With the birth of sound in cinema a new element was introduced to the comedy film. While previously to this period, sound film makers needed to rely on physical comedy to get us to laugh, now the element of sound let them experiment with combining the comedy of Vaudeville and Broadway with the action of Buster Keaton and his like. This period also included two silent comedies from Chaplain (City Lights and the incomparable Modern Times) which are two of comedies greatest triumphs showing the Tramp go back in forth in making us laugh or cry. It was pathos and fun that was a thrill to watch. Modern Times even had a clear political and social message. They were however direct silent pictures from the previous era. An Era Chaplain was loath to leave. Others took on the challenge. Comedy I feel is the hardest genre to perfect and I have the greatest admiration for those filmmakers who succeed in making me laugh. In this period a few of them broke through. Such as….
The Million (Le Million) (1931)
This was a French movie that showed where our early filmmakers went to create their comedies. The director in this film (Rene Clair), took his influence from the theatre where he found a slight and amusing comedy musical about a man who lost his million dollar lottery ticket and his mad search to find it. The film was a perfect match for sound and action. The movie gives us witty dialogue and the beginning of what will forever be known as the comic timing. A Joke coming at the back end of a statement made by another. In addition we have a madcap chase in an opera theatre that would make Keaton proud. The movie put a smile in my face from beginning to end.
Boudu Saved from Drowning (Boudu Sauve des Eaux (1932)
It appeared that the French who just love to talk were the very first who expanded on the sound potential to create a laugh and the next great comedy from this era is another French film that has one of the great comedic performances in film. It is the incomparable Michel Simon in a great performance of irony and cynicism. Simon plays a bum who falls in the River Sein and is saved by a Parisian bookseller. Then we have a battle of norms and classes that develop as the saving family decide to complete the mission and make our Mr. Boudu into a civilized member of society. Watching Simon take advantage of this situation to upset the family to its core is not only funny but thought provoking at the same time. In the end and through the magic of the movies, a twist of fate results in his winning the lottery (The French had a fancy for blind luck and the lottery), thus becoming successful and rich. At that very moment it is his decision to jump in the water to return to being a bum, that puts the social message and perspective to this enjoyable film. The Director is Jean Renoir (The son of the famed painter). In the 80s Hollywood tried to remake this magic with the film “Down and Out in Beverly hills”, but that movie lacked the acting of Simon and the culture of the French, never coming close to the greatness of this movie.
Trouble in Paradise (1932)
The sound era not only forced established silent directors to new heights, but created new modern writing and directing from men and women who had previously only had the theatre to showcase their art. Once such man was an immigrant from Eastern Europe named Ernst Lubitsch who would go on to be considered one of the great Hollywood comedy directors of all time. Lubitsch took the comedy timing perfected by the French into America and created fast talking con men and women who delighted in their ability to fool and surprise us. Trouble in Paradise at the time was fresh and new as it has its two heroes as unscrupulous con artists who try to swindle and steal from the stupid and undeserving. In order to make us care for these people Lubitsch made them charming and sweet at the same time. They were also a couple in love. We would never have had the many con artist movies of modern times such as “The Sting” and “Oceans 11” if it was not for films such as “Trouble in Paradise” In fact recently it was mentioned as the main inspiration to “The Grand Budapest Hotel” from a few years back.
Me and My Gal (1932)
Me and My Gal is a pleasant while slight film that is notable for its early mix of romance and comedy with action. It shows a cop and the girl he loves in fanciful and funny courtship while at the same time protecting her sister from a bad gangster. All done tongue in cheek. One can’t help thinking how this film influenced the action comedies that would flourish in the 80s with films such as “Beverly Hills Cop”.
The Musical Comedy of the early period – (42nd Street, top hat & Footlight Parade) (1933)
I felt that the musical became a special work of art in the later decade. However in the early 30s it was introduced to the world. One of the first things the new movie makers did with sound was realize its potential in displaying music. Specifically, the song and dance. Many early musicals were made at this time, but the three films mentioned in the book (42nd street, top hat and Footlight Parade), were the best of the period. Two of them (except top hat) are films of dance troupes or theatre troupes and the great shows they put on. This time however the movies showed these shows in spectacular fashion allowing no expense to interfere in the dance numbers. Audiences at the time were enthralled and these movies were very popular. 42nd St. was the film that introduced the time worn plot of the small town girl and her dancing to fame. It had the good hearted but slave driving director and star. Footlight parade showed us as many spectacular dance numbers as its running time would permit. These were grand vehicles of entertainments and the grandfathers of everything musical in the films today.
The third of the musical comedy must see movies that came out in those early five years was the tap dancing extravaganza Top Hat. Tap dancing could never be popular during the silent era because you could not here the hoof hoof hoof of the dancer’s shoes. Now you could and Fred Astair was born. The legendary and smooth hoofer of that and all eras. Lords of Dance take a bow. The dancing in this movie puts them all to shame.
She Done Him Wrong (1933)
The early talkie comedies spawned comedic classic acting. One such type was the immortal Mae West. This film had our heroine as a good hearted prostitute who was tough as nails and worked men as toys. That was until she fell in love. The movie had gun fights and a lot of seductive quips and double intenders, the most famous of was “I always did like a man in a uniform”. Oh and a young Cary Grant was the young man she falls in love with.
