The ball is set to drop in just a matter of hours, PopWatchers! So I can only imagine that more than a few of you are preparing to channel your inner Frank the Tanks this holiday. (Now I believe it is my duty to warn you that streaking will probably be looked down upon by your respective towns, as well as your respective sober selves when you see the inevitable embarrassing pics.)
And as I begin to line up my own champagne and wine bottles to celebrate the new year, I’m reminded of those in film and on TV who willingly put themselves in humiliating, decidedly non-sober situations purely to make us laugh. Like, for example, Frank the Tank in Old School. But as funny as it was to watch Will Ferrell prance around in the nude after more than a few keg stands, I’d argue that the funniest drunk scene in a movie or TV predates dear ol’ Frank by more than 50 years. I’m talking about, of course, Lucille Ball’s iconic Vitameatavegamin scene from a 1952 episode of I Love Lucy.
Honorable mentions, however, go to Charlie Korsmo in Can’t Hardly Wait, Leslie Mann in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Ari Graynor in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Robert Hays in Airplane, who, I admit, was never really drunk, but had a really unfortunate drinking problem. But that’s just my opinion, PopWatchers. What are your favorite drunk scenes in TV and movies?
Peter O’Toole in My Favorite Year
An underrated drunk scene: Dan White showing up drunk to Harvey Milk’s birthday party in “Milk.” I don’t know why, but the way Josh Brolin played that scene was some of the most realistic drunkenness I’ve ever seen.
Other than that, I don’t so much have favorite drunk scenes as I do drunk characters:
Movie: Dudley Moore in “Arthur”
TV: Christine Baranski in “Cybill”
Also, HAPPY NEW YEAR POPWATCH WRITERS AND FELLOW POPWATCHERS!
Mrs. Slocombe from “Are You Being Served?” always gave hilarious drunk scenes.
Are you being served was the best!
Vitameatavegamin esisode is one of my favorites.
The only drunk scene that comes to my mind right now is Dong from Sixteen Candles. Love that movie.
I saw this when I was a kid and never realized she was drunk…haha amazing.
my favorite is from “beer fest”, just the whole movie
Probably the most memorable drunk scene for me would be Cary Grant in North by Northwest.
Buster Bluth, when he discovers a massive “juice box” aka Lucille’s emergency wine stash. It was the first taste of alcohol Buster had since he was nursing.
him dancing to chicago then doing the star wars moves- hilarious!
Steve Buscemi in The Wedding Singer.
That’s a good one!
How about just the opposite for my favorite alcoholic? Patsy eating something on Absolutely Fabulous’ New Year’s episode. And I also love Bubble trying to figure out exactly what New Year’s is…
Pam Beasley from The Office. “When the ice melts, its like second drink!”
Yes!!
“I’d like to thank God, because God gave me this Dundie. And I feel God in this Chili’s.”
“I can’t feel my legs! I have no legs!” –I LOVE Can’t Hardly Wait! And that I the best scene of the movie!
the best drunk of all-time is probably oscar nominated Dudley Moore in ‘Arthur”…but I also loved Kim Basinger in “Blind Date”
Moore was my first thought at seeing the title of this. Still the very best drunk ever imho.
I had forgotten about Blind Date, good call!
Jimmy Stewart in The Philadelphia Story. I don’t know how Cary Grant held it together!
Agreed! And, if you watch closely (and has been verified by the participants) much of what Stewart did was improvised and you can see Grant almost cracks up in a couple spots.
Another great one is Thomas Mitchell in “It’s a Wonderful Life” (again in a scene involving Jimmy Stewart). Mitchell walks off camera and trips over lighting equipment (not planned) and Stewart nearly loses it. Mitchell played through well, yelling “I’m alright!”
The Boondock Saints when they kill the cat. Hilarious!
Mildred Natwick in Barefoot in the Park (1967). Her scene with Robert Redford after their catastrophic dinner with Corrie and Velasco is absolutely priceless.