Topic: Best comedy team ever?

[Boid Brain]

We got Laural and Hardy, the Marx Bros, the Stooges, the Ritz Bros, Abbott and Costello and Dean and Jerry in that order.

Who was the best?

I want to hear your opinions first, before I state mine.

[Rich Finegan]

Personally, I'd put Clark & McCullough, Wheeler & Woolsey, Shaw & Lee and even Dane & Arthur way above some of the folks on that list.

[metaldams]

Personally, I'd put Clark & McCullough, Wheeler & Woolsey, Shaw & Lee and even Dane & Arthur way above some of the folks on that list.

What, no Brown and Carney?

I'll give this one some thought and chip in later, but honestly, I don't think there's a definitive answer, even in my own opinion. 

I'll tell you this much.....it's not Martin and Lewis.

[stooge1029]

uhhh... The Three Stooges? Doesnt that make sense. Besides them... Laurel and Hardy.

[shemps#1]

What, no Brown and Carney?

I'll give this one some thought and chip in later, but honestly, I don't think there's a definitive answer, even in my own opinion. 

I'll tell you this much.....it's not Martin and Lewis.

Don't get me started on Martin & Lewis (especially Lewis).

For me it's a toss-up between the Stooges, Marx Bros and Cheech and Chong. 

On a totally unrelated note, what is up with this emote?

[Curly4444]

Well of course it the three stooges. I though Bud Abbot & Lou Costello were decent also.

[Dunrobin]

On a totally unrelated note, what is up with this emote?

Oh, come on - you're a big boy now.  You don't know what that's for?   

I can't remember when the heck that one got added.  It was probably part of a package of emoticons that I added some time ago.


In answer to the topic question, I would rank them as follows:

• The Three Stooges
• The Marx Brothers
• Laurel and Hardy
• Abbott and Costello

I've left the Ritz Brothers out of my list because I have never cared for them that much, and I am of like mind with Shemps#1 regarding Martin and Lewis (especially Lewis.)

[Rich Finegan]

What, no Brown and Carney?

No, actually I never thought much of them as a "comedy team". They were just two actor/comedians thrown together by RKO Radio Pictures in the hope that they'd make a successful team. I didn't find either particularly interesting separately or together.

[metaldams]

No, actually I never thought much of them as a "comedy team". They were just two actor/comedians thrown together by RKO Radio Pictures in the hope that they'd make a successful team. I didn't find either particularly interesting separately or together.

I agree with you, I was only joking.  If I enjoy a Brown and Carney movie, it's usually because of a co-star and not the actual comedians.

Out of the list you mentioned, I'd consider Wheeler and Woolsey, if not among the best, then let's just say the best of the rest.  They had some very good moments, no doubt.


OK, let's get some controversey up in this joint, holmes.  OK, the best comedy team of all-time, after giving this much thought is...Laurel and Hardy.................Stan and Ollie..........................................................those guys from Hal Roach...........etc., etc., etc...............................yes I didn't say The Three Stooges...................yes I'm an asshole for making this diificult to read..........................OK I'll stop now...


Anyway, I said Laurel and Hardy.  Why?

Successful as both silent and sound comedians?  Check
Successful in both shorts and features? Check
A prime that lasted for almost 15 years?  Check
Access to the best comedy studio of the era?  Check
Somebody on the team in Stan Laurel who was an auteur, a genuine genius in creating film comedy?  Check
A comedy team before any other genuinely great screen comedy teams?  Check
Incredibly funny?  Check

The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, the Marx Brothers, they're all great, but they can't claim all of the above.  Some of the above, yes, but not all.  The answer is Laurel and Hardy.

[metaldams]

PS:  Not that they're the best, but why doesn't Hope and Crosby ever get mentioned?  They were certainly good, and I'd say better than Martin and Lewis.

[shemps#1]

I would have loved to see Jerry Lewis' "great" movie The Day The Clown Cried about a clown leading Jewish children to their deaths in WWII Concentration Camps. I don't know what was going on in that pointed head of his when he said "this is a good idea for a movie".

Hope and Crosby are a million times better than Martin and Lewis, and I honestly have no good explanation why they are left out of "best teams" discussion...should be there though.

I have to "come out of the closet" and admit that other than the maybe watching the toy movie as a kid that I only have vague memories of now I have never seen an L&H film.

[Rich Finegan]

I agree with you, I was only joking.  If I enjoy a Brown and Carney movie, it's usually because of a co-star and not the actual comedians.

I agree with you there completely! They had some great co-stars, such as Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Sheldon Leonard, Frances Langford, etc.

[metaldams]

I have to "come out of the closet" and admit that other than the maybe watching he toy movie as a kid that I only have vague memories of now I have never seen an L&H film.

I have fond memories of watching BABES IN TOYLAND every year as a kid at my grandmother's around Christmas time.  She's my only grandparent still living, but yeah, they always used to show that one.  I think we were the last generation to have older movies exposed to us on television like that, as I'm not sure kids today see BABES IN TOYLAND during the holidays.

BABES IN TOYLAND is good, but if that's all you've seen, and it's been a while, you haven't even scratched the surface.  I kind of envy you that you haven't seen much Laurel and Hardy, 'cause you have a lot to look forward too.

I admit though, of the 40 Roach shorts, there are still two I haven't seen, and I'm holding them off simply so I can have something to look forward too.

[shemps#1]

What's the reasoning behind renaming Babes In Toyland "March of the Wooden Soldiers"?

[Boid Brain]

You guys really know your shit. I never even heard of Brown and Carney! There is of course no wrong answer, but Hope and Crosby? The solo Bob Hope films were way funnier than the Road films. I still laugh to myself when I think of Bob calling Peter Lorre "Cuddles",
Not to mention Crosby was a low down motherfucker.

