The Writers Guild of America has named the script for Woody Allen’s 1977 film Annie Hall the funniest screenplay in Hollywood history.
Allen’s Oscar-winning comedy topped the organization’s list of the 101 funniest screenplays ever written. The list was released this week and encompasses a wide range of bona fide, side-splitting classics.
On the list, Allen’s script for Annie Hall was followed by the screenplay for director Billy Wilder’s 1959 film Some Like It Hot, which was penned by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond. That film famously cast Marilyn Monroe opposite Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis, and topped the American Film Institute’s 2000 list of the funniest films ever made.
Following Annie Hall and Some Like It Hot on the list was Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis’ script for the 1993 Bill Murray comedy Groundhog Day, then James Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker’s script for the 1980 classic Airplane!, and Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal’s script for the gender-bending 1985 film Tootsie.
Also ranked among the top ten funniest screenplays were the scripts for Young Frankenstein (1974), Dr. Strangelove (1964), Blazing Saddles (1974), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), and National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978).
It will likely come as no surprise to movie fans that projects involving scripts penned by comedy veterans Harold Ramis, Mel Brooks, and John Cleese made frequent appearances in the list. That trio — along with writing/directing duo Ethan and Joel Coen and celebrated ’80s filmmaker John Hughes — earned multiple mentions on the list, which covered a relatively wide range (and timeline) of films in the comedy genre.
Although quite a few of the films featured on the list didn’t receive any of the Academy Award recognition they might have deserved, the list-topping Annie Hall did win four Oscars, including awards for the year’s best film, best director (Allen), and best screenplay (again, Allen).
You can read the full list of films via The Hollywood Reporter.
