I've seen a few other lists of this sort, that count down the funniest movies ever made. Well, to be more accurate, I've seen two. AFI counted down the top 100, and I have to take issue with the list. They didn't count down the 'funniest' movies ever made, they counted down the best comedies. For example: Tootsie is not the second funniest movie ever made. It's funny, yes. But I laughed much more during 'The Naked Gun', which didn't make the list. Sure, 'Tootsie' is a higher quality film; it's just not as funny. Bravo also made a similar countdown, but it was far too contemporary.
I'll be the first to point out that I haven't seen every movie ever made. I'm sure that this list will grow as I see more and more older films that merit mentioning. This is obviously evident in the fact that it's weighted heavily towards the last 20 years, as these are movies I've seen in theatres and on tv growing up. Anyways here's my take on the funniest films ever made.