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Comedy Genius
Celebrating side-splitting film and TV, from slapstick legends to today's anarchic voices.
Fooling about became a fine art through the early decades of cinema, but comedy genius is too often under-recognised.
It’s the gift of perfect timing, an expertly executed sight-gag, a zinging wise-crack, a giddy rush of manic energy. Whether perfectly choreographed, brutally raw, or conjured out of improvisation and collaboration, the best comedy is ultimately disruptive.
It punctures pomposity, and blows a raspberry at social convention: the proto-feminist whiplash of screwball wit, the rambunctious working-class revolt of Carry On, the purposeful anarchy of alternative comedy.
Our three online collections (Rentals, Subscription, Free) celebrate the changing face of what – and who – we find funny.
The Perfect WomanThe Perfect Woman
Comedy194987 mins
In a bid to improve on nature, a scientist creates a robot female. But the experiment doesn't quite turn out as planned...
Le PetomaneLe Petomane
Comedy197933 mins
The immortal Leonard Rossiter makes flatulence a fine art in this short, poignant comedy-drama from Hancock writers Galton and Simpson
Tilly and the Fire EnginesTilly and the Fire Engines
Comedy19112 minsSilent
Mischievous sisters Tilly and Sally borrow a fire engine and take it for a joy ride in this spirited film comedy.
Something Completely DifferentSomething Completely Different
19744 minsSilent Location: Doune
Join John Cleese and the cast of Monty Python and the Holy Grail on location in Scotland
Arthur? Arthur!Arthur? Arthur!
Comedy1969101 mins Location: Camden
A hen-pecked inventor plots murder while he leads a bizarre double life as a bewigged playboy who runs a dating agency
MirandaMiranda
Comedy194880 mins
A man goes fishing and comes home with a most unusual catch in this comedy feature.
Is This a Record?Is This a Record?
Animation & Artists Moving Image197322 mins
Pythons join Frank Muir, Connie Booth and Willie Rushton celebrating the Guinness Book of Records.
Shooting StarsShooting Stars
Comedy193732 mins
Black music hall stars Scott and Whaley perform stereotypical minstrel routines in blackface in this 1937 touring revue.
Morecambe and Wise - Be Wise Don't Drink and Drive Morecambe and Wise - Be Wise Don't Drink and Drive
Public Information Filler19631 mins
Ernie tells Eric to ‘be wise’ and not drive home after their Christmas party
A Couple of BeautiesA Couple of Beauties
Comedy197229 mins
Innuendo-laden crime caper, a star vehicle for Manchester-based drag queen Bunny Lewis
It All Goes to ShowIt All Goes to Show
Comedy197027 mins Location: Margate
Arthur Lowe is hilarious as a hen-pecked husband in this cheeky seaside-set comedy, shot in Margate.
AfterlifeAfterlife
Comedy201510 mins
After Martin Stevens is killed in a car accident he finds himself in a waiting room, pending judgement.
The Happy FamilyThe Happy Family
Comedy195282 mins
A defiant London family fights valiantly to retain their South Bank home in this cheerful comedy set around 1951's Festival of Britain.
Britannia of BillingsgateBritannia of Billingsgate
Comedy193378 mins Location: Southwark Park
A star is born in this effervescent musical comedy that moves between Billingsgate Fish Market and the glamour of the film world.
No Monkey BusinessNo Monkey Business
Comedy193678 mins
A man goes ape when his boss' performing monkey is impounded by creditors.
Charlie Drake tees offCharlie Drake tees off
Comedy19621 minsSilent Location: Devon
Drake muses on why he carries two pairs of trousers - just in case he has a hole in one.
Roy Hudd in TorquayRoy Hudd in Torquay
Comedy19664 mins Location: Torquay
Roy Hudd plays to a sell-out Princess Theatre.
Terry-Thomas returns to the stageTerry-Thomas returns to the stage
Comedy19724 mins Location: Torquay
Terry-Thomas talks effusively in this interview about his return to the stage.
Arthur Askey on How to Become a Dentist Lesson 1. How to PullArthur Askey on How to Become a Dentist Lesson 1. How to Pull
Advert19472 mins
Big-hearted Arthur Askey gets to grips with dentistry in this silly little advert for Gibbs SR toothpaste.
Billy Burden Local YokelBilly Burden Local Yokel
Comedy197912 mins Location: Torquay
Local yokel comedian who delivered dialect and dialogue wherever he went.
Bob Hope in PlymouthBob Hope in Plymouth
Comedy19621 mins Location: Plymouth
Bob Hope disembarks the Queen Elizabeth II in Plymouth.
Turn-Up for TonyTurn-Up for Tony
Comedy196829 mins Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
A Tyne Tees Television comedy romance is a forgotten gem from a 1960s decade of radical urban change in Newcastle.
The Over-amorous ArtistThe Over-amorous Artist
Sex comedy197445 mins Location: Walton on the Hill
Sample smutty suburban hijinks of an ultra-low budget kind in this shamelessly seedy 1970s sex comedy
The Inn Way OutThe Inn Way Out
196730 mins
A man encounters all sorts of strange places and people when he goes out for cigarettes
The BoatThe Boat
Comedy197522 mins Location: Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve
Scots comedian Chic Murray stars in this gentle comedy short about a man who inherits his uncle’s boat
CluckCluck
Comedy199811 mins Location: Belfast
Black comedy about a teenage idealist who builds a bomb, hijacks a lorry and sets off on a most peculiar mission.
B-DayB-Day
Amateur film19653 minsSilent
An experience many of us will be able to relate to, though there wouldn’t have been someone around to film the comic consequences.
