The 1940s was an influential time in Hollywood in which some of the most lauded classic comedies made their debuts, including The Philadelphia Story. Tinsel town’s most sensational leading ladies and men were featured in these beloved hits, with legendary stars like Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Charlie Chaplin, and Veronica Lake all bringing these hilarious tales to life. Iconic comedy duo Abbott and Costello uproariously faced off against iconic movie monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man, further cementing their status as comedy gold.
From marriage-phobic men finding love to a big-wig director going method for a movie, to Chaplin performing dual roles in a black comedy, anti-war masterpiece, the decade was jam-packed full of iconic comedy pictures. Let’s take a peek at some of the best classic comedy movies of the 1940s.
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9 The Philadelphia Story
MGM
Katharine Hepburn is a socialite caught in a messy love triangle in the 1940 romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story, in which the legendary actress stars as Tracy Lord, a wealthy young woman whose impending nuptials become far more complicated with the arrival of her dashing ex-husband (Cary Grant) and a gossip magazine reporter (an excellent James Stewart).
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Hepburn’s character was based on the life and antics of famed Philadelphia socialite Helen Hope Montgomery Scott, and the amusing flick went on to win two Academy Awards including Best Actor for Stewart. The beloved picture remains a knockout example of the rom-com genre and further propelled the careers of its dazzling lead actors.
8 Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Universal Studios
Legendary comedy dream team Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are back at their wild hijinks yet again in the 1948 horror farce Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, with the hilarious duo not only crossing paths with the titular creature but also Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.).
Costello’s Wilbur Grey drew the short end of the stick when he becomes the target of the villainous Dracula, who believes he possesses the ideal brain to transplant into the Frankenstein’s monster. The exciting comedy went on to become a critical and commercial hit, and inspired the famous pair to meet more monsters in future flicks including the Mummy and the Invisible Man.
7 His Girl Friday
Columbia Pictures
Howard Hawks directed the 1940 screwball comedy His Girl Friday, which stars Cary Grant as a powerful newspaper editor who upon hearing the news his ex-wife and best reporter (Rosalind Russell) is set to remarry, devises a scheme to distract the savvy woman from her nuptials with a juicy story involving a convicted murderer.
Hawks encouraged his lead stars to improvise and embrace being spontaneous on screen, resulting in moments where the fourth wall is broken; the picture became known for its rapid-fire dialogue and playful comedy that was lauded by critics. His Girl Friday is widely regarded as the standard for the screwball comedy genre and had a profound effect on Hollywood cinema.
6 The Great Dictator
United Artists
Iconic cinema star and worldwide sensation Charlie Chaplin delivered one of the finest performances of his career in the 1940 anti-war satire black comedy The Great Dictator, with the performer pulling double duty as both a war veteran/Jewish barber as well as a brutal fascist dictator hellbent on spreading his anti-Semitic beliefs. Chaplin wrote, directed, produced and starred in the Oscar-nominated film, which critics have deemed as historically significant and one of the greatest comedies ever created. Chaplin felt compelled to make The Great Dictator in order to address the repression of the Jews in the ’30s and the deepening violence inflicted by the Nazis.
5 Sullivan’s Travels
Paramount Pictures
Silver screen siren Veronica Lake appears alongside Joel McCrea in the 1941 comedy Sullivan’s Travels, centering on the eponymous Hollywood director as he embraces a method approach to filmmaking in order to helm a dramatic masterpiece. John L. Sullivan decides to spend time on the streets as a bum to better understand what the downtrodden face, meeting a beautiful struggling actress (Lake) along the way. Sullivan’s Travels has gone on to become a celebrated comedy classic and has been described as “one of the finest movies about movies ever made;” it currently holds a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and remains a knockout picture featuring leading lady Lake.
4 To Be or Not to Be
United Artists
Carole Lombard and Jack Benny are married theater trope members stuck in a Nazi-occupied Warsaw in 1942’s To Be or Not to Be, following the couple as they attempt to disguise themselves via their acting skills and figure out if there is a Nazi spy among them. The Oscar-nominated farce premiered to positive praise with appreciation going towards Lombard and Benny’s amusing performances as well as its scathing commentary on the Nazi regime, though moviegoers were initially uneasy due to the film’s heavy subject matter. In recent years, To Be or Not to Be has been recognized as a prominent classic comedy with immense cultural significance, going on to inspire both stage and film remakes.
3 Arsenic and Old Lace
Warner Bros.
Debonair leading man Cary Grant portrays a marriage-phobic writer who finds himself ironically falling for the girl-next-door in the 1944 black comedy Arsenic and Old Lace, chronicling the man’s romance and eventual nuptials to his beautiful neighbor despite his initial reservations.
When the happy lovebirds return to tell their loved ones the good news and visit his family home, the pair begin to question whether or not his seemingly sweet aunts are actually chronic murderers after discovering a hidden corpse. The picture is based on the popular Joseph Kesselring play of the same name and was a smash hit with audiences, with fans loving Grant’s performance and the uproarious comedy chaos.
2 Ball of Fire
RKO Radio Pictures
Chronicling a brilliant group of encyclopedia writers’ efforts to understand modern American slang, Howard Hawks’ 1941 screwball comedy Ball of Fire stars Gary Cooper as grammarian professor Betram Potts as he becomes infatuated by the sultry nightclub singer Katherine “Sugarpuss” O’Shea (Barabra Stanwyck) and her colorful vocabulary, taking the snarky singer as she hides out from her mob boyfriend. Ball of Fire earned five Oscar nominations and the sensational chemistry between Cooper and Stanwyck was praised by critics in addition to its sharp script and clever humor.
1 The Shop Around the Corner
Loew's Inc.
James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan are two at-odds employees at a Budapest leathergoods shop who unbeknownst to them are actually falling in love via anonymous letters in 1940’s The Shop Around the Corner, in which the delightful performers are each other’s respective secret pen pals. Though the pair clash every chance they get, they have more in common than they realize and are hilariously smitten with one another without knowing it. The plot of the successful comedy went on to be the basis for the ’90s Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan staple You’ve Got Mail, and is widely regarded as a masterpiece of its genre.
