Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas' creation, Indiana Jones, has starred in four (soon to be five) box office sensations. While some (Raiders of the Lost Ark) are more revered than others (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), all had their moments of levity.
Widely known as one of the best (if not the best) action-adventure film series, Indiana Jones is also so much more. Lucas and Spielberg include just about every genre there is into the four films, and comedy is far from an exception.
Marion Ravenwood Can Drink Anyone Under The Table In Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
Marion Ravenwood's introduction to Stephen Spielberg's timeless action masterpiece, Raiders of the Lost Ark's narrative is as informative as it is hysterical. The camera pans through a dimly lit, crowded dive bar. It finally settles on a table, surrounded by onlookers. There, audiences meet Marion Ravenwood, owner of this very bar.
The drinking contest goes on, and Marion throws them back (as does her competitor). When her adversary passes out and falls over, it tells the viewer quite a bit about Marion. Furthermore, the movie does so while giving the audience a chuckle. This is just one example of how Raiders of the Lost Ark is a masterclass in genre balancing.
Indy Goes Cliff Diving: Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989)
An overused trope in movies is that a character (frequently in a vehicle of some kind) goes over a cliff and is thought dead. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has one of the best examples of this trope when it is done well.
The humor lies in Ford's always relaxed performance as Indiana Jones. The poignancy of his father looking down to the ruins of a Nazi tank is outright effective. Then, when it's immediately juxtaposed with Harrison Ford lumbering behind the onlookers, his facial expression is comedic gold.
Young Indy Goes To The Circus: Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade feels very much like a course correction after the middlingly-received second installment. This is made clear in the prologue (featuring River Phoenix as a younger Indy) when Indiana Jones has to avoid the clutches of some amateur thieves.
During this chase, he has to run over (and occasionally through) some circus cars on a particularly long train. Phoenix plays the scene for laughs (in a wavelength practically synonymous with Spielberg) as he evades lions, giraffes, and, of course, snakes.
Scared By A Statue: Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
Another of Raiders' assets was John Rhys Davies in his most famous non-Gimli supporting role. Sallah is in several extended scenes and Rhys-Davies makes the most of each one. His chemistry with Ford makes the two truly feel like old friends. This aged dynamic makes the comedic beats as impactful as the tragic.
The humorous moment comes during Raiders of the Lost Ark's fun-fact-filled excavation scene. Before descending for the Staff of Ra, Indiana and Sallah must push aside a large, stone covering. Upon doing so, Sallah jumps back at the sight of a massive, snarling statue.
Whispering In Their Ears: Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989)
The Indiana Jones franchise's humor bone was back in place for the third installment. The inclusion of Connery as Henry Jones, Sr. injects the film with a sense of life that many viewers felt Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom lacked. To that end and to this day, most consider The Last Crusade to be the best Indiana Jones sequel.
When Elsa Schneider betrays the father-son duo, they end up tied together on back-to-back chairs. Before departing the two, she and a Nazi cohort give their goodbyes. Hers, the "Austrian Goodbye," which consists of a long kiss. Her cohort's goodbye is far more violent. Once Elsa has left, Indy states that he preferred the "Austrian Goodbye." Funny enough, but the real laugh comes when his father agrees as if he has inside knowledge.
Have I Not Been Through Enough?: Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
There is a funny moment just before one of the film's most iconic lines: "It's not the years, honey. It's the mileage." Indiana's chemistry with Marion was by far superior to the attempted relationships that followed. She matches him in intellect and bravery, and the characters feel wholly organic for it.
The obvious romantic feelings the characters share for one another make comedic moments between the two all the more poignant. The small moments feel just as much a part of the experience as the scenes that make Raiders the best adventure movie of all time.
Birds Of A Feather: Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade's father-son dynamic is really what moves the movie along. Their differing (though less different than they may believe) views of life and how to get out of bad situations make every word shared between the two a funny treat.
The humor applies to this dynamic in set-pieces as well. This is most notable when the Nazis send planes after them. Just when it seems as though they'll be met with a slew of bullets, Henry Sr. flaps his umbrella and runs towards a group of birds. They scatter, taking out the plane in the process. It's an example of humor being used to resolve a scene's conflict and it works beautifully.
Murray Head: Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom (1984)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was one of 1984's most problematic releases (it, alongside Gremlins, is the reason why PG-13 exists today). Its standing hasn't improved over the years in the slightest. Most of this is due to cultural depiction as well as arguable sexism in the direction of Kate Capshaw's Willie Scott.
Willie is one of the cinema's least independent leads. When she isn't nearly getting Indiana Jones killed, she's written to complain consistently about the narrative's events. Usually, it doesn't work. However, when Willie is struggling to ride an elephant backward, she exclaims "I can't go to Bangkok, I'm a singer!" Whether it was an intentional reference or not is unclear, but 1984 was also the year in which Murray Head's popular "One Night in Bangkok" was released.
I Hate Snakes, Jacques!: Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
Raiders of the Lost Ark's first scene tells the viewer all they need to know about Indiana Jones mostly via action. After being betrayed, then robbed, Indy has to run from a slew of local villagers blowing darts through a tube. After the masterfully crafted, narrow escape, all seems well. Then, the titular character screams and holds up a slithering reptile which he apparently doesn't care for.
Indiana Jones screaming "I hate snakes, Jacques" is a funny moment in service of several larger purposes. The first is a further characterization of Indiana Jones in a brief period. The audience now knows that the man is afraid of very little, but snakes are a major weakness. Equally important is the fact that the scene serves as foreshadowing. The joke works for the movie just as much as it works in the movie.
Yeah, Maybe Next Time: Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
Indy and Marion are barreling through a Cairo marketplace on the run from murderous goons the Nazis have essentially subcontracted. The fast-paced action of the scene is balanced with the visual humor of a monkey literally on Marion's back.
A swordsman approaches and begins flipping the weapon around quickly. He's showing off, and Indiana Jones does not play in. The reality of the situation was that Harrison Ford was ill the day of filming and didn't have it in him to go about a sword fight. Instead, he flashes his revolver and fires once. It's great cinematic improvisation as well as a funny, yet very fitting, moment for the character.