Watchingwell 

                                 Curated classic films

A Season of Laughter for You

     

     So many films to be thankful for, some of which I have shared here in the past, but recently, I have been thinking about some gems which had a particular appeal to me and some nutty people who share my sense of humor and, maybe, age. In this holiday season, these films are gifts of laughter.

For example, Morgan (1966), officially subtitled, “A Suitable Case for Treatment”, directed by Karl Reisz, and starring David Warner, was a film I saw when I was very young, and its tone was so idiosyncratic and irreverent that naturally I (and my friends) thought it was the funniest film ever made. Unforgettable moments:  An elegantly-dressed Vanessa Redgrave taking off her ermine coat and revealing she was wearing a sweater with holes, when the policeman tells the constantly-harassed Morgan (Warner) to watch it, he replies, “But, where is it?”  A stylish and exciting taste of ‘swinging London’ has aged over the years,-- Morgan’s commitment to the hammer and sickle style of class struggle makes this a bit of a relic, and when I saw it a few years ago, it wasn’t as funny as sad.  But, certainly worth seeing if you never have, and sweet nostalgia if you have.

     I admit there are films that never have the same impact at the second viewing, while there are films that one can watch over and over and instead of losing their impact, they reveal details that you missed previous times.  However, I think that the former should be given credit for being great, if only once.

 

After The Fox (1966), directed by Vittorio De Sica, is nearly in this category.  Although I have enjoyed this film many times, there are scenes which can never be as can’t-catch-your-breath hilarious as the first time.  Peter Sellers, playing a perennial thief, posing as Federico Fabrizzi, the director of the fake film, “The Gold of Cairo”, to mask the theft of a gold shipment, makes it work by acting like a genius and promising the residents of a coastal town that they will all be in the movie.  Unforgettable moments:  Victor Mature (in a great self-parody) with hair dye dripping down his forehead as he romances Britt Eklund, the viewing of the finished film at the trial of the thieves. De Sica and a script by Neil Simon make fun of neo-Realistic European filmmaking. It might be my favorite Sellers film.

Speaking of Peter Sellers, in a film that stars almost every available British actor, The Wrong Box (1966) his scenes as Dr. Pratt are the most memorable.  Maybe it’s the ‘moggies’ --  what he calls the dozens of kitties that reside in drawers and bowls and shelves in his office.  Directed by Bryan Forbes and also starring Michael Caine, Ralph Richardson, John Mills, with additional comic performances by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Unforgettable: Sellers, as the disgraced Dr. Pratt saying, “I was not always as you see me now”.

Speaking of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, I feel compelled to mention Bedazzled (1967), which is probably a better known film, but, nevertheless, a wonderful opportunity to see these two comedy talents.  Directed by Stanley Donen, poor Dudley keeps getting tripped up by the devil (Cook) by not thinking through his wishes that he has traded his soul for. Unforgettable:  Moore and his heart’s desire, played by Eleanor Bron, unable to commit adultery because of mutual admiration for her husband. 

I may have written about A Thousand Clowns (1967) before but I cannot leave it off this list of gems. This is a film that was funny when first viewed, but over the years, it has become sweeter and deeper in meaning.  Jason Robards plays Murray Burns, a middle-aged rebel who must ultimately choose between his non-conformist life and his nephew.  Directed by Fred Coe, with wonderful performances by William Daniels, Barbara Harris, Gene Saks, Barry Gordon, and the unforgettable Martin Balsam as Murray’s responsible brother, who explains in a great speech, "I am the best possible Arnold Burns." Outright, prolonged laughter.

I know nobody needs to be told that The Producers (1967) is a comedy jewel.  In case anyone hasn’t seen the original, I prescribe it for your physical and mental health.  And everyone else, too.  Written and directed by Mel Brooks, the film has nothing but unforgettable moments – Gene Wilder, when he is hysterical, Zero Mostel, when he is onscreen, but, when I think of the first time I saw this, the open-mouthed horror of the opening night audience, which is now an often-used comic device, was original and totally, howlingly funny.  Also, the Hitler tryouts.  One more: “They come here, they all come here.  How do they find me? … Yes, Prince Myshkin”. (Max Bialystock)

They Might Be Giants (1971) Directed by Anthony Harvey is a magical film which is possible to experience on several levels.  There is the actual story, in which a retired judge, played by George C. Scott, believes he is Sherlock Holmes, and tries to navigate life with deductive logic.  His brother wants him committed so he can control his money and hires a psychiatrist for the purpose, played by Joanne Woodward.  The magical level is where you are so enchanted that you suspend your disbelief, and accept that Woodward’s name is Dr. Watson, and everything else that follows. This is reinforced by John Barry’s marvelous score. Woodward is always good, Jack Gilford and the rest of the cast are wonderful, but George C. Scott plays the role with such integrity (perhaps that is what separates great from adequate actors) that the audience identifies with him to the extent that he no longer seems mad, but honorable in a world of evil. Memorable:  the supermarket scene, when Scott takes over the manager’s mic.  One of the funniest scenes of all time.

