# Older Movies / shows / books that are STILL funny **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 28, 2025, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929 "2025-02-28T16:20:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2025, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/61 "2025-03-02T23:16:28Z")
One old movie I discovered, and still laugh at, is _My Man Godfrey_; and that has the funniest closing line, ever. It’s on TCM tonight if anyone wants to check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/62 "2025-03-03T00:24:55Z")
It’s still possible to portray a donkey eating figs in a hilarious manner. Probably not fatally funny, though. ---
**Author:** ![Flightless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Flightless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flightless)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/63 "2025-03-03T00:58:15Z")
The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Bob Newhart Show Catch 22 ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/64 "2025-03-04T04:11:30Z")
Not a show per se but Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s On First” routine is still hilarious. It has been riffed on countless times over the decades but the original is still hysterical. One of my teenagers watched a clip of the two performing it on Youtube with me and she laughed so hard she couldn’t talk. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/65 "2025-03-04T04:56:05Z")
Show her their 13x7=28 bit. It’s another classic. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/66 "2025-03-04T05:05:27Z")
I only recently watched Dr Strangelove so I had no nostalgia for it; it’s great. I was younger, but still an adult when I saw the Who’s on First skit. Also great. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/67 "2025-03-04T11:55:11Z")
I have never seen that! Will have to find it. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/68 "2025-03-04T14:18:59Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I will nominate _Arsenic and Old Lace_… Argh, I read through the whole thread thinking "nobody mentioned AaOL, I’ll be the first! Then I do a thread search just to be sure and see I missed the mention in post #4 somehow 🤦‍♂️ AaOL was one of the few old comedies I loved as a kid- that, the Abbot & Costello movies and the Three Stooges shorts. I had not seen the movie since I was maybe 11, and recently did a rewatch as an adult. I thought it held up pretty well. The movie had what would have been, to my thinking, a fairly modern, ‘meta’ fourth wall-breaking, running joke: people kept saying the creepy evil brother Jonathon Brewster looked like Boris Karloff. I’ve heard that the character was actually played by Karloff in the stage play, but he had a scheduling conflict for the movie, so they had to settle for Raymond Massey playing brother Jonathon, unfortunately torpedoing the effectiveness of the joke. What didn’t hold up? Well, I imagine that even in its day, the movie probably was not exactly embraced by the psychiatric community. Not only is mental illness played for laughs, but 3 out of 4 of the ‘crazy’ Brewster family members are active killers. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/69 "2025-03-04T14:42:26Z")
Here you go. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/A_xLOMdGWsU/hqdefault.jpg "Abbott & Costello 7x13=28") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_xLOMdGWsU) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/70 "2025-03-04T15:25:05Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > My kids love Buster Keaton. We’ve seen several, and they have _specifically_ requested to rewatch _The General_ and _Sherlock Jr_ more than once. These movies make my kids (currently 11 and 14) _howl_ with laughter. I watched a few Buster Keaton clips on YT yesterday, and they stand up _very_ well. I literally laughed out loud. Much funnier than most of today’s stuff. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/71 "2025-03-04T20:13:08Z")
> [@knavette57](#): > > I Love Lucy (well, it’s funny to me, anyway). Also, it was a game changer for TV: Lucy’s pregnancy, Ricky’s ethnicity (it always made me wonder why Lucy never seemed to learn Spanish, but maybe it made the comedy better that she didn’t), plus a housewife who wanted more in her life, her pleas to be in show business, etc. Yes, this was a game-changer at the time, for sure. I don’t know that I’d consider it particularly hilarious by modern standards, but there’s something endearing about it and I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I recently re-watched all six seasons. I did it in the same juvenile and nostalgic spirit in which I’ll occasionally watch Bugs Bunny. Although _Lucy_ is frequently silly (in the sense of “stupid”) and reflects a certain lack of sophistication in 1950s viewership, the writing was often quite creative and Lucille Ball was a genuinely talented comic actress. Casting her real-life Cuban husband, Desi Arnaz, as her on-screen husband – something the network initially had strong objections to but Ball insisted on – turned out to be a serendipitous decision responsible for the show’s memorable uniqueness and much of its comedy. Arnaz’s sarcastic quips, delivered in a heavy Cuban accent with exaggerated facial expressions, are part of the show’s comedic charm. One does have to look past the annoying undercurrent of male dominance – Ricky is the absolute master of the house, and Lucy is often treated like a child – but hey, this was the 50s! The show began its first season in 1951. From Wikipedia: > The show – which was the first scripted television program to be filmed on 35 mm film in front of a studio audience, by cinematographer Karl Freund – won five Emmy Awards and received many nominations and honors. It was the first show to feature an ensemble cast. As such, it is often regarded as one of the most influential television programs in history. In 2012, it was voted the ‘Best TV Show of All Time’ in a survey conducted by ABC News and _People_ magazine ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/72 "2025-03-04T20:22:09Z")
