My Top 50 British Comedy Films

Favourite not best. Just my personal favourites to watch, haven't included animations, shorts or TV movies as they belong in other lists. Dates added for those not familiar with the titles, it's not a very modern list.

1 I'm Alright Jack 1959 b&w
2 Bedazzled 1967
3 School For Scoundrels 1960 b&w
4 Steptoe & Son Ride Again 1973
5 Gumshoe 1971
6 The House In Nightmare Park 1973
7 Too Many Crooks 1959 b&w
8 A Shot In The Dark 1964
9 The Rebel 1961
10 Only Two Can Play 1962 b&w
11 Kind Hearts And Coronets 1949 b&w
12 Carry On Camping 1969
13 The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins 1971
14 Carry On Cleo 1965
15 The Green Man 1956 b&w
16 Dad's Army 1971
17 The Early Bird 1965
18 The Return Of The Pink Panther 1975
19 The Wrong Arm Of The Law 1963 b&w
20 O Lucky Man! 1973
21 Dr Strangelove 1964 b&w
22 The Ladykillers 1955
23 Heavens Above 1963 b&w
24 Life Is Sweet 1990
25 The Man In The White Suit 1951 b&w
26 Rita, Sue & Bob Too 1987
27 Carry On Screaming 1966
28 The Lavender Hill Mob 1951 b&w
29 Hot Fuzz 2007
30 Bless This House 1972
31 The Likely Lads 1976
32 Steptoe & Son 1972
33 Educating Rita 1983
34 Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa 2013
35 Porridge 1979
36 What's New Pussycat? 1965
37 Entertaining Mr. Sloane 1969
38 Carry On Up The Khyber 1968
39 The Ghost Train 1941 b&w
40 The Naked Truth 1957 b&w
41 Up The Front 1972
42 The Wrong Box 1966
43 The Titfield Thunderbolt 1953
44 On The Beat 1962 b&w
45 The Jokers 1967
46 The Rise And Rise Of Michael Rimmer 1969
47 Loot 1970
48 The Punch & Judy Man 1963 b&w
49 The World's End 2013
50 Casino Royale 1967

With exception of about 5 of those, your taste is very much like mine, especially when it comes to pre/post War B&W. No Will Hay there though and I did enjoy "The Love Match" - especially this clip. Danny Ross (superb pratfall) always makes me laugh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vH9gm6YmvE

I would include some Will Hay too and Only Two Can Play and The Family Way'
Good to see The Wrong Box charting at 42,a lot of people forget that one.

My absolute Top10 are in your Top 50 Alf, and in this order - I don't think I will EVER tire of I'm Alright Jack. Brilliant cast with Peter Sellers at his absolute best.

I'm Alright Jack
The Ladykillers
The Green Man
Dr Strangelove
The Punch & Judy Man
The Lavender Hill Mob
Too Many Crooks
School For Scoundrels
Kind Hearts And Coronets
Carry On Camping

I've seen 5 of your 50. I guess I have some catching up to do.

Quote: Bill Poster @ 7th March 2018, 11:54 PM

I would include some Will Hay too

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Watching Will Hay films is on my bucket list, My Learned Friend is the only one I've half seen. There are top rated films I have on DVD but still haven't watched like Local Hero. There are also mistakes I made like cutting Gregory's Girl to move it up higher but forgetting the paste bit so it isn't even there. Also how Up Pompeii isn't in there I don't know as it was there until I pressed post. Never mind, Up The Front is neglected and Howerd gets his nose in a few others.

It was a harder task than I thought, grading your favourites in order but an interesting experiment. How Horseradish had the patience to put his Top 500 up I'll never know, it took me for ever. You have to be quite ruthless with some decisions or it never gets completed. I wanted to do a movie version of the UK & US lists Horseradish did but I'll have to gather my energy back for the US comedy film list.

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 8th March 2018, 12:13 AM

My absolute Top10 are in your Top 50 Alf, and in this order - I don't think I will EVER tire of I'm Alright Jack. Brilliant cast with Peter Sellers at his absolute best.

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Yeah it's called taste Herc. Or being an old git, one of the two. I've just counted the films there Sellers is in and it's 12. No apologies for him hogging it a bit although he was very lucky with Casino Royale which should have been pushed out by GG. I think Alastair Sim and Terry-Thomas are in a fair few too, and why not.

