Hollywood during the 1930s was plagued by the Great Depression and had moviegoers seeking comfort from the cinema via sidesplitting comedies. Viewers were looking for an escape from the harsh realities they faced every day, with the highly-influential decade helping launch the careers of Tinseltown legends such as Jean Harlow, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, and Katharine Hepburn. Charlie Chapin continued to dazzle fans with his beloved screen persona the Tramp, with the hallowed actor delivering major laughs with famous films like Modern Times and City Lights, both of which are heavily-lauded achievements by the iconic performer.
The hilarious Marx Brothers were also a constant presence on the silver screen, demonstrating their signature outlandish sense of humor and antics in pictures such as the revered black comedy Duck Soup and epic farce A Night at the Opera. Many famous faces would emerge as dynamic leading forces in the comedy genre, with both Harlow and Grant earning rave reviews for their comedic timing and willingness to improv on set. Let’s take a peek at some of the best classic comedies of the 1930s.
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9 Duck Soup
Paramount Pictures
The Marx Brothers headlined the 1933 black comedy musical Duck Soup, in which the sensational pseudo-siblings tell the entertaining story of Freedonia president Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho), who hesitantly becomes the fictional country’s newly-appointed leader and must contend with the bordering nation’s secret spies and scheming ambassador. The result is an absurdist spectacle of wackiness, silly enough to be enjoyable, but deep enough about politics to be thoughtful.
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Despite an initial lukewarm response by critics and audiences (largely due to it being released during the Great Depression), the hilarious farce has since gone on to become a masterpiece of comedy and is widely regarded as the Marx Brothers’ greatest cinematic creation; the Times U.K. wrote in retrospect: “It turns out that the sharp-tongued humor of Groucho Marx is ageless, the slapstick timely and the subject matter still pertinent: loony dictatorship, religion, pointless warfare.” Duck Soup was prophetic in many ways, considering the dictatorships throughout the world over the subsequent decade, and the film remains one of the best critiques of government and elites ever made.
8 It Happened One Night
Columbia Pictures
“The King of Hollywood” Clark Gable appeared alongside Claudette Colbert in the 1934 romantic comedy It Happened One Night, in which the legendary actor portrays the cynical reporter Peter Warne, who falls for spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews after agreeing to help reunite her with her conniving husband in return for an exclusive story.
Lauded as one of the greatest films ever made, the rom-com went on to inspire endless pictures of the popular genre and is the first of only three films to win all five major Academy Awards; both Gable and Colbert won Oscars for their dazzling performances of the unlikely lovers. It Happened One Night had a profound impact on pop culture and the face of cinema and led to numerous remakes, adaptations, and spoofs.
7 Modern TImes
United Artists
Cinema icon Charlie Chaplin portrayed his beloved on-screen persona the Tramp for the last time when he directed and starred in the 1936 semi-silent dark comedy Modern Times, which follows the character as he attempts to embrace the hardships of modern life in an ever-changing industrial society.
The influential figure drew inspiration for the revered comedy after witnessing the heartbreaking financial hardships people faced during the Great Depression, as well as his personal views on technology and industrialization. Modern Times marks the first time Chaplin’s voice was heard on film (albeit in a nonsensical, incomprehensible, but charming song, a clever indictment of the new ‘modern’ technology of sound itself) and has been hailed as one of his greatest achievements; Time Magazine declared, “It is a gay, impudent and sentimental pantomimic comedy in which even the anachronisms are often as becoming as Charlie Chaplin’s cane.”
6 A Night at the Opera
Loew's, Inc.
The Marx Brothers once again delivered comedy gold when they starred in the critically acclaimed 1935 farce A Night at the Opera, which centers on business manager Otis B. Driftwood as he and his wacky pals Fiorello and Tomasso take on the world of opera and play cupid for a young, star-crossed couple.
The classic satire is the first of five films the siblings did with MGM and marked a turning point in their comedy career, with the comedy group transitioning from a more anarchic persona to becoming more helpful and sympathetic (well, sort of). Though some fans were less than enthused by the new approach, A Night at the Opera was still a critical and commercial success and led to a string of future hits for the Marxes that continued showcasing their undeniable talent.
5 Bringing Up Baby
RKO Radio Pictures
Silver screen legends Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant teamed up for the 1938 screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby, telling the amusing tale of a bewildered paleontologist as he attempts to secure a $1 million donation from a prominent society woman, only to be pursued by a spirited heiress and her pet leopard.
Though it has since been touted as a definitive screwball picture lauded for its zany antics, uproarious misadventures and superb comic timing, Bringing Up Baby was actually a flop at the box office upon its initial release and led to Hepburn being labeled “box office poison" (she would later win more Best Actress Oscars than anyone in history). The picture would eventually gain new life and admiration in the ‘50s when it was played on television, attracting a new and passionate fan following.
4 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
The great James Stewart cemented his status as a major movie star when he appeared as the eponymous character in the 1939 comedy-drama Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which follows the young U.S. senator Jefferson Smith as he stands up against the corruption running rampant in the Senate and goes toe-to-toe with his once admired mentor. Stewart is absolutely charming in this mature dramedy with serious ideals.
The uplifting film caused a bit of controversy after its premiere, with the Washington press and politicians outraged over its depiction of corruption within the American government. Despite the initial blowback, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was nonetheless a hit with audiences and critics and has been called one of the quintessential whistleblower films in American cinema.
3 The Awful Truth
Leo McCarey directed the 1937 Oscar-winning screwball comedy The Awful Truth, in which Irene Dunne and Cary Grant portray the suspicious married couple Jerry and Lucy Warriner, who after filing for divorce and beginning new romances discover they aren’t quite ready to let go of their love after all.
McCarey’s approach to filmmaking was the cause of much disdain and frustration for the talented actors, with the creator famously not having a completed script when production began and instead embraced a more improvisational approach. After the initial turmoil on set, The Awful Truth went off without a hitch and helped Grant emerge as a charming leading man and A-list performer; the actor would team up with Dunne on two more occasions in My Favorite Wife and Penny Serenade.
2 City Lights
United Artists
Charlie Chaplin’s adored character the Tramp was up to his amusing antics once again when he appeared in the 1931 silent romantic comedy City Lights, as he falls in love with a beautiful blind flower girl and makes it his mission to come up with the funds needed to prevent her eviction; the Tramp’s luck changes when is rewarded after saving the life of a wealthy millionaire.
The sentimental comedy was an immediate hit with audiences across the world and was a standout picture during the Great Depression, with renowned critic James Agee of Time Magazine calling the flick’s final scene “the greatest single piece of acting ever committed to celluloid.” City Lights is regarded as Chaplin’s finest cinematic endeavor and is considered by many to be one of the best pictures of all time.
1 Dinner at Eight
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Cinema siren and 20th century icon Jean Harlow starred alongside fellow greats like Marie Dressler, John Barrymore, and Wallace Beery in the 1933 comedy-drama Dinner at Eight, with the film centering on an extravagant dinner party hosted by an affluent socialite in New York City and the colorful guests invited to the shindig. The blonde bombshell appears as the sultry, gold-digging wife of a “new money” mogul who attends the high-society event, serving up a scene-stealing performance that showcased her innate comedic timing.
Dinner at Eight earned rave reviews and further established Harlow as Hollywood’s most dazzling on-screen presence, with Variety praising the actress for “taking hold of her fat role and making it stand out, even in this distinguished company… By long odds the best thing Miss Harlow has done to date.”
