Why are comedies of the 80s much funnier?

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ironpony's Avatar
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Movie Forums Squirrel Jumper
04-21-20
Oh okay. I saw Auto Focus.

What about a 3 Stooges comedy like you said? Would that not be do-able with today's audience since one was made in 2012?



Guaporense's Avatar
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04-22-20
Let's do a statistical analysis, from the top 50 highest-rated comedy films in the IMDB we have:

20s - 3
30s - 2
40s - 1
50s - 2
60s - 2
70s - 4
80s - 2
90s - 9
00s - 11
10s - 14

There is a trend of an increasing number of more recent films, which is expected given that people watch more recent stuff on average and also that the world today produces more films. But the 1980s is BELOW trend in that sample (only 2 movies out 50, should have been 6-7 considering 4 from the 1970s and 9 from the 1990s). Also, there is a lot of Indian movies after 2000s on the IMDB top rated films, they are more numerous than American movies in the 2010s among those 14 movies. So, maybe, comedy moved to India?

A lot of supposed comedy classics from the 1980s are just pretty mediocre films that people here grew up with and developed an attachment.



mattiasflgrtll6's Avatar
The truth is in here
04-22-20
That's not completely true though. There are a lot of classic 80's comedies I didn't see until I was an adult (Porky's, The Blues Brothers, Soul Man, Stir Crazy, Vacation, Good Morning Vietnam, Cannonball Run, A Christmas Story, 48 Hrs., Fletch) and I still had a lot of fun with them. So you can't say nostalgia dictated my opinion on those movies since I didn't see them long ago enough. Truth is, while yes not every 80's comedy was successful, it was still a remarkably entertaining decade for comedy.

As for the list, I really don't care. Statistics have never been important to me, there are too many great films I'd have missed out on if I always listened to the ratings.



skizzerflake's Avatar
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04-26-20
Originally Posted by Captain Steel
I always wondered about the concept of Hogan's Heroes even as a kid.

Wish it had been delved into a little bit in the movie Auto Focus (2002) where Greg Kinnear plays Bob Crane - a really freaky bio-pic if you ever get the chance to see it. But although the show was mentioned in the film and even portrayed the actors making the TV series, the concept of Nazis as humor was not touched upon (but I thought at least maybe a 5 minute scene about the controversial nature of such an idea would have added to the movie).

I just always wondered what concerns were raised when the show was pitched - a prime time sit-com about a Nazi POW camp?
Now we know it was based on the hit movie Stalag 17 (1953) which was a comedy drama - but the dramatic parts were still handled seriously giving it balance for the subject matter.

I was always impressed when I read an interview with Werner Klemperer (who played Col. Klink in Hogan's Heroes) about him being a German who was cast in all these roles (TV & movies) as a Nazi... he said he hated the Nazis so much that he was glad to make them look foolish at any opportunity - thus he relished playing the bumbling Col. Klink
Klemperer was not only a German, but a Jewish German. His father Otto, was a famous symphony conductor and the family had to flee from the Nazis. Being famous, he had a better outcome than a lot of people in that position. John Banner (Schultz) was also Jewish as was the French POW, LeBeau in the camp. The actor who played LeBeau, Robert Clary, was a Buchenwald survivor.

I recall hearing Mel Brooks comment on a similarly edgy sketch, Springtime for Hitler, in the Producers. He said that, if the Nazis had taken his humor, they might as well have killed him.



rambond's Avatar
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04-27-20
Originally Posted by Guaporense
Let's do a statistical analysis, from the top 50 highest-rated comedy films in the IMDB we have:

20s - 3
30s - 2
40s - 1
50s - 2
60s - 2
70s - 4
80s - 2
90s - 9
00s - 11
10s - 14

There is a trend of an increasing number of more recent films, which is expected given that people watch more recent stuff on average and also that the world today produces more films. But the 1980s is BELOW trend in that sample (only 2 movies out 50, should have been 6-7 considering 4 from the 1970s and 9 from the 1990s). Also, there is a lot of Indian movies after 2000s on the IMDB top rated films, they are more numerous than American movies in the 2010s among those 14 movies. So, maybe, comedy moved to India?

A lot of supposed comedy classics from the 1980s are just pretty mediocre films that people here grew up with and developed an attachment.
I do agree on the 90s, it had some good comedies aswell



colin5288's Avatar
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BANNED
05-09-20
THe first time I saw The Jerk, my sides hurt the next day from laughing so hard. every line is a joke in that movie. I nearly had a stroke when Bernadette pulled out the trumpet during her song on the beach. And every time I get a new phone book, I celebrate!

Also a couple other personal Favorites Spaceballs, The Tree Amigos, Dumb and Dummer And Waiting for Guffman. Each of those I can watch again and again and laugh everytimg. Plus, they all have a handfull of very funny quotable lines.



hell_storm2004's Avatar
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05-09-20
France in the late 60s and 70s churned out comedies that would make Hollywood feel embarrassed
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