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'L'Arroseur Arrosé' (1895) -

This French silent short, which translates as "The Sprinkler Sprinkled" and is sometimes also referred to as 'The Tables Turned on the Gardener,' is the earliest known instance of film comedy. It's also the first example of the use of slapstick humor. The scene pictured is the classic water in the face gag from a seemingly empty hose, which is actually being blocked by the foot of a mischievous groundsman.

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'Safety Last' (1923) -

In this classic comedy, Harold Lloyd appears in one of the most famous scenes from the silent film era: Lloyd clutching the hands of a large clock as he dangles from the outside of a skyscraper above moving traffic.

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'The General' (1926) -

Buster Keaton in a key scene from 'The General.' Inspired by the Great Locomotive Chase, a true story of an event that occurred during the American Civil War, the film saw Keaton perform all his own stunts, including riding on the cow-catcher of a locomotive.

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'You’re Darn Tootin' (1928) -

The infamous pants removal scene at the end of 'You're Darn Tootin' is a masterclass in impeccably timed slapstick comedy, as only comedy duo Laurel and Hardy could pull off.

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'The Gold Rush' (1925) -

One of Charlie Chaplin's most celebrated works, gag-filled 'The Gold Rush' features this scene when the down-and-out "Little Tramp" makes a meal out of his own boots.

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'The Stolen Purse' (1913) -

The Keystone Cops—fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film—first appeared in 1913. This scene from 'The Stolen Purse' includes Mack Sennet (with purse), who produced and directed many short features and is regarded as the "King of Comedy."

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'Making a Living' (1914) -

Here they are again, all whistles and batons, and in hot pursuit, in a scene from 'Making a Living,' incidentally the first film starring Charlie Chaplin.

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'The Battle of the Century' (1927) -

This Laurel and Hardy silent short film is famous for using over 3,000 cream pies in the picture's climatic pie fight.

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'Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot' (1953) -

Released as 'Monsieur Hulot's Holiday' in the US, this French comedy film stars Jacques Tati, whose skill at caricaturing the manners of human beings while saying very little is robust and intense. Even during the dance scene with co-star Nathalie Pascaud, the emphasis is on looks and movement rather than dialogue.

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'A Night at the Opera' (1935) -

A Marx Brothers' classic, 'A Night at the Opera' includes the crazy stateroom scene, where 15 people manage to cram into a tiny cabin on board a ship.

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'Disorder in the Court' (1936) -

Slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges are key witnesses at a murder trial. Soon after entering the courtroom, mayhem descends. Here's the trio harassing the defense attorney (Bud Jamison).

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'In the Navy' (1941) -

This service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940 stars Abbott and Costello, whose idea of shore leave means sneaking off the battleship Alabama by way of a dump truck.

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'Ten Dollars or Ten Days' (1924) -

The famously cross-eyed Ben Turpin in the dramatic escape scene from 'Ten Dollars or Ten Days.' Turpin was another silent movie star adept at vigorous physical comedy.

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'Brats' (1930) -

In 'Brats,' Laurel and Hardy play dual roles as their own children. The illusion of the comedy duo as kids was achieved using oversized furniture. In this scene, the pair are dressed in sailor suits and playing checkers on a huge table.

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'City Lights' (1931) -

Chaplin waiting in his corner in the famous boxing scene from the film 'City Lights.'

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'The Garage' (1920) -

Buster Keaton and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle play mechanics and firemen at a garage in a fire station. The moment their vehicle falls apart in choreographed chaos is one of the highlights of this silent rib-tickler.

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'Convict 99' (1938) -

British comic actors Will Hay and Moore Marriott in the scene from the crime comedy 'Convict 99,' when they both try to sneak out of jail in a crate fastened to a vehicle that crashes.

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'Steamboat Bill Jr.' (1928) -

Buster Keaton at his brilliant best, 'Steamboat Bill Jr.' features some of the craziest stunts of early cinema. Keaton is seen being blown along in a hospital bed, narrowly avoiding death by a falling house front, and leaning at a 45-degree angle into the wind. Pictured is the scene where, armed with hammer and saw, he surveys the damage done by a storm and contemplates whether or not anything is worth rebuilding.

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'The Cook' (1918) -

'The Cook' stars Fatty Arbuckle and contains numerous food gags. A standout scene features Arbuckle dancing around with a length of sausage links and pots and pans. Buster Keaton costars, and together they perform several well-timed set pieces. Here, fellow cook Keaton is warning Fatty of the restaurateur creeping up behind him and about to deliver a real blow to his catering career!

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'The Fuller Brush Girl' (1950) -

Lucille Ball is all tied up in the baby-sitter sequence from 'The Fuller Brush Girl,' this after she runs into a maze of traps set by her youthful charges.

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'Trouble in Store' (1953) -

English comedian Norman Wisdom made his cinema debut as a hapless department store clerk in this side-splitting movie. Wisdom's antics as the downtrodden worker in a big store, trying to get promotion as a window dresser, are impeccably timed. He's pictured with Margaret Rutherford, who plays an upper crust shoplifter.

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'Carry on Teacher' (1959) -

The 'Carry On' film series is a British comedy institution. An early production, 'Carry on Teacher' features a scene with Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques, and Charles Hawtrey as they realize a prize-giving ceremony at their school has been sabotaged by naughty pupils.

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'Blazing Saddles' (1974) -

The finale of Mel Brooks' Western satire features a street brawl that spills over into a neighboring movie set, where a Busby Berkeley-style top-hat-and-tails musical number is being filmed. The scene pays an impressive tribute to early Hollywood musicals in outrageous slapstick manner.

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'The Pink Panther Strikes Again' (1976) -

Bumbling French detective Inspector Clouseau is regularly ambushed by his manservant Kato in a bid to keep him alert. In 'The Pink Panther Strikes Again,' the attack is especially prolonged and partly shot in slow-motion. Laugh-a-second stuff!

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'Bean' (1997) -

Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean appeared on the big screen for the first time in 'Bean.' The funniest scenes include the turkey-on-the-head gag, the moment Bean gently air humps a hand dryer in a public lavatory, and the wire and twine sequence (pictured).

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'The Great Race' (1965) -

This slapstick comedy stars Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, and Peter Falk as competitors in an automobile race from New York City to Paris. Besides plenty of wacky driving sequences, the film is remembered for a huge pie fight that takes place in a bakery (pictured).

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'The Nutty Professor' (1963) -

A clever parody of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story, 'The Nutty Professor' is Jerry Lewis at his very best. Numerous scenes feature the nerdy, scruffy, buck-toothed, accident-prone, socially awkward university professor hitting on co-star Stella Stevens, but only after taking a slug of serum that turns him into Buddy Love: a handsome, suave, charming, and brash girl-chasing hipster. Pictured is Lewis in his lab dictating a formula while Stevens takes notes.

See also: The 30 best comedians in history.

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