Classic Comedies Endings
The final scene is to a comedy what the punch line is to the joke, without it, it's like the whole comedic purpose built up from the start, falling apart, or worse: falling flat.
This is not to say that all great comedies culminate at the ending, some romantic comedies have a rather conventional closing scene, other can be surprisingly emotional or bittersweet, but it's precisely on these memorable endings, regardless of their effects, that some classic comedies have a special spot in our heart and our memories.
So, which of these classic comedies has the most memorable ending?
After voting,
you may discuss the list here
This is not to say that all great comedies culminate at the ending, some romantic comedies have a rather conventional closing scene, other can be surprisingly emotional or bittersweet, but it's precisely on these memorable endings, regardless of their effects, that some classic comedies have a special spot in our heart and our memories.
So, which of these classic comedies has the most memorable ending?
After voting,
you may discuss the list here
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- DirectorBilly WilderStarsMarilyn MonroeTony CurtisJack LemmonAfter two male musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.The PERGET punch line, ending the film with a great interrogation mark and a no less great smile in our face : "I'm a man!" "Well, nobody's perfect !"
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsGroucho MarxHarpo MarxChico MarxRufus T. Firefly is named the dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of his wealthy backer Mrs. Teasdale, contending with two inept spies who can't seem to keep straight which side they're on.Subversive, absurd and ... fruity : "Hail Hail Freedonia hooooome..." and poor Margaret Dumont gets what was coming to her.
- 19641h 35mPG8.4 (519K)97MetascoreDirectorStanley KubrickStarsPeter SellersGeorge C. ScottSterling HaydenAn unhinged American general orders a bombing attack on the Soviet Union, triggering a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.Dark, sinister and hilariously nonsensical : "Mein Fuerher! I can walk!"...
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinVirginia CherrillFlorence LeeWith the aid of a wealthy erratic tippler, a dewy-eyed tramp who has fallen in love with a sightless flower girl accumulates money to be able to help her medically.Sweet, romantic and inspirational : "Yes, I can see now" ... not to mention Chaplin's unforgettable smile.
- DirectorTerry GilliamTerry JonesStarsGraham ChapmanJohn CleeseEric IdleKing Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.Anti-climactic, shocking to a 'Holy ****' level : British Police rounding up the medieval suspects.
- DirectorStanley KramerStarsSpencer TracyMilton BerleEthel MermanA group of motorists witnesses a car crash in the California desert, and after the driver's dying words indicate the location of a hidden stash of loot, they turn against each in a race across the state to get to it.Collective and contagious laughter from all the los... the protagonists : the hospital scene.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonGeorges AdetIn czarist Russia, a neurotic soldier and his distant cousin formulate a plot to assassinate Napoleon.Surrealistic, tragicomic and ultimately poetic : Woody Allen, Death and the Great Prokofiev.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsNicolas CageHolly HunterTrey WilsonWhen a childless couple--an ex-con and an ex-cop--decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintuplets, their lives become more complicated than they anticipated.A vision of peace, hope and Family belonging to another story : "Maybe it was Utah"
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinPaulette GoddardHenry BergmanThe Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman.Happy ending, optimistic and heart-warming : The Gamin following the Tramp's "Smile!" advice and both walking into the sunset for a brighter future.
- DirectorTerry JonesStarsGraham ChapmanJohn CleeseMichael PalinBorn on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.There's no place for sadness, just cheer up, you know what they say : "Always look on the bright side of life !"
- DirectorHal AshbyStarsPeter SellersShirley MacLaineMelvyn DouglasAfter the death of his employer forces him out of the only home he's ever known, a simpleminded, sheltered gardener becomes an unlikely trusted advisor to a powerful tycoon and an insider in Washington politics.Poignant, mind-blowing and insightful : Chance's last walk and a fitting farewell from Peter Sellers.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsDustin HoffmanAnne BancroftKatharine RossA disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.She didn't get married and ... they lived happily after ... or did they? : "Hello darkness my old friend ..."
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenJanet MargolinMarcel HillaireThe life and times of Virgil Starkwell, inept bank robber.Unexpected interview's interruption, thrilling in an odd way : "You know if it's raining out?"
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsCleavon LittleGene WilderSlim PickensIn order to ruin a western town, a corrupt politician appoints a black Sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.What did you expect from a parody, a serious ending? To go 'nowhere special', forget the horses and get in the car!
- DirectorJim AbrahamsDavid ZuckerJerry ZuckerStarsRobert HaysJulie HagertyLeslie NielsenAfter the crew becomes sick with food poisoning, a neurotic ex-fighter pilot must safely land a commercial airplane full of passengers.All is well that ends well : even the brave Otto found himself a fitting co-pilot, making an unforgettable wink to the audience.
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinPaulette GoddardJack OakieDictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.The only serious ending of all : But who can overlook the prophetic aspect of Chaplin's final speech, before the world would live one of its darkest period?
- DirectorDavid ZuckerStarsLeslie NielsenPriscilla PresleyO.J. SimpsonIncompetent police Detective Frank Drebin must foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.Watch your step : Nordberg is back from the hospital ... not for long.
- DirectorPeter FarrellyBobby FarrellyStarsJim CarreyJeff DanielsLauren HollyAfter a woman leaves a briefcase at the airport terminal, a dumb limo driver and his dumber friend set out on a hilarious cross-country road trip to Aspen to return it.Could it be any dumber? "You'll have to excuse my friend. He's a little slow. The town is back *that* way." Ararrrgh, how can you let the 'Bikini Bus' go ??? (Suggested by borimor)
- DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsTommy Lee JonesWill SmithLinda FiorentinoJames, an NYC cop, is hired by Agent K of a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth. Together, they must recover an item that has been stolen by an intergalactic villain.It's funny... and it makes you think: The film already taught us we were not alone but THAT ending ... a great lesson of humility!
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsKatharine HepburnCary GrantCharles RugglesWhile trying to secure a $1 million donation for his museum, a befuddled paleontologist is pursued by a flighty and often irritating heiress and her pet leopard, Baby.It all falls apart ... for laughs, but it's all forgiven ... for love! (Suggested by horn-5)
- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsBarbra StreisandRyan O'NealMadeline KahnThe accidental mix-up of four identical plaid overnight bags leads to a series of increasingly wild and wacky situations.Talk about self-derision and this ain't even from a Woody Allen' movie :"Love means never having to say you're sorry" "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard" (Suggested by dan dassow)
- DirectorAnthony AsquithStarsMichael RedgraveRichard WattisMichael DenisonWhen Algernon discovers that his friend, Ernest, has created a fictional brother for whenever he needs a reason to escape dull country life, Algernon poses as the brother, resulting in ever increasing confusion.Where it all comes down to... well... the importance of being called Ernest. It's comedy at its best. Oscar Wilde, no less. (Suggested by cocoken)