Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Laughs is a list of the top 100 comedy movies in American cinema. A wide variety of comedies were nominated for the distinction that included slapstick comedy, romantic comedy, satire, black comedy, musical comedy, comedy of manners and comedy of errors. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute on June 14, 2000. [edit] The list [edit] List notes - Cary Grant is the most celebrated actor with eight films on the list: Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, His Girl Friday, Arsenic and Old Lace, Topper, The Awful Truth, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House and She Done Him Wrong.
- The Marx Brothers and Woody Allen each star in five films on the list.
- Spencer Tracy, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Bill Murray each appear in four films on the list. (Keaton plays a supporting role in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Murray plays a supporting role in Tootsie.)
- Katharine Hepburn and Margaret Dumont are the two most represented actresses on the list with four films each. (Dumont plays an uncredited role in Auntie Mame.)
- Five Woody Allen films made the list: Annie Hall, Manhattan, Take the Money and Run, Bananas and Sleeper, making him the most represented director.
- George Cukor, Charlie Chaplin and Preston Sturges each directed four films on the list.
- Mel Brooks directed three films on the list: Blazing Saddles, The Producers and Young Frankenstein, all of which were placed in the top 15.
- Woody Allen and Billy Wilder both wrote five films on the list.
- Four films, including the two funniest, involve cross-dressing: Some Like It Hot, Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire and Victor Victoria.
[edit] Criteria - Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format typically over 60 minutes in length.
- American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States.
- Funny: Regardless of genre, the total comedic impact of a film’s elements that creates an experience greater than the sum of the smiles.
- Legacy: Laughs that echo across time, enriching America’s film heritage and inspiring artists and audiences today.
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