# Your top two Black & White movies - one comedy, one drama. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2019, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154 "2019-04-28T01:19:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/81 "2019-04-30T03:22:09Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **Paper Moon** _ was filmed in B&W? Yup, and I love it!: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olng6kYeYFQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olng6kYeYFQ) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/82 "2019-04-30T09:15:10Z")
Drama Key Largo with Bogart and Bacall Comedy - Harvey Jimmy Stewart ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/83 "2019-04-30T14:00:25Z")
Comedy: The Philadelphia Story. Piper, you bring the movie and I’ll bring the popcorn. Drama: Los últimos de Filipinas (Last of the [Spanish soldiers in the] Philippines), please do not confuse with the recent remake (which I haven’t watched but it was definitely in color). ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/84 "2019-04-30T14:04:09Z")
Casablanca wins over To Kill A Mockingbird for drama, simply because it was an original idea, not based on a book. Harvey for comedy Based on an idea that should not have worked, yet done wonderfully. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/85 "2019-04-30T14:41:03Z")
Drama: Citizen Kane Comedy: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein **snfaulkner** : “Lost Skeleton of Cadavra” is a stone riot. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/86 "2019-04-30T16:35:41Z")
_Some Like It Hot_ for comedy, _The Third Man_ for drama. Or _Shadow of a Doubt_. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/87 "2019-04-30T16:47:47Z")
Comedy: ‘Dinner at Eight’ (more of an ensemble with comedy and drama, but chock full of wit and hilarity!) . Runner up: ‘It’s A Gift’ - W.C. Fields’ best, IMO. Drama: ‘Sunset Boulevard’. Runner up: ‘Camille’ with Greta Garbo - so beautiful, so tragic. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/88 "2019-04-30T17:07:23Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > For the interstitial space _between_ comedy and drama, I give you Spike Lee’s debut: [She’s Gotta Have It](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She%27s_Gotta_Have_It). Nuts to that: half of the movies classified as comedies are really hybrid drama/comedies. _The Philadelphia Story_ (which is one of my favorite movies) is an excellent example. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/89 "2019-04-30T18:54:39Z")
Duck Soup Casablanca ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/90 "2019-04-30T20:59:57Z")
Crap, for drama, I can’t choose between _To Kill a Mockingbird_ and _Casablanca_. Comedy’s easy, though: _All About Eve_ in a walk. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/91 "2019-04-30T21:14:29Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Comedy’s easy, though: _All About Eve_ in a walk. I’ve never thought of _All About Eve_ as a comedy. Both IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes list it as a drama. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/92 "2019-04-30T22:39:56Z")
Drama: _Touch of Evil_. Comedy: _Young Frankenstein_. If this is considered cheating, then _Duck Soup_ or _Animal Crackers_. Or _The Mouse That Roared_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/93 "2019-04-30T22:51:03Z")
Why would _Young Frankenstein_ be considered cheating? ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/94 "2019-04-30T23:13:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Why would _Young Frankenstein_ be considered cheating? Sometimes “black and white movie” is used to mean “old movies,” from before the time when color was the standard. Just covering my bases. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/95 "2019-05-01T01:16:52Z")
There are a number of significant black and white films that were made in relatively modern times. The list linked to below considers that anything from 1970 forward in black and white is distinctly anomalous. I included one film from the modern period in my list - _The Last Picture Show_. A number of films in the linked list I’ve seen and consider to be pretty good but not great: > **[List of black-and-white films produced since 1966](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_black-and-white_films_produced_since_1970)** > > American film and television studios terminated production of black-and-white output in 1966 and, during the following two years, the rest of the world followed suit. At the start of the 1960s, transition to color proceeded slowly, with major studios continuing to release black-and-white films through 1965 and into 1966. Among the five Best Picture nominees at the 33rd Academy Awards in April 1961, two — Sons and Lovers and the winner, The Apartment, were black-and white. Two of the nominees in ... ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/96 "2019-05-01T01:22:59Z")
I hate to say it, but my favorite black and white movie is often the last one I saw. I might be able to make a top 10 (plus or minus) but I really couldn’t narrow it down any more than that. ---
**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:** [May 1, 2019, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/97 "2019-05-01T01:38:45Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > There are a number of significant black and white films that were made in relatively modern times. The list linked to below considers that anything from 1970 forward in black and white is distinctly anomalous. I’d be more interested in seeing a list starting in 1965 (or even earlier). I remember going to see _ **Von Ryan’s Express** _ immediately after it came out, and my brother saying he was glad it was in color. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/98 "2019-05-01T06:29:25Z")
Here’s a list starting in 1966: > **[Most Beautiful Black and White films (post 1965) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/list/ls033791365/)** > > Most Beautiful Black and White films (post 1965) It doesn’t claim to list all such films though. Put the phrase “black and white films after 19XX”, where 19XX is the year you want to specify into Google. At the top of the search results page will be a row of pictures which are the posters of black and white films after 19XX. There will be several dozen such films in this row. Again, this won’t be all such films though. Google does lots of things you might be surprised by. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/99 "2019-05-01T08:00:10Z")
Drama: _Casablanca_, the film I consider to be the best of all time. Comedy: There are several great Marx Brothers movies, but I’m going to choose _His Gal Friday_. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-two-black-white-movies-one-comedy-one-drama/833154/100 "2019-05-01T10:34:36Z")
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