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Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written Comedy Awarded for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Film Country United States Presented by
Writers Guild of America First awarded 1949 Last awarded 1984 Website
http://www.wga.org/
The Writers Guild Award for Best Written Comedy was an award presented from 1949 to 1984 by the
Writers Guild of America , after which it was discontinued.
Winners & Nominees
[1]
Notes
The year indicates when the film was released. The awards were presented the following year.
1940s
Year
Film
Writer(s)
1948
(1st)
[2]
Sitting Pretty
F. Hugh Herbert
A Foreign Affair
Charles Brackett,
Billy Wilder , and Richard L. Breen
Apartment for Peggy
George Seaton
I Remember Mama
Dewitt Bodeen
June Bride
Ranald Macdougall
Miss Tatlock's Millions
Charles Brackett, and
Richard L. Breen
No Minor Vices
Arnold Manoff
The Mating of Millie
Louella MacFarlane, and
St. Clair McKelway
The Paleface
Edmund L. Hartmann, Frank Tashlin, and Jack Rose
1949
(2nd)
[3]
A Letter to Three Wives
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Adam's Rib
Ruth Gordon , and
Garson Kanin
Come to the Stable
Oscar Millard , and
Sally Benson
Every Girl Should Be Married
Stephen Morehouse Avery
I Was a Male War Bride
Charles Lederer , Leonard Spigel, and
Hagar Wilde
It Happens Every Spring
Valentine Davies
1950s
Year
Film
Writer(s)
1950
(3rd)
[4]
All About Eve
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Adam's Rib
Ruth Gordon , and
Garson Kanin
Born Yesterday
Albert Mannheimer
Father of the Bride
Frances Goodrich and
Albert Hackett
The Jackpot
Phoebe Ephron , and
Henry Ephron
1951
(4th)
[5]
Father's Little Dividend
Albert Hackett , and
Frances Goodrich
Angels in the Outfield
Dorothy Kingsley , and
George Wells
People Will Talk
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
That's My Boy
Cy Howard
You're in the Navy Now
Richard Murphy
1952
(5th)
[6]
The Quiet Man
Frank Nugent
Pat and Mike
Ruth Gordon , and
Garson Kanin
Room for One More
Jack Rose, and
Melville Shavelson
The Happy Time
Earl Felton
The Marrying Kind
Ruth Gordon , and Garson Kanin
1953
(6th)
[7]
Roman Holiday
Ian McLellan Hunter ,
Dalton Trumbo , and
John Dighton
How to Marry a Millionaire
Nunnally Johnson
Stalag 17
Billy Wilder , and
Edwin Blum
The Actress
Ruth Gordon
The Moon Is Blue
F. Hugh Herbert
1954
(7th)
[8]
Sabrina
Billy Wilder ,
Samuel Taylor , and
Ernest Lehman
It Should Happen to You
Garson Kanin
Knock on Wood
Melvin Frank , and
Norman Panama
Susan Slept Here
Alex Gottlieb
The Long, Long Trailer
Albert Hackett , and
Frances Goodrich
1955
(8th)
[9]
Mister Roberts
Frank S. Nugent , and
Joshua Logan
Phffft
George Axelrod
The Seven Year Itch
Billy Wilder , and George Axelroad
The Tender Trap
Julius J. Epstein
To Catch a Thief
John Michael Hayes
1956
(9th)
[10]
Around the World in 80 Days
James Poe ,
John Farrow , and
S. J. Perelman
Bus Stop
George Axelrod
Full of Life
John Fante
The Solid Gold Cadillac
Abe Burrows
The Teahouse of the August Moon
John Patrick
1957
(10th)
[11]
Love in the Afternoon
Billy Wilder , and
I.A.L. Diamond
Designing Woman
George Wells
Don't Go Near the Water
Dorothy Kingsley , and
George Wells
Operation Mad Ball
Arthur Carter,
Jed Harris , and
Blake Edwards
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
Frank Tashlin
1958
