a 1984 parody of (amongst other things) Elvis and WWII spy films. It was made by Abrams, Zucker, Abrams, who brought us Airplane! and The Naked Gun. It was a horrible mess, and it failed at the box office, but, despite that, it’s still very, very funny.