I can't see Martin and Lewis being so easily dismissed. Unlike every other comic team they became a bona fide social phenomenon in the vein of the Beatles, Sinatra and Elvis. No one has ever seen Harpo clog up Manhattan from a Hotel window. They were BIG!

Abbot and Costello? Great team, great timing! They were my #1 until I was about 12.

Laurel and Hardy bore me. I like some of their stuff, like Ollie looking square at the audience after Stan pulls some stupid shit, like he was saying to us: "Can you believe this idiot I got right here?" I think Bob Hope noticed that bit

The Marx Bros. get points as they were top dog for a decade. If they did 20 min. shorts like the Stooges they may have hit #1 for me. (I hate full length Stooge movies)

I have only seen the Ritz boys once or twice, but they struck me as one zany, madcap bunch! Very good team.

Nobody comes close to Larry, Moe and Curly for me. They jammed so much malice and idiocy into 20 minutes! That's what I want! A hammer to the head! A finger in an eye! And my personal favorite: the pinkie finger nostril drag! Low brow humor? The lowest brow! That's me all over.

[Boid Brain]

Don't get me started on Martin & Lewis (especially Lewis).

For me it's a toss-up between the Stooges, Marx Bros and Cheech and Chong. 

On a totally unrelated note, what is up with this emote?

If you look close you can see the letters KY on the tube. But still I'm not sure what message the butt lube is supposed to convey either

[stooge1029]

I have all the sound shorts for Laurel and Hardy on my computer. As a kid I had only seen their movies and the Music Box, but I have to say some of those shorts rivial the best Stooge shorts. They are comedy classics and I dont think anyone besides the stooges comes close to Laurel and Hardy in physical comedy. I love how Laurel and Hardy can repeat a gag over and over in a short and have it get funnier each time. I havent seen much of the other teams mentioned sans Abbot and Costello. Can anyone recommend where to get started on some of these guys like Martin and Lewis or Wheeler and Wosley?

[OldFred]

Here's how I list my favorite comedy teams:

1. Marx Brothers
2. Three Stooges
3. Laurel & Hardy
4. Abbott & Costello
5. Martin & Lewis
6. Hope & Crosby
7. Ritz Brothers
8. Monty Python

Honorable mention goes to Burns & Allen, Wheeler & Woolsey, Clark & McCullough and Rowan & Martin.

[metaldams]

I can't see Martin and Lewis being so easily dismissed. Unlike every other comic team they became a bona fide social phenomenon in the vein of the Beatles, Sinatra and Elvis. No one has ever seen Harpo clog up Manhattan from a Hotel window. They were BIG!

You're right, commercially, they were huge.  So's Miley Cyrus.

Jerry Lewis was capable of making a good sight gag when he wanted, and I'll grudgingly admit they were more entertaining on television than their features.  Still, I find Jerry Lewis's character too over the top and unlikeable, and I especially hate it when he aims for any kind of pathos. 

The Jerry Lewis movie I've seen that I actually like is THE BELL BOY, but that one is silent sight gag comedy.  Whenever Jerry Lewis opens his mouth, then I'm lost, and this extends to real life as well.  I have a John Lennon Anthology set where there's a two minute track of Jerry on one of his telethons thanking John and Yoko for their contributions.  In just that two minutes, there's something about him that comes across as an insincere horse's ass, and I can't seem to put my finger on it.  My gut simply tells me I need to have very limited exposure to the guy.

[metaldams]

Can anyone recommend where to get started on some of these guys like Martin and Lewis or Wheeler and Wosley?

Wheeler and Woolsey: HIPS, HIPS, HOORAY! or DIPLOMANIACS
MARTIN AND LEWIS: A lighted match near any 35MM print of their features

[Boid Brain]

Here's a nice clip of Jerry in his prime:

&feature=related....and there is one of he and Dean on the same You Tube page. All of them are watchable.

[Boid Brain]

And here is my all time fave scene featuring Miss Jane Hathaway as real mean bull-dyke bitch!

Good casting as she was a lesbo in real life. One thing you can say about Jerry: He always got top notch comedic actors for the supporting roles in his flicks. Not at all worried about being upstaged...enjoy the clip.

[shemps#1]

Jerry Lewis is complete fucking waste. His on screen persona makes me want to scrape out my ear drums with a rusty fork. He has never been funny in his entire life and outside of movies is a useless asshole who is completely out of touch with reality.

Fuck Jerry Lewis.

[Curly4444]

The French like him. 

[OldFred]

Noticed all the vitriol is aimed at Jerry but not Dean. Dean is very underrated as a comic, basically because Jerry stole much of the spotlight. But every once in awhile, especially when performing live or on live TV, Dean showed he was just as funny, if not funnier, than Jerry. After the split, Dean reinvented himself and sustained a much more successful solo career appearing in respectable films, having hit records and teaming up with Frank Sinatra. Jerry made the mistake of sticking with the same character for way too long till it became disturbing and creepy to watch him as an older adult still acting like an 8 year old. I think he redeemed himself with his performance in 'King of Comedy', where he basically played himself.

I wouldn't say the Martin & Lewis films are unwatchable. There are plenty of laughs in many of them, especially the earlier ones like 'The Caddy', 'That's My Boy', 'Sailor Beware', 'Scared Stiff' among others. To really enjoy Martin & Lewis just watch their live TV appearances on the Colgate Comedy Hour, especially when Dean has a chance to shine. Just because you don't like Jerry is not a reason to shortchange Dean.