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AFI To Now Choose Funniest U.S.
Films
It has picked the 100 best movies and the 50 greatest stars, and now
it is looking for a laugh. So the American Film Institute (AFI) has decided
to choose the 100 funniest films of all time -- provided, of course, they
are in English, and either American-made or American-financed.
The Institute, which is dedicated to film history and preservation, said that it had asked 1,800 leaders in the film community, including critics, studio executives and historians, to vote for the 100 best American film comedies from 1914 to 1998. Voters were sent a list of 500 films, ranging alphabetically from Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein to Zelig. The results will be tabulated by December, but kept secret until June 2000, when CBS will broadcast a three-hour television special on the 100 funniest films.
2000 will be the third consecutive year with a television special from AFI on great films or filmmakers. In 1998, the group presented the 100 best films, led by Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, and this year it picked the 50 greatest stars, led by Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Institute Director Jean Firstenberg said the projects to name the top films and stars had "struck a chord with the public." He said, "Americans are passionate about which movies they love best, and this series allows people to revisit old favorites or find new ones."
The earliest films on the ballot are from 1914: two Mack Sennett films, Tillie’s Punctured Romance and A Florida Enchantment. The latest is a batch from 1998, including The Waterboy, There’s Something About Mary, and Shakespeare In Love.
Cary Grant is the most represented actor on the list, with 17 films, followed by Jack Lemmon, 14; Woody Allen, 12; Buster Keaton, 11; and Peter Sellers, nine.
Myrna Loy is the most represented actress, with 10 films, followed by Shirley MacLaine, nine; Katharine Hepburn and Margaret Dumont, eight each; and Marilyn Monroe and Jean Arthur, seven each.
Billy Wilder, George Cukor and Woody Allen are tied for the most credited director, with 11 films each. But Wilder wins hands down as the most credited writer, with 15 films.
Compiled By Salma
Khatib