AFI Announces The 100 Funniest American Movies Of All Time.

SOME LIKE IT HOT SIZZLES AT #1

TOOTSIE, DR. STRANGELOVE, ANNIE HALL and DUCK SOUP Complete The Top Five Movies

LOS ANGELES, June 14, 2000 — The American Film Institute (AFI) announced the 100 funniest American films, as selected by a blue-ribbon panel of leaders from across the film community, last evening during a three-hour special television event. SOME LIKE IT HOT, the 1959 classic starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon which was written, directed and produced by Billy Wilder was ranked #1. Following SOME LIKE IT HOT in the top 10, in order, were: TOOTSIE (#2), DR. STRANGELOVE (#3), ANNIE HALL (#4), DUCK SOUP (#5), BLAZING SADDLES (#6), M*A*S*H (#7), IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (#8), THE GRADUATE (#9) and AIRPLANE! (#10).

Interesting facts about AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs include: Cary Grant is the most celebrated actor with eight films in the top 100; The Marx Brothers and Woody Allen star in five; Spencer Tracy, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Bill Murray each appear in four films. Katharine Hepburn and Margaret Dumont share the title of most represented actress in America's funniest movies, each with four films. Five Woody Allen films made the list, including the film ranked #4, ANNIE HALL, making him the most represented director; George Cukor, Charlie Chaplin and Preston Sturges all directed four films; Mel Brooks directed three films, all of which placed in the top 15. Woody Allen and Billy Wilder both wrote five films on the top 100 list. Four films, including both the #1 and #2 funniest films, involve cross-dressing — SOME LIKE IT HOT, TOOTSIE, MRS. DOUBTFIRE, and VICTOR/VICTORIA.

"Recognizing the subjective and historical nature of comedy, AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs salutes the films that have enriched America's film heritage," stated AFI's President Emerita Jean Picker Firstenberg. "Often overlooked for major film awards, it was time funny films had the last laugh. AFI hopes this list will continue to spark interest, dialogue and appreciation for this great American art form."

The special is AFI's third salute to the 100^th anniversary of American movies, following the first two critically-acclaimed network specials, AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies and AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, which sparked discussions of America's film history among millions across the nation.

A wide array of funny films — from slapstick comedy to romantic comedy; from satire and black comedy to musical comedy; from comedy of manners to comedy of errors — were nominated for this distinction.

AFI distributed a ballot with 500 nominated films to a jury of 1800 leaders from the film community, including film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, cinematographers, etc.), critics, historians and film executives. The jurors were asked to consider the following criteria while making their selections:

• Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format typically over 60 minutes in length;
• American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States;
• Funny: Regardless of genre, the total comedic impact of a film's elements that creates an experience greater than the sum of the smiles;
• Legacy: Laughs that echo across time, enriching America's film heritage and inspiring artists and audiences today.