26)Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator
Chaplin plays Hitler and a Jewish Barber in this film, and there’s never been a performance like it. With absolutely no words he is both hilarious and tragic. A multi layered performance.
Trivia: The German spoken by the dictator is complete nonsense. The language in which the shop signs, posters, etc in the "Jewish" quarter are written is Esperanto, a language created in 1887 by Dr L.L. Zamenhof, a Polish Jew.
27) Olympia Dukakis in Moonstruck
Completely Italian in every single way. Her gestures, her voice, her attitude. Impeccable. Her scene at the kitchen table when Cher comes in late from a date one night is positively brilliant. Dukakis is the Queen of character, and she’s particularly funny here. Oscar worthy, no question.
Trivia: This is more about the movie than Dukakis, but it’s related to her in a way: Director Norman Jewison was fined by the actors' union for not allowing his actors to go to lunch until they perfected the moods of their characters for the climax scene in the kitchen.
28) Dianne Weist in Bullets Over Broadway
Weist was on a roll for a while, and then she kind of vanished. Luckily we have one the finest character creations of a fading Broadway Diva captured on film thanks to this talented woman. Her voice and her gestures are over the top, but they’re completely justified. She is a pariah and a pitiful child. Unsettling and outrageously brilliant.
Trivia: Dianne said that she initially had trouble playing Helen Sinclair. She said she really struggled saying her character's signature line. She then decided to lower her voice when she said the line "Don't Speak" and that made all the difference. The lower she said it, the funnier it became.
29) Christopher Guest in Waiting For Guffman
I can’t say enough about this film, or this actor. I am one of IT’S biggest fans, and one of Guest’s strongest supporters. Guest’s whole life seems to revolve around making interesting, thought provoking, fascinating social commentary in a way that’s unlike any other filmmaker. And here, as the effervescent Corky, he is at his unique, sincere, unparalleled best. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I don’t know why he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar for this performance.
Trivia: I love this movie so much, I decided to do some bullet points here. Trivia a-go-go (For Kara):
*When demonstrating his "cockney accent", Christopher Guest quotes a song from This Is Spinal Tap (1984) ("Don't want to live in this 'ell 'ole"), which Guest starred in.
*Much of the dialogue was ad-libbed.
*In "Red, White and Blaine", Dr. Allan Pearl's Martian costume bears the roman numeral XI (11), a reference to the famous amplifier scene from another of Christopher Guest's films, This Is Spinal Tap (1984).
*Writer/director Christopher Guest spent a year and a half editing almost 60 hours of footage with editor Andy Blumenthal to come up with the final cut for the film.
*The musical auditions were the actors' very first public performances of their respective audition pieces.
*The only parts that were actually scripted by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy were the lines in the musical "Red, White and Blaine.
*One of the collectible figures in Corky's shop at the end of the movie is Cliff Arquette in his Charley Weaver outfit. Cliff's son, Lewis Arquette, played Clifford Wooley, the narrator.
*The title is a reference to the Samuel Beckett play, "Waiting For Godot".
*A musical number from "Red White and Blain" was cut, telling the tale of the great flood. The tune of this song is still in the show's overture.
*Don Lake was originally cast as the principal of the high school who had problems with the rehearsals taking up basketball team's floor. When the character was ultimately cut from the story, Lake was re-cast as the town historian. However, all the footage of him during the performance of "Red, White and Blaine", including his intermission interview, is of him as the principal.
*In an first cut of the film, the musical alone ran forty minutes.
*In the original script outline, a tornado destroyed the theater before the cast ever got to perform the show.
*In an early script outline, Corky and Steve Stark end up living together in New York.
30) Michael Palin in Fish Called Wanda
A name that since “Spamalot” has grown with recognition, but before then only a privileged few understood immediately. In “Wanda” as the stuttering, bumbling thief in a trio of misfits, Palin is weak, and monumental at the same time. His scene with the equally brilliant John Cleese as he’s getting untied from the chair is drop dead funny.
Trivia: This has nothing to do with Michael, but I thought it was interesting anyway: John Cleese’s character in the film is named Archie Leach. This is the real name of a very famous Hollywood Star (who also happens to be on this list). Can you name him?
31) Groucho Marx in Duck Soup
Groucho Mark usually gets the short end of the stick when speaking about The Marx Brothers. All of them were comic geniuses, but Groucho is the only one who had lasting celebraty. In “Duck Soup”. Freedonia is in trouble, and guess who comes to save the day????? Groucho at his sarcastic, impudent best.
Trivia: Groucho offered the following explanation for the movie's title: "Take two turkeys, one goose, four cabbages, but no duck, and mix them together. After one taste, you'll duck soup the rest of your life."
32) Kevin Kline in In And Out
I love Kline here. I think he’s hit it right on the head. As a stuffy, snooty Barbra Steisand loving English Professor who’s stuck in the closet, Kline could have chosen to flame away and hit all the wrong buttons. Instead he’s funny without delving into caricature. The kiss with he and Tom Selleck as Debbie Reynolds is driving up, is worth renting this film. Well, that and the disco dance Kline does in his Levis.
