The All Time BEST Comedy Duos

#1 Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder

RICHARD PRYOR AND GENE WILDER starred in the films Silver Streak, Stir Crazy (above) and See No Evil, Hear No Evil. A fourth film, Another You, was abandoned because of Pryor's drug problems. The pair had a great on-screen chemistry; asked how he kept a straight face during slapstick comedy scenes in which Pryor would ad-lib funny dialogue, Wilder said, "I wouldn't want to have ruined the scenes." Wilder, of course, was part of another great comedy double act in the Mel Brooks film The Producers. The interplay between Wilder and Zero Mostel (as Max Bialystock) was superb.

#2 The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers JOHN BELUSHI AND DAN AYKROYD made their debut as characters on Saturday Night Live in 1978 andwere turned into a brilliant film two years later directed by John Landis. Belushi died on March 5, 1982, of a drug overdose at the age of 33. Although they had one of the shortest partnerships of the duos in this gallery, it was also one of the most memorable. Thirty years on, Akyroyd said of the man he met while at working at Chicago's Second City comedy club: "What John leaves behind is his legacy of laughter and fun."

#3 Morecambe and Wise

MORECAMBE AND WISE ruled the TV airwaves in the Seventies. John Eric Bartholomew was the funny one and Ernie Wise the perfect example of a straight man. Morecambe first met comedian Ernie Wise (then Ernest Wiseman) in 1940. His standing joke was "More tea, Ern?" Morecambe's catchphrase was: "What do you think of it so far?" which was always followed by the audience response: "Rubbish!"

#4 Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau

JACK LEMMON AND WALTER MATTHAU appeared in 10 films together, ranging from the excellent The Front Page to duds such as Grumpier Old Men. They showed how well they worked together in the 1971 film Kotch, the only movie that Lemmon ever directed; Matthau was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his performance. Additionally, Lemmon and Matthau had small parts in Oliver Stone's 1991 film, JFK (the only film in which both appeared without sharing screen time). The highlight of their film career together, though, was the 1968 Neil Simon comedy The Odd Couple. Among the splendid dialogue is the following exchange:

Ocar Madison (Matthau): "Wait a minute, you're not going anywhere until you take it back!"

Felix Ungar: "Take what back?"

Oscar Madison: "'Let it be on your head.'" What the hell is that, the Curse of the Cat People?"

Lemmon, of course, would also have merited inclusion in the list for his work with Tony Curtis in the film Some Like it Hot.

#5 Peter Cook and Dudley Moore

PETER COOK AND DUDLEY MOORE were a good example of opposite personalities working as a duo: middle class against working class; deadpan against buffoonery; tall against short. They got together in Beyond The Fringe, when they were introduced by jazz musician John Bassett, and between 1973 and 1978, Derek (Moore) and Clive recorded three albums of unscripted comedy dialogue that were not only breathtakingly obscene but also strangely insightful and incredibly funny. They were a major force in establishing a completely new comedy era and their film Derek and Clive Get the Horn influenced the alternative comedians of the Eighties. The pair were also popular in America they hosted Saturday Night Live and won Tony and Grammy Awards but split when Moore stayed in the US to pursue his acting ambitions. If you like offbeat and anarchic comedy, you'll like Derek and Clive . . . "So I said, 'Alright, you non-stop dancer. Start dancing.'"

#6 Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza

Jerry Seinfeld's neurotic friend George Costanza was partly based on the show's co-creator Larry David. JERRY SEINFELD AND JASON ALEXANDER were brilliant together in the series that ran for 180 episodes between 1989 and 1998 and won three Golden Globes, 10 Emmys and six Screen Actors Guild Awards. George has numerous psychological problems, including: narcissism, habitual lying, low self-esteem, sudden fits of anger, hypochondriasis, being a cheapskate, selfishness, obsessiveness and living in a fantasy world (he regularly pretends to be an architect to date women and impress employers). Seinfeld watches on with amusement. Here's one of their many classic exchanges:

George Costanza: "Jerry, what gives you pleasure?"

Jerry: "Listening to you. I come in here, I listen to you, I feel better. Your misery is my pleasure."

#7 Laurel and Hardy

Writer Kurt Vonnegut once said that his favourite comedians were LAUREL AND HARDY. "I used to laugh my head off at Laurel and Hardy," said the author of Slaughterhouse-Five. "There is terrible tragedy there somehow. These men are too sweet to survive in this world and are in terrible danger all the time. They could so easily be killed." What survives of the comedians American Hardy died in 1957 and English-born Laurel died in 1965 is 107 films released between 1921 and 1951. Their catchphrase was: "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!" and their mixture of slapstick, wordplay and utterly charming comedy makes them the greatest comedy duo of all time. The Music Box, which depicts the pair's hapless attempts to move a piano up a large flight of steps, won the first Academy Award for Live Action Short Film (Comedy) in 1932. "Those two fellows we played," Oliver Hardy told an interviewer, "they were nice, very nice people. They never got anywhere because they were so very dumb, only they didn't know they were dumb." Their influence lives on in The Simpsons. Homer's repeated use of the word "D'oh" was inspired by Jimmy Finlayson, the mustachioed Scottish actor who appeared in 33 Laurel and Hardy films. Above all, Laurel and Hardy (above, in Saps at Sea) are wonderfully, upliftingly, silly:

Ollie: "Call me a cab."

