#comedy classics

The great Benny Hill : )))) I've added a few clips to remind people how great Benny Hill actually was : )

This year marks the 50th anniversary of a truly legendary comedy film: Young Frankenstein. Originally conceived by its star, Gene Wilder, the movie was co-written and directed by Wilder's frequent collaborator, Mel Brooks. In talking about how the movie came to fruition, Brooks told us that he and Wilder didn't always see eye to eye. Although they agreed upon the basic concept of the film, Brooks admitted he almost killed one of the film's most iconic scenes before it was even shot.

Bringing Up Buster

Recently, Mr. Verse and I re-watched an old favorite, Bringing Up Baby (RKO, 1938), starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn.  Grant plays David Huxley, a slightly ditzy museum professor involved with dinosaur bones, and he meets Susan Vance (Hepburn), an even ditzier dame, who drives off in his car and later foists a pet leopard on him.

Much mayhem ensues.  Grant, a former vaudevillian/acrobat, takes most of his own bumps.  Hepburn is not to be outdone and their dual timing is a joy to behold.

Mr.  Verse turned to me and said, 'Does this remind you of a Buster Keaton picture?  Can you see Buster in this?'

Hmmm…a big cat chewing on him, covered in duck feathers, a shower scene, dressing in a woman's robe, pratfalls, disasters? And a film known for its 'impressive optical effects?' cough*THE PLAYHOUSE*coughcough?

Yes. Yes, I can.

Blazing Saddles

(1974) Rated R - 92m

This gleefully satirical take on Hollywood Westerns follows the tortured trail of a freed slave who's elected as the sheriff of a racist town.

7.8/10 - IMDB

Charley Chase “There Ain’t No Santa Claus” (1926) 

lost & found silent film found & is on you tube---