Also from 1971 and also a gem of a performance by George C. Scott, is The Hospital, directed by Arthur Hiller. Written by Paddy Chayefsky before his more celebrated Network (1976), the two scripts have a few things in common, namely the absurdity that comes from large institutions as they grow more indifferent to human needs, and the burned out man of a certain age who is on the edge of not taking it any more. George C. Scott plays the medical director of a large New York City hospital who has reached such a point of failure in every facet of his life, both personal and professional, that he is constantly thinking of suicide.  Then it gets worse -- doctors and patients seem to be dying through a combination of institutional incompetence and the actions of a fanatical avenger who is fixed on punishing the incompetent. But the lunatic has a daughter: the young and beautiful, Diana Rigg, who decides to save Scott by enticing him to run away with her and her father to an idyllic village in Mexico.  The script is brilliant, dark and funny, and Scott makes it zing.  Memorable: Scott to nursing director, “Where do you train your nurses, Mrs. Christie? Dachau?”

The Ritz (1976) based on the Broadway play by Terrence McNally featured several of the leading cast members.  In fact, Rita Moreno won a Tony for her portrayal of Googie Gomez, a comically-untalented singer, whose thickly-accented rendition of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” comes to mind every time I hear the song.  Directed by Richard Lester, the plot involves Jack Weston, playing the son-in-law of a mobster, who has ordered him killed, hiding out in a gay bath house, without realizing it is not just a weird hotel.  This is just the beginning.  Then come mistaken identities, disguises, chases, and general hilarity.  It is a pre-AIDS-crisis, madcap farce that, in its innocence, is not offensive. Featuring F. Murray Abraham, Treat Williams, Jerry Stiller, Kaye Ballard and others, who are all over-the-top funny. Memorable: Rita Moreno singing “I had a dring, I drinned it for ju, baby…”

Directed by James Frawley, The Big Bus (1976) is an absurdly-awful-hilarious spoof of star-studded disaster films that pre-dates Airplane! by four years. Why it isn’t equally well-known, I can’t understand. The plot revolves around a nuclear-powered luxury bus (It has a pool!) on its maiden voyage from New York to Denver. Sinister forces have made it necessary to bring back disgraced driver, Joseph Bologna, along with every supporting actor who was available that week, including Stockard Channing, who plays Bologna’s girlfriend. Bologna’s character is disgraced because he was accused of eating the passengers on a trip that got stranded.  He always denied this, but eventually admitted he took a small taste. Memorable line:  “Eat one lousy foot and they call you a cannibal”. The Big Bus aims low and never disappoints.  There are worse things to do with an hour and a half than laugh and groan at the same time.

Speaking of Joseph Bologna, what can I say about his spot-on portrayal of a Sid Caesar-like star of a 50s TV comedy show in My Favorite Year (1982)? His irreverent, tough-guy story line is equally as funny as the quest to get the fading swashbuckler, Alan Swann, played heroically by Peter O’Toole, on the show. Directed by Richard Benjamin, the film affectionately re-creates the atmosphere of the 50s and the early years of television, with wonderful contributions from Mark-Linn Baker, Lainie Kazan, Jessica Harper, Bill Macy and Selma Diamond. Memorable scene:  family dinner at Lainie Kazan’s apartment.  Memorable line:  King Kaiser: “Give that guy a set of tires.”

Moon Over Parador (1988) is an underrated film, in my opinion, directed by Paul Mazursky, after his hit, Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986). Teaming again with Richard Dreyfuss, who plays a mediocre, but egotistical actor, who is forced to use his acting skills to impersonate the deceased dictator of a South American country, Parador, because of the uncanny resemblance he bears to the man.  The chief of the secret police, who really runs things, has hatched the scheme to buy time for an orderly transition that would avoid giving rebels a foothold. The role is played with psychotic intensity by the brilliant, Raul Julia, who is, at turns, charming and sinister.  Sonia Braga plays the dictator’s mistress who detects the imposter, but decides to help him.  Jonathan Winters is the CIA agent posing as a salesman. Memorable:  Julia responding to Dreyfuss whenever he voices doubts about the plan: “You’re a funny guy.”