Stan: "You're a cab."

#8 Simon Pegg and Nick Frost

SIMON PEGG and NICK FROST are best known as a pair for their three films known as the Cornetto trilogy. Shaun of the Dead (2004) was a homage to zombie flicks; Hot Fuzz (2007, pictured above) was a satirical buddy cop film; The World's End (2013) is sci-fi invasion in the style of Day of the Triffids. Pegg and Frost exude a jolly camaraderie and their banter works well:

"I haven't had a drink for 16 years"

"You must be thirsty then."

Pegg and Frost are close friends off screen and also appeared in the comedy film Paul, as well as doing voiceovers for the animated film The Boxtrolls. Pegg said in 2014: "We made three films together in 10 years and hopefully in the next decade, we'll make another three."

#9 Key and Peele

Barack Obama is regularly lampooned on KEY & PEELE, a Comedy Central smash hit that stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. President Obama says he loves the show and has asked to meet the former cast members of MADtv. Key & Peele are a good example of modern socially aware comedy. In a recent New Yorker profile, author Zadie Smith praised their "brutally funny" comedy.

#10 Wayne and Waynetta

KATHY BURKE AND HARRY ENFIELD are two of Britain's finest character sketch comedians. Perhaps their best joint couple are Kevin the teenager and Perry the pubescent (Burke is very funny as a teenage boy) but I have a soft spot for Wayne and Waynetta Slob. Burke said: "I didn't really get them at first I thought they were a bit patronising. Then, when we put the costumes on I got it: they were cartoons with catchphrases." Among the catchphraes were Waynetta's "I'm avving a faaag", as she slobs around and smokes. Enfield based them on a couple with a similar lifestyle who lived in the flat below his in his younger days. Wayne and Waynetta name one child Frogmella (because "it's exotic") and another Spudulika, after Waynetta's favourite restaurant, Spud U Like. A third child, which Waynetta calls Canoe (supposedly named after Keanu Reeves), is born after an affair Wayne supposedly had with model Naomi Campbell.

#11 Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner

MEL BROOKS AND CARL REINER met on Sid Caesar's Your Show Of Shows and are best known as a partnership for their comedy The 2000 Year Old Man, created in 1961. Brooks played the oldest man in the world, being interviewed by Reiner. When asked about Joan of Arc, Brooks says: "Know her? I went with her, dummy, I went with her!" They released five albums, one of which won a Grammy award. It had started as a novelty act: Reiner would entertain friends at parties by pretending to interview a character he'd suddenly suggest to Brooks, who would immediately adopt the persona a guy at a coffee shop, a film director, the world's old Jewish man. In additional to their work together, Brooks had a long and successful career as a filmmaker and Reiner created the landmark CBS sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as writing and directing such comedy film favourites as Steve Martin's The Jerk. Brooks, who directed Young Frankenstein and The Producers, said: "I think the real engine behind The 2000 Year Old Man is Carl, not me. I'm just collecting the fares. But he's the guy that creates the subjects, the questions, and creates a kind of buoyant, effervescent, terribly naïve character."

#12 Abbott and Costello

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO (William 'Bud' Abbott and Lou Costello) were New Jersey boys who worked in vaudeville and on stage, radio, film and television. They made 36 films between 1941 and 1956; many of which were box office hits. Their classic sketch Who's on First? which involves Abbott identifying baseball players by their ridiculous names; and Costello thinking that Abbott is refusing to answer, has gone down in comedy history. Sadly, when Abbott, a lifelong epileptic, died in 1974 at the age of 78 he was a broken and defeated man, having sold most of his assets to settle income tax claims by the IRS.

#13 Bob Hope and Bing Crosby

BOB HOPE AND BING CROSBY worked together for the first time in 1932 at the Capitol Theatre in New York. Crosby was already a big recording star and Hope was asked to emcee a show. They larked about onstage and enjoyed it. Eight years later, having met again, they embarked on a screen partnership that resulted in seven iconic movies: Road to Singapore (1940), Road to Zanzibar (1941), Road to Morocco (1942), Road to Utopia (1946), Road to Rio (1947), Road to Bali (1952) and The Road to Hong Kong (1962). They were not close off screen. Crosby is best known as the singer behind White Christmas.

