The Writers Guild of America said that “Annie Hall” is the funniest script of all time, beating out other classics from Monty Python and National Lampoon, Variety reported. The oldest film to make the list was Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush, made in 1925.
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Close behind it at number two was the 1959 film “Some Like It Hot”, which stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as two musicians who dress as women to escape the Mob, and 1993’s “Groundhog Day”, which came in at number three and stars Bill Murray as a weatherman who finds himself living the same day over and over.
Still, the complete list is an excellent look into what kinds of movies and screenplays have endured the test of time, as well as what movies are considered “funny”. And then return to share what other scripts/films you think should’ve made the list.
Events honoring the screenwriters took place in Los Angeles and NY.
“Groundhog” is by far the newest film in the top 10 funniest screenplays as named by the WGA groups. The WGAW, in sponsorship with ArcLight Hollywood, held its celebration at one of Hollywood’s landmarks, the Cinerama Dome on Sunset Boulevard.
The films in the survey, which included screenplays spanning 86 years, was voted on by the members of both the Writers Guild of America, East and West, the two biggest unions representing writers of movies, television and new media.
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The list also shows how comedy has changed across the decades. Alexander Payne (Election, The Descendants) showed particular appreciation for Airplane! WGAW President Howard A. Rodman introduced the evening. The 2009 screenplay for “The Hangover” written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore was voted in at number 30. The live reading was produced and directed by Wayne Federman and Christopher Rose (Late Night Basement).