(11th)
[12]
Me and the Colonel
S.N. Behrman , and
George Froeschel
Houseboat
Melville Shavelson , and Jack Rose
Indiscreet
Norman Krasna
Teacher's Pet
Fay Kanin , and
Michael Kanin
The Reluctant Debutante
William Douglas-Home , and
Julius J. Epstein
1959
(12th)
[13]
Some Like It Hot
Billy Wilder , and
I.A.L. Diamond
A Hole in the Head
Arnold Schulman
North by Northwest
Ernest Lehman
Operation Petticoat
Stanley Shapiro , and
Maurice Richlin
Pillow Talk
Stanley Shapiro , and
Maurice Richlin
1960s
Year
Film
Writer(s)
1960
(13th)
[14]
The Apartment
Billy Wilder , and
I.A.L. Diamond
North to Alaska
Martin Rackin,
John Lee Mahin , and
Claude Binyon
Ocean's 11
Harry Brown , and
Charles Lederer
Please Don't Eat the Daisies
Isobel Lennart
The Facts of Life
Norman Panama , and
Melvin Frank
1961
(14th)
[15]
Breakfast at Tiffany's
George Axelrod
A Majority of One ,
Leonard Spigelgass
One, Two, Three
Billy Wilder , and
I.A.L. Diamond
The Absent Minded Professor
Bill Walsh
The Parent Trap
David Swift
1962
(15th)
[16]
That Touch of Mink
Nate Monaster and
Stanley Shapiro
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
Nunnally Johnson
The Notorious Landlady
Blake Edwards , and
Larry Gelbart
Period of Adjustment
Isobel Lennart
The Pigeon That Took Rome
Melville Shavelson
1963
(16th)
[17]
Lilies of the Field
James Poe
Charade
Peter Stone
Irma la Douce
I.A.L. Diamond , and
Billy Wilder
Love with the Proper Stranger
Arnold Schulman
The Thrill of It All
Carl Reiner
1964
(17th)
[18]
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Stanley Kubrick , Peter George, and
Terry Southern
Father Goose ,
Peter Stone , and
Frank Tarloff
The Pink Panther
Maurice Richlin , and
Blake Edwards
The World of Henry Orient
Nora Johnson , and
Nunnally Johnson
Topkapi
Monja Danischewsky
1965
(18th)
[19]
A Thousand Clowns
Herb Gardner
Cat Ballou
Walter Newman , and
Frank Pierson
That Darn Cat!
Mildred Gordon, Gordon Gordon , and
Bill Walsh
The Great Race
Arthur A. Ross
What's New Pussycat
Woody Allen
1966
(19th)
[20]
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
William Rose
How to Steal a Million
Harry Kurnitz
Our Man Flint
Hal Fimberg, and
Ben Starr
The Fortune Cookie
Billy Wilder , and
I.A.L. Diamond
You're a Big Boy Now
Francis Ford Coppola
1967
(20th)
[21]
The Graduate
Buck Henry , and
Calder Willingham
Barefoot in the Park
Neil Simon
Divorce American Style
Norman Lear
The Flim-Flam Man
William Rose
A Guide for the Married Man
Frank Tarloff
1968
(21st)
[22]
The Odd Couple
Neil Simon
Hot Millions
Ira Wallach , and
Peter Ustinov
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!
Paul Mazursky , and
Larry Tucker
The Producers
Mel Brooks
Yours, Mine and Ours
Melville Shavelson , and Mort Lachman
1969
(22nd)
[23]
Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
Goodbye, Columbus ‡
Arnold Schulman
Cactus Flower
I.A.L. Diamond
Gaily, Gaily
Abram S. Ginnes
John and Marty
John Mortimer
The Reivers
Irving Ravetch , and
Harriet Frank Jr.
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice ‡
Paul Mazursky and
Larry Tucker
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
David Shaw
Popi
Tina Pine, and Lester Pine
Support Your Local Sheriff
William Bowers
Take the Money and Run
Woody Allen , and Mickey Rose
1970s
Year
Film
Writer(s)
1970
(23rd)
[24]
Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
M*A*S*H †
Ring Lardner Jr.