Bless 'em AllBless 'em All
Comedy194871 mins
AWOL for more than half a century, but now back on parade, this cheery army comedy is a showcase for variety star Hal Monty and a young Max Bygraves.
Green Grow the RushesGreen Grow the Rushes
Comedy195178 mins Location: New Romney
Brandy-smuggling locals resist government interference in this Ealing-esque comedy, filmed on Romney Marsh
FloatingFloating
Animation & Artists Moving Image199141 mins Location: Limehouse
Deliciously dark psychodrama about a Docklands bus driver who turns his family home into a second Noah's ark.
The Missing LinkThe Missing Link
Comedy19172 minsSilent
British comic Lupino Lane stars in this surviving fragment from one of his earliest films, a slapstick school romp
The DummyThe Dummy
Comedy191619 minsSilent
Lupino Lane comedy filmed in London before he became a Hollywood legend
A La CarteA La Carte
Amateur film19659 mins Location: Colchester
Messy slapstick comedy featuring an ineptitude waiter, presented by Colchester Cine Club and starring an ensemble cast of club members.
Kate Plus TenKate Plus Ten
Comedy193880 mins
Laughs and thrills come thick and fast in this Edgar Wallace comedy-thriller with a hair-raising car versus train chase.
The Ghost TrainThe Ghost Train
Comedy193139 mins
Surviving footage of the first sound version of Arnold Ridley's famous railway station comedy thriller
Hobson's ChoiceHobson's Choice
Comedy192080 minsSilent
The first film adaptation of Harold Brighouse's Salford-set play, humorously depicting the travails of a dipsomaniac cobbler.
Sharps and FlatsSharps and Flats
Comedy191511 minsSilent
The Bamforth Company translate their saucy seaside postcard humour into film comedy.
Scottie and the FrogsScottie and the Frogs
Comedy19157 minsSilent
A mischievous youth causes havoc with his amphibian-assisted antics.
Pimple in the WhipPimple in the Whip
Comedy191722 minsSilent
Hilariously shambolic parody of an equestrian stage smash, by the prolific entertainer Pimple
Pimple Has OnePimple Has One
Comedy19156 minsSilent
The mischievous Pimple takes to the bottle in this entertaining comedy
Pimple's UnclePimple's Uncle
Comedy191514 minsSilent
This daft comedy stars funny-duo Fred and Joe Evans in a battle to secure an inheritance from an insane uncle.
Wife the Weaker VesselWife the Weaker Vessel
Comedy191510 minsSilent
A henpecked husband plots revenge on his boastful bachelor friend by marrying him to a seemingly meek girl who turns out to be anything but.
A Seaside IntroductionA Seaside Introduction
Comedy19114 minsSilent Location: Brighton
A beach flirtation gets complicated when a thief makes off with a woman's shoes in this fun comedy
I Do Like to Be Where the Girls AreI Do Like to Be Where the Girls Are
19123 mins
A jaunty song with a pantomime air is matched to its original audio recording in this Vivaphone film from Cecil Hepworth.
Tilly's PartyTilly's Party
Comedy19117 minsSilent
Irrepressible sister act Tilly and Sally throw a party - of sorts - in this chaotic comedy caper.
Tilly the Tomboy Visits the PoorTilly the Tomboy Visits the Poor
Comedy19106 minsSilent
Tilly and her sister Sally cause chaos when they visit an elderly, bedridden neighbour
A Seaside GirlA Seaside Girl
Comedy19075 minsSilent Location: Bognor Regis
At the seaside, a young Edwardian lady is pursued by three suitors, but which one will win her hand?
Mike Murphy As Picture ActorMike Murphy As Picture Actor
Comedy19146 minsSilent
Cut! An aspiring thespian runs amok on a film set in this slapstick silent comedy.
Tubby's Rest CureTubby's Rest Cure
Comedy191615 minsSilent
WWI conscription has whisked away all the young men, leaving the girls so man-hungry that even Tubby looks attractive!
Tubby's TypewriterTubby's Typewriter
Comedy191611 minsSilent
Newlywed Tubby fancies another man's typewriter and ends up in hot water with his new wife
Old Maid's ValentineOld Maid's Valentine
Comedy19001 minsSilent
Early comedy in which a cruel joke is played on an old maid
The Kiss in the TunnelThe Kiss in the Tunnel
Comedy18992 minsSilent
A snatched kiss in a railway tunnel, played by real-life married couple GA Smith and Laura Bayley
Two ClownsTwo Clowns
Interest film19062 minsSilent
A showcase for GA Smith’s patented Kinemacolor process, based around a suitably colourful subject
The Magic GlassThe Magic Glass
Comedy191412 minsSilent
An inventor develops a magnifying glass that can see though solid objects, but when he uses it on his family it proves more curse than boon...
The Mystic GloveThe Mystic Glove
Comedy19145 minsSilent
Bizarre comedy in which an overfed diner has a peculiar dream involving a spectre and magical gloves.
The Man Who Never Made GoodThe Man Who Never Made Good
Comedy19148 minsSilent Location: Croydon
A bungling bumpkin fails at a number of jobs in this slapstick comedy - before he finds his true calling.
Are We Down-hearted?Are We Down-hearted?
Musical19113 mins
Cecil Hepworth’s Vivaphone film features Hay Plumb singing George Robins’ optimistic 1906 ditty.
An Engagement of ConvenienceAn Engagement of Convenience
Comedy191416 minsSilent
Silent British star Alma Taylor finds love in this dramatic short, which packs forgery, blackmail and romance into its 15-minute running time.
PlaymatesPlaymates
Cinemagazine19222 minsSilent
Will Hay and M’lita Dolores play a pair of spoiled brats squabbling over a menagerie of mechanical toys.
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