Bringing Up Baby

 

Best comedy ever. 1938 RKO studio. How comedy should be done. There is no fat here. No boring parts, no unnecessary back story, nothing that goes on too long or is lacking changes of pace. No bathroom comedy or disparagement to any group is necessary. It is over 80 years old but is not dated. It definitely takes place in another time but there are no out of place cultural assumptions that make you wince. It is a study in how it should be done. Comedy is technique, timing, and stuff that is unexpected, contradictory or just weird. The performances are spot on. The dialogue is perfect. The action is non-stop but never tires the viewer.

Check it out.

And while you're at it don't miss "Some Like it Hot". a comedy classic by the fabulous  Billy Wilder. 1959 and again not dated. It's from another time (1959) about a still earlier time (the 1920s) but no cringe worthy dated actions or dialogue. It's got men in drag, gangsters, jazz music, sexual hijinks without being trashy or derogatory or at anyone's expense. And in the end you love who you love even if they are poor or the same sex as you are, and you sacrifice for them. It's fun, breezy, paced perfectly, no boring parts.