Movies are magical. They make people feel laughter, cry and everything in between. Many people go to the cinema to forget their problems and live in a world where the impossible is possible. They love to pretend and pretend, but the most important thing for most people is to be entertained.
People marvel at mysteries, weep at tragedies, and laugh at them comedies, and in general, spectators like to feel good after leaving the cinema. Maybe that’s one of the reasons comedies are so popular. After all, laughter is universal and something everyone loves to do.
Over the years, Hollywood has produced a slew of feel-good comedy films. One of the most iconic decades for comedy was the 1960s. Indeed, the 1960s cinema landscape was filled with groovy vibes, colorful clothes, and classic comedy films (not to mention the birth of modern dark comedy with Dr. Strangelove And The producers), and deserves to be celebrated as such. Without further ado, here are some of the best classic comedy movies from the 1960s.
Updated March 222, 2023: If you’re a fan of beloved 1960s comedies, you’ll be pleased to know that this article has been updated with additional content and movies.
11 The absent professor
The absent professor is, you guessed it, about a professor (Fred MacMurray) who is absent-minded. He invents flying rubber, which he calls “Flubber,” and accidentally misses his own wedding for the third time. Now his old girlfriend Betsy Carlisle (Nancy Olson) tries to get his attention and win his heart as criminals try to get their hands on his new formula.
Will his girlfriend steal his heart or will the crooks steal his recipe? Discover within The absent professor. The picture (featuring some of the most inventive basketball sequences in movies) has been lovingly recreated with Robin Williams in it Flubber.
10 Guess who’s at dinner
In his final film role, Spencer Tracy appeared alongside his wife Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier in Guess who’s at dinnerabout the interracial marriage between a strong-willed young woman (Katharine Houghton) and her future husband (Poitier) and the reaction of their subsequent families to their impending nuptials.
Featuring charming performances from the star-studded cast, the film is celebrated for its treatment of the then groundbreaking subject matter, as the dramedy carefully tackles anti-racism and depicts interracial marriage in a positive and influential manner. The classic would go on to win two Academy Awards (including Best Original Screenplay) while receiving acclaim from audiences and critics alike.
“Why don’t you fall over laughing and go barefoot in the park,” with this 1967 romantic comedy about newlyweds Corie (Jane Fonda) and Paul Bratter (Robert Redford) who go through all the ups and downs of married life in the first few weeks of their marriage. Barefoot in the park is full of belly laughs and heartwarming moments, and is guaranteed to make you want to go barefoot in the park, just maybe not when it’s cold outside.
8 The crazy professor
The crazy professor stars Jerry Lewis as the title character who “urges you to see this photo from the beginning, under penalty of losing your popcorn privileges.” Julius Kelp, aka the Nutty Professor, aka Jerry Lewis, is clumsy, traditionally unattractive, and awkward around people, especially women.
Lucky for him, he’s actually a decent chemistry professor, and he uses his ability to brew a potion that transforms him into a whole new man, a beast of beauty. Can he win the affection and love of the woman he admires before his drink runs out? Discover within The crazy professor.
7 It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World beyond, especially when money is involved. In this wacky action-adventure comedy epic, Smiler Grogan (Jimmy Durante), a just-released convicted thief, is killed in a terrible car accident. However, before kicking the bucket (literally), he reveals a secret to the five people who stopped by to “help” him.
His secret is that he buried about $350,000 in Santa Rosita State Park under “a big W.” Now things are getting crazy and crazy as the race is on to see who discovers the money first and gets rich. It’s a wild, beautiful road movie classic with an incredible cast and beautiful widescreen cinematography.
6 The separate couple
The separate couple is a 1968 comedy based on the 1965 Broadway play that follows two men who are opposites. Neat freak Felix (Jack Lemmon) is sad and depressed about his impending divorce. To help him cope and move on, his best friend Oscar (Walter Matthau) invites him to move in with him. However, Oscar is a slob and does not like his friend’s tidiness.
Their friendship is tested and eventually, like any good “couple”, they learn to work through their differences, realizing that their quirks have passed on to each other, and they are both better people as a result. Along the way, however, there are some very funny moments and great chemistry between the two actors, who would go on to star together on multiple occasions.
5 The love bug
“Everyone has a fantastic story to tell about their car. Now get in line for the one who surpasses them all. The love bug is the story of Herbie, a beetle that lives. Join race car driver Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) as he and Herbie take on a series of races and pull off some hair-raising maneuvers. The love bug is the original movie that started the Herbie franchise: Herbie drives again (1974), Herbie goes to Monte Carlo (1977), Herbie Goes Bananas (1980), and Herbie fully loaded (2005).
4 Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Audrey Hepburn became a certified fashion icon when she starred as Holly Golightly in the beloved romantic comedy Breakfast at Tiffany’swhich follows the Manhattan socialite as she sets her sights on her pretty new neighbor, a struggling writer with an equally mysterious past.
The legendary actress delivers one of the most cherished performances of Hepburn’s illustrious career in endearing film, and Holly has risen to become one of cinema’s movie stars. most famous characters to decorate the screen. Though the source of controversy for Mickey Rooney’s insensitive portrayal of a Japanese man, the rom-com is nonetheless a twentieth-century staple and Hepburn’s impeccable portrayal is one of the best in film.
3 The parent trap
“Let’s get together, yes yes yes. Why don’t you and I combine? Let’s get together, what do you say? We can have a swinging time. What happens when two identical twin sisters (who were separated at birth) first meet at a summer camp? At first they can’t stand each other, but that soon changes and they devise a plan to trick their divorced parents into remarrying.
The parent trapis a 1960s classic starring Hayley Mills as the two identical twins Sharon and Susan. While many people know the remake starring Lindsay Lohan and Dennis Quaid, the original 1961 film remains a classic.
2 The Pink Panther
He’s a genius. He’s ridiculous. He is the bumbling French inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) who will stop at nothing until the criminals are apprehended or until he himself is apprehended for a crime he did not commit. In the original Pink Panther movie that started it all, nothing is what it seems except the stupidity of Inspector Clouseau. How can a man be so stupid and still work as a detective for the French police? Discover it in the iconic 1963 film The Pink Panther.
1 The apartment
Billy Wilder enlisted the talent of both the sensational Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine in his wildly entertaining and stunningly stylistic film, The apartmentcentered on a lone insurance clerk who decides to lend his Manhattan apartment to his high-ranking bosses for extramarital trysts in hopes of advancing his career.
The boisterous comedy won five Academy Awards and three Golden Globes (including Best Actor for Lemmon) and is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Wilder’s great screenplay and The apartment‘s cheeky humor and lively performances helped make it an acclaimed comedy masterpiece.