Trivia: Selleck said the actual kiss took more than 10 takes. “It wasn’t that bad actually, I just wish Kevin wasn’t so dominant.”
33) Jim Carrey in Pet Detective
Okay, so I’m a 13 year old moron, I don’t care. I happen to think Carrey is a wonderful actor, and within the next couple of years, he’s going to do some stuff that’ll amaze Hollywood. In the mean time, I LOVE wacky, rubber faced, wacked-out Jim. I think he’s the physical comedienne of this century. As a Detective whose love for pets has driven him to protect them under the law at any cost, Carrey is bouncing off the walls, spouting out minute-by-minute sayings: “LLLooser!”, “Alllllrighty then!”, and is as funny as any physical comedienne of this generation. Not the greatest film, but a hilarious performance, and the one that made him a star.
Trivia: A note, found in Lt. Einhorn's desk, is dated January 17, which is Jim Carrey’s birthday.
34) Peter Sellers in Dr Strangelove
Peter Sellers can do anything. He can play anyone, and absolutely do anything. In Strangelove he’s a million different people all believable, all completely unique, and all utterly hilarious. A fantastic movie and a bravura performance.
Trivia: Sellers based Dr. Strangelove's strangled accent on the voice of Weegee, the famous German-born crime photographer of the 1950s whose name was given by New York police due to his uncanny ability to show up at murder scenes before they did. Sellers heard Weegee talking during an on-set visit and adopted his strange German accent for the title character.
35) Bill Murray in Cadyshack
The gopher, the golf, the water hose, and Murray. A sophomoric comedy, but a brilliant performance. I love Bill Murray, always have. Although he’s grown away recently from the in your face humor of his past, this remains one of my favorite mangled Murray shticks. I love the curled lip. Nothin’ better.
Trivia: No surprise, coming from Bill’s backround as an improviser, but the entire “Cinderella” sequence was completely improvised. They simply turned on the camera, and let Murray go.
36) Terry Garr in Tootsie
I think Terry Garr needs an award of some kind. Something for all the great supporting characters she’s created in the last 30 years. Competing with Jessica Lange for screen time is any actresses nightmare, but Garr is fine. She’s completely neurotic, completely unhinged, and is ravaged with every actress-y insecurity in the book. It’s a wonderful mirror for any woman in the arts.
Trivia: The “I’m responsible for my own orgasm” speech was written by Garr herself.
37) John Geilgud in Arthur
I’ve put this man, and this particular performance, on numerous lists of mine, and for good reason. It’s unmatched. Gielgud is sardonic and bitter, but there’s moments of glorious rebirth in this role. I also have to say, he dies with true dignity. An Oscar for him here, and deservedly so.
Trivia: Sir John was not a Liza fan when the shoot began. He was very worried about her reputation. After the first week of shooting, he sent her a box of violets (her favorite) with a card that read: “I’m so terribly sorry for what I was thinking. Love, John.”
38) Diane Keaton Annie Hall
She started a fashion trend, and she brought her unique brand of off beat, stammering honesty to a complicated, extremely funny role as Annie. Keaton has a well of emotion at her disposal, and I’ve never seen anyone actress so acsessable. Lah-dee-dah. La-dee-dah.
Trivia: Costumes were furnished by Diane Keaton’s closet.
39) Jonathon Winters in it’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
One of the late, great last ensemble driven comedies left. Winter’s occasional appearances in this film are the last of the few record we have of him on the big screen being Jonathon Winters.
I’ve been a fan of Jonathon Winters since his landmark TV show n the 60’s when he’d stick himself in an attic with tons of props and wander around improvising. A genius. There’d be no Robin Williams without Jonathon Winters.
Trivia: I have no trivia for the actual film, but Winters himself was an accomplished painter, and spent time in a mental institutions twice. Both times, he was there voluntarily.
40) Nathan Lane in Birdcage
I’m not particularly fond of this movie, but each performance is really worthy of this list. Robin Williams is out of control and hilarious, Weist is quietly brilliant, Hackman is….well, Hackman, and delicious Hank Azaris (falling and fainting on command) and then there’s Nathan Lane. Again, as with Tootsie, this is more than just “isn’t that funny? See? That guy’s wearing a dress and everything.” Lane BECOMES his character. There’s a change of heart from man to woman, and for a moment. We are sucked into his illussion. It makes it all that much funnier.
Trivia: Nathan Lane is quoted as saying: “If I never do another movie again, I’ll never have had this much fun.” He is currently shooting the fim version of The Producers which won him the Tony for Best Actor.
41) Woody Allen in Sleeper
Politics and strange behavior aside, when Allen was younger his films had a wacky, genuinely funny edge to them that I really loved. His performance in Sleeper is all but classic. The Happy Ball, The Sex Machoine, and operating table with The Nose. Allen is at his neurotic, highly energized best here.