Lovers and Other Strangers
Renée Taylor ,
Joseph Bologna ,
David Zelag Goodman
The Owl and the Pussycat
Buck Henry
The Twelve Chairs
Mel Brooks
Where's Poppa
Robert Klane
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
The Out-of-Towners
Neil Simon
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
Billy Wilder , and
I.A.L. Diamond
Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronk
Gabriel Walsh
Start the Revolution Without Me
Fred Freeman , and
Lawrence J. Cohen
The Cheyenne Social Club
James Lee Barrett
1971
(24th)
[25]
Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
Kotch
John Paxton
A New Leaf
Elaine May
Fiddler on the Roof
Joseph Stein
Little Murders
Jules Feiffer
The Boy Friend
Ken Russell
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
The Hospital
Paddy Chayefsky
Bananas
Woody Allen , and
Mickey Rose
Carnal Knowledge
Jules Feiffer
Made for Each Other
Renée Taylor , and
Joseph Bologna
Taking Off
Miloṡ Forman ,
Jean-Claude Carrière ,
John Guare , and Jon Klein
1972
(25th)
[26]
Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
Cabaret ‡
Jay Presson Allen
Avanti!
Billy Wilder , and
I.A.L. Diamond
Butterflies Are Free
Leonard Gershe
The Heartbreak Kid
Neil Simon
Travels with My Aunt
Jay Presson Allen, and
Hugh Wheeler
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
What's Up, Doc?
Peter Bogdanovich ,
Buck Henry ,
David Newman , and
Robert Benton
Get to Know Your Rabbit
Jordan Crittenden
Hammersmith Is Out
Stanford Whitmore
Minnie and Moskowitz
John Cassavetes
The War Between Men and Women
Melville Shavelson , and
Danny Arnold
1973
(26th)
[27]
Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
Paper Moon ‡
Alvin Sargent
40 Carats
Leonard Gershe
Godspell
David Greenne , and
John-Michael Tebelak
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
A Touch of Class ‡
Melvin Frank and
Jack Rose
American Graffiti ‡
George Lucas ,
Gloria Katz , and
Willard Huyck
Blume in Love
Paul Mazursky
Sleeper
Woody Allen , and
Marshall Brickman
Slither
W.D. Richter
1974
(27th)
[28]
Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz ‡
Mordecai Richler , and
Lionel Chetwynd
The Front Page
Billy Wilder , and
I.A.L. Diamond
Young Frankenstein ‡
Gene Wilder , and
Mel Brooks
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
Blazing Saddles
Mel Brooks , Norman Steinberg,
Andrew Bergman ,
Richard Pryor , and Alan Uger
California Split
Joseph Walsh
Claudine
Tina Pine, and Lester Pine
Phantom of the Paradise
Brian de Palma
The Sugarland Express
Hal Barwood,
Matthew Robbins , and
Steven Spielberg
1975
(28th)
[29]
Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
The Sunshine Boys ‡
Neil Simon
Hester Street
Joan Micklin Silver
The Prisoner of Second Avenue
Neil Simon
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
Shampoo ‡
Robert Towne and
Warren Beatty
Heats of the West
Rob Thompson
Smile
Jerry Belson
The Return of the Pink Panther
Frank Waldman , and
Blake Edwards
1976
(29th)
[30]
Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
Frank Waldman , and
Blake Edwards
Family Plot
Ernest Lehman
Stay Hungry
Charles Gaines , and
Bob Rafelson
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
Hal Barwood, and
Matthew Robbins
The Ritz
Terrence McNally
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
The Bad News Bears
Bill Lancaster
Murder by Death
Neil Simon
Next Stop, Greenwich Village
Paul Mazursky
Silent Movie
Mel Brooks ,
Ron Clark ,
Rudy De Luca , and
Barry Levinson
Silver Streak
Colin Higgins
1977
(30th)
[31]
Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
Oh, God! ‡
Larry Gelbart
The Spy Who Loved Me
Christopher Wood , and
Richard Maibaum
Semi-Tough
Walter Bernstein
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
Annie Hall
Woody Allen and
Marshall Brickman
Star Wars
George Lucas
Slap Shot
Nancy Dowd
The Goodbye Girl
Neil Simon
1978
(31st)
[32]
Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
Heaven Can Wait ‡
Elaine May , and
Warren Beatty
California Suite ‡
Neil Simon
Same Time, Next Year ‡
Bernard Slade
Superman
Mario Puzo ,
David Newman ,
Leslie Newman , and
Robert Benton
Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?