The Marx Brothers
Duck Soup (1933) (Marx Brothers)
The Marx Brothers were the most off the wall and avant-garde type of comedians ever. In the 20s they took their crazy one liners and extremely physical comedy to the stage and developed a following that drove them to Hollywood. But Hollywood was about a story. It had a plot. Duck soup only pretended to have a plot. It is in my opinion the best Marx Brothers move ever made. It is the real Marx which means anarchy. Of all the comedies mentioned in this post, this is one that can really be called a comedy masterpiece. There a semblance of a plot. Some factious country called Freedonia has a dictator running the country in the most bizarre and selfish way possible. Groucho Marx is the dictator with his lack of sensitivity to all around him. He insults everyone whenever he can. He does everything based on his own needs and his need to survive, yet talks about being the one who rules for all. This is just a basic plot outline to give us an excuse to countless and I mean countless one liners and jokes and set ups of physical comedy. Cinema comedy was invented for the Marx Brothers and Duck Soup is their coup de tat. If you think that it is all just a great fantastical farce, then think again, because it was made in the time that fascism grew in the world and danger lurked everywhere. Feedonia could be any fascist country in Europe. It was crazy, funny and nonsensical throughout, but it had a bite so strong that Mussolini banned the film from being screened in fascist Italy. One wonders if president Trump would want to ban it from the white house today. It was also the last of the brother’s movies which stayed to form as a plotless political satire of craziness. Even with all the amazing funny scenes in this movie, it still would have been a classic if it only contained one scene. That being the famous mirror scene where Harpo trying not to be discovered by Groucho pretends he is Groucho in a mirror. Groucho then smelling something is not quite right keeps trying to prove that Harpo is not him ,in a mirror by making sudden and unforeseen movements. Those movements are at the same time caught and repeated in the opposite direction as to act like a mirror image by Harpo. It is comedy at its most difficult and amazing. Hollywood would after this film demand a more linear plot on all future Marx Brothers movies, bringing us to…
A Night at the Opera (1935) (Marx Brothers)
This is the film that Hollywood forced the Marx Brothers to make. This is the Marx Brothers movie that had a real plot. The brothers cooperated by taking and manipulating the plot to suit their comedy. The result is magic. Our Hero’s here are con artists (Remember Lubitsch) trying to scam old ladies out of their money with the misuse of an opera house and opera show. Throughout there are numerous jokes and dance skits. This film has also one of filmdom’s famous scenes. The Cabin scene, which is that incomparable movie scene that could only be done on the silver screen. A train cabin which is small for two people gets propelled through ingenious circumstances to get more and more crowded with each passing second until there are 13 people inside bumping and grinding with each other. All the while Groucho is trying to seduce his victim. Priceless….
Sons of the Desert (1933) (Lauren and Hardy)
Yes, the first five years of the first talking decade of films gave us the Marx Brothers and other great comedy acts who successfully adapted to sound from silence. Laurel and Hardy where the original fat and thin comedy team. They started the trend of comedy duos being two polar opposites, somehow being best friends but constantly pissing each other off. Well, Stan would piss Oliver off but Oliver would just scare Stan to death. They were the henpecked husbands and their joyful attempts to escape maternal boredom. They were not very smart and not very lucky, but they tried and boy were they funny. Sons of the Desert is the best of this premise and we take delight in seeing them try to get out of trouble, as the more they try, the deeper in trouble they get. We all see it coming and it makes us happy because we all know that they deserve what they get. In those days and to some extent even today, the movie stars were handsome dashing people who the audience could never relate to. Laurel and Hardy however were the lowest example of the everyman that we all could identify with.
It’s a Gift (1934) (WC Fields)
Another classic comedian whose style and character is known by millions even today is WC Fields. Fields personified the hen pecked husband even more so then Oliver Hardy but added a new twist. He was a raving alcoholic and created the funny drunk. That the real Fields was an actual real alcoholic only helped in the believability of his roles. He was also extremely funny. In “It’s a Gift we get Fields being tortured by the whole world. His wife. His Kids. His Neighbors. Even handicapped blind people give him heartache. There is something here for everyone to identify with and we laugh out loud at our own foibles exaggerated with perfect comedic timing as seen in this fine film.
The Thin Man (1934)
Now that WC Fields had shown Hollywood how funny it was to be drunk, the premise was taken into a new and equally funny direction with Nick Charles. The retired drunk, dog loving, private detective who also happened to be married to a knock out, gorgeous babe and drinking partner. Charles is not hen pecked or poor. He is not dumb or fat. He is thin, charming and smart. Oh, and he happens to like solving murder mysteries with his lovely wife. The thin man created a few fine films, but it is this move, the first movie, that created the team of William Powell and Myrna Loy and Hollywood couples have been trying to re-create their brilliant chemistry ever since. They also have a nice dog, which can’t hurt.
It Happened One Night (1934)
Lubitsch was not the only great comedy director to come out of the first years of sound. The other one was also European in origin and he was the genius of Frank Capra. Maybe the greatest comedy director of all time. It happened One Night was the first road movie and all road movies up until today pay homage to its brilliance. It has the back and forth banter of two equally confident and smart adversaries who become lovers. Opposites attract and it doesn’t hurt if the opposites are Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. It happened one night is an adventure of getting from one place to the other, except where our two heroes end up is not where they thought they would. They end up falling in love and the getting there is what this movie is all about. This is a buddy move and a romantic comedy all bunched into a tight 105 minutes of glory.
1001 Movies before you die 