Trivia: Woody and Diane (Keaton) were just beginning their tumultuous affair during the filming of Sleeper. You can see it in their scenes.
42) Chevy Chase in National Lampoon’s Vacation
He’s Chevy Chase. And you’re not. Chase has some wonderful comedic work behind him, but this I feel, is his best. As the Dad on a mission, he plays the ultimate Everyman bungler with relish. He is charming and endearing, and has such a frim grasp on who he is here, you never feel as though he’s guessing.
Trivia: The “sandwich” moment when Christie Brinkley is watching poor disillusioned dad was Chevy’s idea. The Sandwich Slapping is brilliant.
43) Mae West in My Little Chickadee
West was one of the first truly funny women. She was also the first to KNOW she was funny, and know WHY she was funny. In Chickadee she’s one lining it, and zinging it with one of the best, W.C.Fields. The two of them together are pure dynamite. She even mocks her famous “Come up and see me…” line. Mae, hip swinging, drawling, and winking all the way to the bank.
Trivia: Mae West was not thrilled about working with Fields. Contrary to her image, West never drank,. never smoked, and never had anonymous sex. She considered those major flaws. She insisted she read the script before they begin filming. When the script was returned to the director, every single one of West’s lines had been re written…by Mae herself.
44) Sean Penn in Fast Times At Ridgemont High
I know about the fim, and I don’t apologize for the fact that I think it’s funny. The pizza ordering scene? Please. Penn, unkown at the time, was pegged as just another wacked out teen actor, but when the movie first ran, there were a scattered few critics who praised his performance. Sean hitting himself in the head with his shoe is worth the price of admission.
Trivia: I have nothing on Penn himself, but there is a beautiful woman who pulls up in a corvette next to Hamilton as he is dressed as the Pirate. She’s a famous singer for a famous rock band and she went on to marry Cameron Crowe. Can you name her?
45) Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin
I’m a huge fan of Goldie Hawn’s, always have been. In “Benjamin” she’s flighty, airy, and ethereal. Being taken care of her entire life and never having to make a decision, she’s thrust into the military (with the comic genius Eileen Brennan). It’s here where Goldie shines, and bounces off Brennan like a rubber ball. An Oscar nominated performance.
Trivia: Along with starring, Hawn was also executive producer on this film.
46) Danny Kaye in The Court Jester
There’s no one like Kaye. He’s got a charm and a grace in his comedy that’s never been equaled. In “Court Jester” (one of his best) he’s in old England and vying for the hand of a beautiful Maiden and impersonating a King. Kaye gets a chance to sing, dance, and do that 90 word a minute patter song he’s so brilliant at. A very, very funny film done beautifully by a legend of comedy. Co starring Angela Landsbury and a hilarious performance by Mildred Natwick.
Trivia: The verse “Vessel with the Pessel” was almost cut from the film. Kaye and Natwick barely made it through the entire alliteration without falling all over each other in hysterics.
47) Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny
When Tomei finally gets her chance at the witness stand with character great Fred Gwynne, we’ve invested so much into her angry, volcanic portrayal of Mona Lisa, that her speech becomes the focal point of the movie. She is the comedic heart and soul of this film that otherwise could have been a mere trip down stereotype lane. An supporting actress Oscar for her. Deserved.
Trivia: Mona Lisa was taken from a real life person, Marrissa’s cousin.
48) Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire
Yet another guy in a dress….but still. Williams is hilarious here. His manic afflictions (which can either be really endearing, or really annoying) are toned down a bit. As Mrs. Doubtfire, he is subtly and stealthily fooling everyone around him into thinking he’s a Scottish (?) housekeeper. His antics in the kitchen and in the restaurant with a poor unsuspecting Peirce Brosnan (nice work from him) are brilliantly funny. And the there’s the Babs impersonation. Very funny, interesting role for him.
Trivia: Robin Williams himself asked for Harvey Fierstein to play his fabulously Gay brother.
49) Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost
Her only Oscar (so far) is richly deserved. Otherwise a sappy love story (although I AM a sucker for it) Goldberg brings her unique brand of humor to an otherwise dull role. Her possesion by Patrick Swayze is nothing but unbelievable.
Trivia: Whoopie said she kept picking up Bette Midler’s hand me downs. Not only was this role written for Midler, but also “Sister Act” as well. When they met at a Golden Globes event a few years back, Whoopie was quoted as saying: “My career thanks your crappy decisions, Bette.”
50) Bette Midler in Ruthless People
And speaking of Midler……she’s always been one of my favorite actresses. From “The Rose” to “Down and Out In Beverly Hills” she’s never anything but hilarious. She’s a dumpy rich haus frau and then through a series of misfortunes, transforms herself into Super Diva. She’s manic, repressed, and utterly entertaining. There’s a charm about Midler here. Nobody does vengeful like Ole Red Head.
Trivia: Bette has one of the best reputations in Hollywood. People describe working with her like no one I’ve ever heard of before. There’s never been one bad word said or written about her. Not one. That says something.