1930s for me....easy pick.

I have to respectfully disagree. Would you say that Jerry Seinfeld is a better stand up comedian then George Carlin, simply because he doesn't curse?

It is all in the context you present humor. If all you say is, "Fuck, shit, ass, dickhead," then that is not funny, but if your cursing is not THE punchline, then the joke still has to succeed on its on.

Wow no votes for the 1960s??? The 1980s while i agree the one fresh thing it did do was comedy, however i'm not too big a fan of Hughes. My favorites from then would be Airplane, Naked Gun, Pryor/Wilder teamups, Three Amigos, Princess Bride, Star Trek IV.

'30s for the screwballs, Astaire-Rogers musicals, etc.

80's.

For me, nothing tops the greats made by Chase, Aykroyd, Murphy, Martin and Candy.

I picked the 2000's, surprisingly. For some reason, I've never cared too much for cinematic comedy (though I can easily get lost for hours watching TV comedy). The classics that have already been cited in this thread? They generally don't do much for me. I was at best only mildly amused by Airplane. I find Chevy Chase obnoxious.

What put the 2000's ahead for me, in a nutshell, was Judd Apatow. I recently listened to an AFI podcast episode about Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Jason Segel made a comment about how Apatow told him to just write it as a drama, and trust that the natural comedic aptitudes of the people making the movie would make it funny. It might not be a new approach to making movies, but it sums up why I think the works that bear his name have stood out so much to me, and why they're among the few comedies I genuinely enjoy re-watching.

Though, of course, I'll have words with anyone who bashes the Stooges. Their stuff never gets old.