Peter Stone
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
Movie Movie
Larry Gelbart and
Sheldon Keller
A Wedding
John Considine ,
Patricia Resnick ,
Allan F. Nicholls , and
Robert Altman
Animal House
Harold Ramis ,
Douglas Kenney , and
Chris Miller
House Calls
Max Shulman ,
Julius J. Epstein , Alan Mandel, and
Charles Shyer
Once in Paris...
Frank D. Gilroy
1979
(32nd)
[33]
Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
Being There
Jerzy Kosinski
Starting Over
James L. Brooks
A Little Romance ‡
Allan Burns
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
Breaking Away †
Steve Tesich
10
Blake Edwards
Manhattan ‡
Woody Allen, and
Marshall Brickman
1980s
Year
Nominees
Writer(s)
1980
(33rd)
[34]
Best Comedy Adapted from Other Another Medium
Airplane!
Jim Abrahams , David Zucker, and
Jerry Zucker
Hopscotch
Brian Garfield , and
Bryan Forbes
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Leigh Brackett , and
Lawrence Kasdan
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
Private Benjamin †
Nancy Meyers , Harvey Miller, and
Charles Shyer
Nine to Five
Colin Higgins , and
Patricia Resnick
Return of the Secaucus
John Sayles
Stardust Memories
Woody Allen
1981
(34th)
[35]
Best Comedy Adapted from Other Another Medium
Rich and Famous
Gerald Ayres
For Your Eyes Only'
Richard Maibaum , and
Michael G. Wilson
First Monday in October
Jerome Lawrence , and
Robert E. Lee
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
Arthur ‡
Steve Gordon
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Lawrence Kasdan ,
George Lucas , and
Philip Kaufman
S.O.B.
Blake Edwards
The Four Seasons
Alan Alda
1982
(35th)
[36]
Best Comedy Adapted from Other Another Medium
Victor Victoria ‡
Blake Edwards
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Cameron Crowe
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
Tootsie ‡
Don McGuire ,
Larry Gelbart , and
Murray Schisgal
Diner
Barry Levinson
My Favorite Year
Norman Steinberg, and Dennis Palumbo
1983
(36th)
[37]
Best Comedy Adapted from Other Another Medium
Terms of Endearment †
James L. Brooks
A Christmas Story
Jean Shepherd , Leigh Brown, and
Bob Clark
To Be or Not to Be
Thomas Meehan , and
Ronny Graham
Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen
The Big Chill ‡
Lawrence Kasdan , and
Barbara Benedek
Risky Business
Paul Brickman
Zelig
Woody Allen
References
^
"Writers Guild Awards Winners 1995-1949" . awards.wga.org . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1949)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1950)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1951)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1952)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1953)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1954)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1955)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1956)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1957)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1958)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1959)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1960)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1961)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1962)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1963)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1964)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1965)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1966)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1967)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1968)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1969)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1970)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1971)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
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"Writers Guild of America, USA (1972)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1973)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1974)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1975)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1976)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1977)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1978)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1979)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1980)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1981)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1982)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1983)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
^
"Writers Guild of America, USA (1983)" . IMDb . Retrieved 2019-05-18 .
External links
Film Awards Television/ New Media Awards Special Awards Former Awards Ceremonies
Years are of film release; ceremonies are held the following year