On the subject of humorous books, I’m surprised that P.G. Wodehouse hasn’t been mentioned yet. Not just a very funny writer, but a master of language, and much of the humour comes from his beautiful ability to turn a phrase. And while he’s probably best known for the Jeeves and Wooster novels and short stories, there is so much more to his writings than that, and some of it much funnier. The Blandings novels and short stories were as extensive and richly delicious as the Jeeves ones, and I think probably the funniest stuff he ever wrote was the three Mr. Mulliner collections of short stories. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/73 "2025-03-04T20:25:36Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Years ago, my mother would always say to me “In this world, Elwood”, she always called me Ellwood. “In this world, Ellwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.”. For years i was smart. Irecommendd pleasant. You May quote me. “…she always called me Elwood…” Presumably because it was his name. I love this film. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/74 "2025-03-04T20:27:46Z")
_Would you rather be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant?_ Well, there’s two schools of thought. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/75 "2025-03-04T20:36:07Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > On the subject of humorous books, I’m surprised that P.G. Wodehouse hasn’t been mentioned yet. Not just a very funny writer, but a master of language, and much of the humour comes from his beautiful ability to turn a phrase. And while he’s probably best known for the Jeeves and Wooster novels and short stories, there is so much more to his writings than that, and some of it much funnier. The Blandings novels and short stories were as extensive and richly delicious as the Jeeves ones, and I think probably the funniest stuff he ever wrote was the three Mr. Mulliner collections of short stories. Years ago Mrs. Cretin urged me to read **Empress Of Blanding**. For some reason I’d gotten it into my head that I wasn’t interested in Wodehouse, but she was so insistent that I gave in. I was hooked by page three and ended up bingeing on all the **Blanding** books, **Jeeves and Wooster** stories, and nearly all the rest of Wodehouse except for the very early stuff. If I missed the Mulliner stories, I’ll fix that soon (and thank you for the tip). ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/76 "2025-03-04T20:36:36Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > On the subject of humorous books, I’m surprised that P.G. Wodehouse hasn’t been mentioned yet. One of his characters (Lord SomethingOrOther, quite portly and proper) is leaving the club and someone asks him where he’s going. And in a stentorious voice he intones “ **Spreading sweetness and light, m’boy. Sweetness, and light**.” _(Only an old school British reader like Jonathan Cecil or Martin Jarvis can do it justice)_ Since I retired, that’s my daily assignment. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/77 "2025-03-04T21:17:13Z")
Harold Lloyd is another member of the “Big Three” silent comedy stars, and his films are well worth checking out on YouTube. By the mid-1920s, Lloyd’s box-office success often rivaled—and at times even surpassed—that of both Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. However, when television arrived, Lloyd refused to let his movies air on TV, fearing that the small screen and commercials would diminish their comedic impact and artistic value (he had very high standards). As a result, his fame dipped more than that of his contemporaries. Still, his iconic “[glasses character](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqzWurPE01Y&t=1s)” remains as funny and timeless as ever. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/78 "2025-03-05T01:15:30Z")
Another vote for _The Gold Rush_ _The General_ _One, Two, Three_ _Arsenic and Old Lace_ _A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum_ _Casablanca_ The only Harold Lloyd film I have seen is _The Cat’s-Paw_. It was hilarious, although it is probably too politically incorrect for modern audiences. When I was a kid, I thought Abbott and Costello were the best in the business. Re-watching them, I now find their films a bit too slow-paced. But individual scenes, like “Who’s On First” and [the catfish scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUVdVBXQbdQ) from _The Naughty Nineties_, are still hilarious. Chefguy mentioned the book _Auntie Mame_. I think Rosalind Russell’s film is great. Lucille Ball’s version is not as good, but not bad. I don’t think anyone has mentioned _Ninotchka_ yet. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/79 "2025-03-05T01:43:13Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Chefguy mentioned the book _Auntie Mame_. I think Rosalind Russell’s film is great. Lucille Ball’s version is not as good, but not bad. “Not bad” is a good way to describe the Lucy version, but like at least one other (1973’s _Lost Horizon_), it was a story that did not need the musical treatment. I certainly agree that the Rosalind Russell version is great, and the book is also a treat that holds up well. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929/80 "2025-03-05T02:45:48Z")
Laurel and Hardy. I don’t care that they were “slowly paced.” Sometimes slower is just right. The Three Stooges. At the radio station where I worked back in the '90s, I could make my colleagues laugh just by saying “Oh, a wise guy, eh?” and “Shaddup, ya moron!” Burns and Allen. I had a roommate in college who walked in our room one night and asked something like “Why are you watching THAT?!?” I told him to sit down for a few minutes and pretty soon he was laughing too. _ **The Jack Benny Program** _, as it was called. I always looked forward to seeing what Mel Blanc was going to do. Anything Steve Allen did. He had a syndicated show in the late '60s that I used to stay home from school to watch. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/older-movies-shows-books-that-are-still-funny/1014929.md?page=5)