Comedies: A History

Comments (0) By Pat Rothblatt Thursday, Sep 2 2010

Cinema Paradiso (503 SE 6 Street, Fort Lauderdale) will host what can only be described as a survey course in the history of comedic movies for its “Comedy-A-Thon.” Except this won’t involve quizzes, papers, or homework -- it is Labor Day, after all. Even though school has started, our summer mindset won't quit. The event will feature 15 films from a 50-year time period screened over 24 hours, from noon to midnight Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday. Yes, you can watch them individually, but if you can make it through them all, you'll get a chance to win a Fast Pass, which allows you to attend all the films and parties at the 25th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (a $475 value).

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Films shown will include 1934’s proto-screwball comedy It Happened One Night (that supposedly brought down the undershirt industry when Clark Gable appeared sans one) to the '80s caper A Fish Called Wanda, which actually caused a Danish man named Ole Bentzen to laugh so hard that he had a heart attack and died. Among the others shown will be His Girl Friday, Dr. Strangelove, MASH, Manhattan, and This Is Spinal Tap.

Director/comedian Wil Shriner introduces each day with a montage of great comedy moments in film. His twin brother, actor Kin Shriner, will focus on the screwball comedies of the ’30s and ’40s. Admission for all films is $15, individual films $3. Visit fliff.com for times, or call 954-760-9898.
Sun., Sept. 5, 2010