Given the mood of the country at the moment, I thought it would be nice to list out movies that always make me laugh and I don’t have to use too many brain cells to do so. Some of these, okay many, are going to be slapstick. If you are a person that can laugh at yourself and not hold it in when there is a fall, this is the list for you.

The Stooge (1951, Paramount Pictures) This is how I imagine Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis started out. I’m not sure if it’s true, but as I said, how I imagined it. The jokes and gags are silly. I have fun watching this one.

Danny Kaye (okay he’s not a movie) Any movie starring Danny Kaye is bound to make you at least smile. He has a way of making faces that I’m sure Jim Carrey studied. You cannot go wrong with a Danny Kaye movie, just if looking for a laugh, steer away from Five Pennies (1959, Paramount), it’s a tearjerker. I couldn’t decide between The Inspector General (1949, Warner Brothers), The Court Jester (1955, Paramount), or Knock on Wood (1954, Paramount) so, I just wrote his name down.

Good Burger (1997, Paramount/Nickelodeon) Kel Mitchell and Kennan Thompson did this movie during their Nickelodeon days. Please ignore the fact that Dan Schneider is in the movie, I do not condone his behavior. The movie, with him aside, is rather funny. Kel makes this movie. Not that Kennan isn’t funny, but the Lewis & Martin or Abbot & Costello comedy duo stuff that is in the movie, Kennan is the straight man, as it is called. As I am typing this I now have the “Dude Song” stuck in my head.

Steamboat Bill, JR (1928, United Artist) This is a silent film starring Buster Keaton. The movie runs for 1 hour and 10 mins. This is a long time to go without hearing anything, but it is worth it. I can only handle silent films that are comedies. This is one of the best ones. When my sons were still in school, we watched this movie, and they all found it funny.

Visit to a Small Planet (1960, Paramount) There are many Jerry Lewis movies that I could put on this list, besides the one I already did where he starred with Dean Martin, but this is one that holds up. It is very silly. The Beatnik bar scene is one my boys and I will repeat on occasion, out of the blue.

So, here you have 5ish movies to watch that should make you forget the woes of the things going on in the USA.