#14 Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin

Joseph Levitch and Dino Paul Crocetti and are better known as JERRY LEWIS AND DEAN MARTIN and they had a remarkably successful partnership together for a decade (1946-1956). Martin would sing and tell jokes and Lewis would clown around behind his back. They played all the big American clubs, made 16 films together and were the first comedy comedy duo to break in national TV, co-hosting a variety show called The Colgate Comedy Hour for five years. Martin, who died in 1965, went on to great fame as part of the Rat Pack and released a distinguished catalogue of great music. Alas, the Martin-Lewis partnership went sour. The final straw came when Look gave Martin and Lewis a cover photograph and cropped Martin out of the picture. Martin angrily told his partner that he was "nothing to me but a f-----g dollar sign."

#15 Frasier and Eddie the dog

Edging out Wallace and Gromit for the comedy dog partnership is FRASIER AND EDDIE. Frasier, one of the greatest TV comedies of all time, starred Kelsey Grammer. Although his ego battles with brother Niles are terrific, one of the features of the show was his long-running feud with Eddie, a feisty Jack Russell terrier. During the height of Frasier's popularity, Eddie received more fan mail than any of his human counterparts. Frasier and Eddie have staring contests (the dog always wins) and Frasier says once: "Dad? I thought we had an agreement. Eddie doesn't roll around on my sofa and I don't throw him in front of a bus."

#16 Amy Poehler and Tina Fey

Whether it's making funny and risqué jokes as hosts of major ceremonies, or starring in comedy sketches and film, AMY POEHLER AND TINA FEY are one of the funniest comedy duos around and were regulars on Saturday Night Live. Poehler, the co-writer and star of the brilliant Parks and Recreation TV series, will play Fey's sibling in the upcoming film Sisters, a comedy directed by Jason Moore. They have previously starred together in Mean Girls and Baby Mama.

#17 George Burns & Gracie Allen

Burns and Allen was an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns (18961996) and his wife, Gracie Allen (18951964). They worked together as a comedy team in vaudeville, films, radio and television and achieved great success over four decades.

In 1950, Burns and Allen transitioned to television with The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. An immediate success, the half-hour situation comedy was broadcast October 12, 1950 September 22, 1958, on CBS. The show was initially staged live in New York and presented every other week. In the fall of 1952 it became a weekly series filmed on the West Coast. With 291 episodes, the show had a long network run through 1958 and continued in syndicated reruns for years. George went on for 4 seasons after Gracies death, and made several feature films including "Oh, God."

#18 The Smothers Brothers

The brothers' trademark double act was performing folk songs (Tommy on acoustic guitar, Dick on string bass), which usually led to arguments between the siblings. Tommy's signature line was, "Mom always liked you best!" Tommy (the elder of the two) acted "slow", and Dick, the straight man, acted "superior".

In the 1960s, the brothers frequently appeared on television variety shows and issued several popular record albums of their stage performances. Their own television variety show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, became one of the most controversial American TV programs of the Vietnam War era. Despite popular success, the brothers' penchant for material that was critical of the political mainstream and sympathetic to the emerging counterculture led to their firing by the CBS network in 1969. One show was left unaired.

Tom: You can tell who's running the country by how much clothes people wear, see?

Dick: Do you mean that some people can afford more clothes on, and some people have... less on? Is that what you mean?

Tom: That's right.

Dick: I don't understand.

Tom: See, the ordinary people, you'd say that the ordinary people are the less-ons.

Dick: So who's running the country?

Tom: The morons.

#19 Absolutely Fabulous

Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley starred in this BBC cult classic, making them one of the greatest comedic duos ever.

A show brilliant in its uncensored bad behavior and satirical humor, this series features Edina and Patsy, two hard-drinking, drug-taking, completely and outrageously selfish middle-aged women. Their cruel humor focuses on the hypocrisy of today's society, much to the chagrin of Edina's more moral and conservative daughter, Saffron.

#20 Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly

You have to admit these guys work well together. Notably in Step Brothers. As long as Reilly is kind of a sidekick just acting dumb and Will Ferrell is yelling it's tough not to laugh when these guys appear in a movie together.

#21 Cheech and Chong

Cheech & Chong are a Grammy Awardwinning comedy duo consisting of Richard "Cheech" Marin and Tommy Chong[1] who found a wide audience in the 1970s and 1980s for their films and stand-up routines, which were based on the hippie and free love era, and especially drug and counterculture movements, most notably their love for cannabis. They later went on to make 9 movies together that were huge hits. Most notably is "Up in Smoke" (1978).

#22 Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder

Though they only made 4 films together from 1976 to 1991, this pairing is one of the classic film duos. "Stir Crazy" is one of the funniest movies of all time, according to The Academy of Arts & Sciences.