History Funny / ThoseMagnificentMenInTheirFlyingMachines

* In the American version's opening, there's Creator/RedSkelton [[FailureMontage cartoonishly and repeatedly failing flight tests]] through the ages, from jumping of heights with wings in ancient times to using bicycles, cars, a JetPack and whatever bizarre contraptions with engines and wings he can come up with. Ron Goodwin's music adds even more hilarity.

* In the American version's opening, there's Creator/RedSkelton cartoonishly failing flight tests through the ages, from jumping of heights with wings in ancient times to using bicycles, cars, a JetPack and whatever bizarre contraptions with engines and wings he can come up with. Ron Goodwin's music adds even more hilarity.

* The flight training scenes are absolutely sidesplitting, especially when some of the pilots end up in the sewage farm.

* In the American version's opening, there's Creator/RedSkelton cartoonishly failing flight tests through the ages, from jumping of heights with wings in ancient times to using bicycles, cars a JetPack and whatever bizarre contraptions with engines and wings he can come up with. Ron Goodwin's music adds even more hilarity.

* In the American version's opening, there's Red Skelton cartoonishly failing flight tests through the ages, from jumping of heights with wings in ancient times to using bicycles and cars and whatever bizarre contraptions with engines and wings he can come up with. Ron Goodwin's music adds even more hilarity.

** Special mention to the Germans trying to stop their plane on the ground once it gets separated from its tail. Von Holstein gets into the sidecar driven by Orvil to chase the plane. Orvil jumps on the plane to help Captain Rumpelstoss stop it and pulls it off... and everyone forgot about von Holstein, who's still in the sidecar and can't control it as he can't move because of his weight (and that part is set to a brass version of Music/RichardWagner's ''Music/RideOfTheValkyries'' for added hilarity). The sidecar and von Holstein end up falling in the sewage farm by [[BrickJoke the hole the firemen created]] minutes earlier.

** Special mention to the Germans trying to stop their plane on the ground once it gets separated from its tail. Von Holstein gets into the sidecar driven by Orvil to chase the plane. Orvil jumps on the plane to help Captain Rumpelstoss stop it and pulls it off... and everyone forgot about von Holstein, who's still in the sidecar and can't control it as he can't move because of his weight (and that part is set to Music/RichardWagner's ''Music/RideOfTheValkyries'' for added hilarity). The sidecar and von Holstein end up falling in the sewage farm by [[BrickJoke the hole the firemen created]] minutes earlier.

** Pierre Dubois (Creator/JeanPierreCassel), the French pilot, is an [[TheCasanova incurable skirt-chaser]] (which gets him nearly killed the first time he's seen, crashing his plane because he was DistractedByTheSexy). And he never misses an occasion to provoke the Germans.[[note]]A much less funny historical reason to that is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revanchism revanchism]], part of which would motivate both world wars.[[/note]]

** Sir Percy Ware-Armitage is hilariously dastardly and typical of Creator/TerryThomas' portrayals of despicable British upper class fellows, and [[CheatersNeverProsper his cheating schemes often end up backfiring on him]].

* The hilarious NationalStereotypes, which concern [[AllStereotypeCast pretty much the whole cast]]. It works specially well because not a single featured nationality is spared, and because each one of the actors who played a pilot matched the pilot's nationality and had a ball doing so.

* The hilarious NationalStereotypes. It works specially well because not a single featured nationality is spared, and because each one of the actors who played a pilot matched the pilot's nationality and had a ball doing so.

** The [[{{Kaiserreich}} very Prussian]] Colonel Manfred von Holstein (Creator/GertFrobe), who firmly believes in GermanicEfficiency and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McFj_vq3cwk beatboxes his own brass and drums band]]. And poor Rumplestoss, his ButtMonkey YesMan.

** The [[{{Kaiserreich}} very Prussian]] Colonel Manfred von Holstein (Creator/GertFrobe), who firmly believes in GermanicEfficiency and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McFj_vq3cwk beatboxes his own brass and drums band]].

** Pierre Dubois (Creator/JeanPierreCassel), the French pilot, is an [[TheCasanova incurable skirt-chaser]]. And he never misses an occasion to provoke the Germans.[[note]]A much less funny historical reason to that is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revanchism revanchism]], part of which would motivate both world wars.[[/note]]

** Sir Percy Ware-Armitage is hilariously dastardly and typical of Creator/TerryThomas' portrayals of despicable British upper class fellows, and his cheating schemes never work and even can backfire on him.

** Count Emilio Ponticelli (Alberto Sordi), the Italian pilot, is boisterous and {{pr|ide}}oud of himself beyond measure, and brings ''all of his children'' (he has a lot of them) and wife with him in Great Britain.

* In the American version's opening, there's Red Skelton cartoonishly failing flight tests through the ages, from jumping of heights with wings in ancient times to using bicycles and cars and whatever bizarre contraptions with engines he can come up with. Ron Goodwin's music adds even more hilarity.

* During the race, Emilio Ponticelli has to land near a convent, and the nuns refuse to help him. Then he states that it's too bad that the race will be won by a Protestant... which is enough to change their minds.

** The [[{{Kaiserreich}} very Prussian]] Colonel Manfred von Holstein (Creator/GertFrobe), who [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McFj_vq3cwk beatboxes his own brass and drums band]].

** The very {{Kaiserreich}} Colonel Manfred von Holstein (Creator/GertFrobe), who [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McFj_vq3cwk beatboxes his own brass and drums band]].