Casino Royale is too high up.

I would include the two main Python films and Fish Called Wanda. Not sure if I would include Four Weddings, would certainly not include Love Actually that's for sure!

Porridge and Shirley Valentine might be also considered? Not B Jones.

Quote: DaButt @ 8th March 2018, 1:17 AM

I've seen 5 of your 50. I guess I have some catching up to do.

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You may have seen more but don't recognise the titles as some were changed for the American release as was the habit in the day. A few have had recentish US remakes so you may have watched that version. There's also the odd blatant movie (plot) copy such as Too Many Crooks - Ruthless People so you're possibly more familiar with some than you think.

Porridge is at 35 Paul, maybe that's one which should be higher, the number of times I've enjoyed watching it. Not seen Shirley Valentine, there's a lot of more recent films I haven't seen.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 8th March 2018, 8:22 AM

Yeah it's called taste Herc. Or being an old git, one of the two.

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In my case, both.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 8th March 2018, 8:22 AM

I've just counted the films there Sellers is in and it's 12. No apologies for him hogging it a bit although he was very lucky with Casino Royale which should have been pushed out by GG. I think Alastair Sim and Terry-Thomas are in a fair few too, and why not.

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Ignoring the Pink Panther films, which were very good of course, Peter Sellers could do no wrong in my opinion - the man was a genius comedy actor.
And the two other very, very funny stalwarts of course Alastair Sim and Terry Thomas.
Also have managed to pick up, over the years, the three Inspector Hornleigh films, which are very good police comedy films with Alastair Sim and Gordon Harker.

Quote: DaButt @ 8th March 2018, 1:17 AM

I've seen 5 of your 50. I guess I have some catching up to do.

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That's interesting DB - which ones and what did you think of them? Bearing in mind as Alf pointed out we are talking for example of British ones such as the original The Ladykillers.........................

...................not the American 'B' movie remake.

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 8th March 2018, 9:46 AM

Peter Sellers could do no wrong in my opinion.

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Yes, no matter how rotten the film, Sellers is always watchable. Though Ghost in the Noonday Sun can be heavy weather, and The Great McGonagall is best if still in a juvenile Goon fan mindset. And Hoffman probably wouldn't be made these days. While A Day At the Beach remains one of the best films about the wretched stupidity of alcoholism.

Speaking of Ghost in the Noonday Sun, the making-of documentary is due to for release some time this year.

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 8th March 2018, 10:25 AM

That's interesting DB - which ones and what did you think of them?

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The ones I recall seeing:

18 The Return Of The Pink Panther 1975
21 Dr Strangelove 1964 b&w
29 Hot Fuzz 2007
34 Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa 2013
49 The World's End 2013

Difficult to bring to mind all those I've seen over the years but I would include, as well as The Ladykillers (of course), The Love Match and the Inspector Hornleigh films, which have all already been mentioned on this thread:

* At least some of the various Huggetts films with Jack Warner & Kathleen Harrison

* Sailor Beware with Peggy Mount, Shirley Eaton & Esma Cannon (although I prefer it on stage)

* Dry Rot with Brian Rix, Ronald Shiner, Sid James & Peggy Mount (although ditto)

* Brothers-in-Law with Terry Thomas & Ian Carmichael (the radio version of which with Richard Briers is currently on Radio 4 Extra on Fridays)

* A Fire Has Been Arranged with Bud Flanagan, Chesney Allen & Robb Wilton (on which the plot of the later film "The Big Job" with Sid James, Dick Emery, Jim Dale & Joan Sims was based)

* Smart Alec with Leslie Dwyer & Charles Hawtrey plus Kynaston Reeves & Edward Lexy (Mr Quelch & Mr Prout respectively of Greyfriars School)

* The Miss Marple films of Margaret Rutherford (charmingly amusing if not strictly comedies)

Quote: Kenneth @ 8th March 2018, 10:51 AM

and The Great McGonagall is best if still in a juvenile Goon fan mindset.
.

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Yes/Yet, despite being a massive Goons fan I struggled with The Great McGonagall, and I think the film suffered from not only Spike in his early days of off the wall visual comedy (watching Q9 at the moment and some of those, sad to say, miss the mark) BUT ALSO for me The Goons, in whatever form, never worked so well on film.

The Goon Show has to be listened to as it is the only way to appreciate the utter madness of it all.