Editing Double act (section)

===1940s–1960s===
[[File:Lewis and Martin.jpg|thumb|left|[[Martin and Lewis]]]]

Laurel and Hardy released ''[[Saps at Sea]]'', in 1940; it was their final film for long-term producer and collaborator [[Hal Roach]]. Later their popularity declined. In 1940s America the double act remained a cinema draw, developing into the [[Buddy film|"buddy movie]]" genre, with Abbott and Costello making the transition from stage to screen and the first of [[Bob Hope]] and [[Bing Crosby]]'s ''[[Road to...]]'' series in 1940. Further acts followed. For example, the first pairing of [[Dean Martin]] and [[Jerry Lewis]] occurred in 1946. About the same time [[The Bickersons]] became popular on radio. [[Mel Brooks]] and [[Carl Reiner]] started their [[2000 Year Old Man]] recordings and subsequent television appearances in 1961. The genre has continued to exist in cinema while making a successful transition to radio and later TV via [[The Smothers Brothers]] and ''[[Rowan and Martin's Laugh In]]''.

In Britain, double acts were confined to theatres and radio until the late 1950s, when double acts such as [[Morecambe and Wise]] and [[Mike and Bernie Winters]] slowly began the transition to TV on variety shows such as ''[[Sunday Night at the London Palladium]]''. These acts came into their own in the mid- to late-1960s. When Morecambe and Wise teamed up with writer [[Eddie Braben]], they began to redefine what was meant by a double act, with Wise, the straight man, being developed into a comic character in his own right. They provided the link between music hall and modern comedy for double acts.<ref name=BBC2>''The Story of Light Entertainment: Double Acts'', BBC 2, 9pm, 22 July 2006</ref> As the two leading double acts of the day, Morecambe and Wise and the Winters brothers enjoyed a playful rivalry—the Winters mocked the slight edge Morecambe and Wise had over them in popularity, while Morecambe, when asked what he and Wise would have been if not comedians, replied "''Mike and Bernie Winters''".

A series of black-and-white films based on [[Don Camillo and Peppone]] characters created by the Italian writer and journalist [[Giovannino Guareschi]] were made between 1952 and 1965. These were French-Italian coproductions, and starred [[Fernandel]] as the Italian priest Don Camillo and [[Gino Cervi]] as Giuseppe 'Peppone' Bottazzi, the Communist Mayor of their rural town. The titles are: ''[[The Little World of Don Camillo]]'' (1952), ''[[The Return of Don Camillo]]'' (1953), ''[[Don Camillo's Last Round]]'' (1955), ''[[Don Camillo: Monsignor]]'' (1961), and ''[[Don Camillo in Moscow]]'' (1965). The movies were a huge commercial success in their native countries. In 1952, ''Little World of Don Camillo'' became the highest-grossing film in both Italy and France,<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=9 September 1953|page=7|title=Europe Choosey on Films, Sez Reiner; Sluffs Flops|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/variety191-1953-09#page/n70/mode/1up|access-date=29 September 2019|via=[[Archive.org]]}}</ref> while ''The Return of Don Camillo'' was the second most popular film of 1953 at the Italian and French box office.<ref>{{cite web|website=Box Office Story|title=1953 at the box office|url=https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.boxofficestory.com/france-1948-c22733213&prev=search}}</ref>
[[File:Franco Franchi & Ciccio Ingrassia.jpg|thumb|[[Franco and Ciccio]]]]

[[Franco and Ciccio]] were a comedy duo formed by Italian actors [[Franco Franchi]] (1928–1992) and [[Ciccio Ingrassia]] (1922–2003), particularly popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Their collaboration began in 1954 in the theater field, and ended with Franchi's death in 1992. The two made their cinema debuts in 1960 with the film ''[[Appuntamento a Ischia]]''. They remained active until 1984 when their last film together, ''[[Kaos (film)|Kaos]]'', was shot, although there were some interruptions in 1973 and from 1975 to 1980.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://palermo.repubblica.it/cronaca/2012/12/11/news/una_piazza_per_franco_e_ciccio-48510063/|title=Una piazza per Franco e Ciccio amarcord tra vicoli e teatrini – Palermo – Repubblica.it|date=11 December 2012|access-date=14 September 2018|language=it}}</ref> Together, they appeared in 112 films.<ref>{{cite book|first=Paolo|last=Mereghetti|title=Dizionario dei film 2006|publisher=Baldini Castoldi Dalai|year=2006|language=it|isbn=978-8884907783}}</ref> They acted in films certainly made in a short time and with few means, such as those shot with director [[Marcello Ciorciolini]], sometimes even making a dozen films in a year, often without a real script and where they often improvised on the set. Also are the 13 films directed by [[Lucio Fulci]], who was the architect of the reversal of their typical roles by making Ciccio the serious one, the sidekick, and Franco the comic one.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://iltirreno.gelocal.it/regione/toscana/2015/01/09/news/franco-e-ciccio-amatissimi-dal-pubblico-detestati-dalla-critica-1.10634866|title=Franco e Ciccio: amatissimi dal pubblico, detestati dalla critica - Toscana - il Tirreno|access-date=14 September 2018|language=it}}</ref> They also worked with important directors such as [[Pier Paolo Pasolini]] and the [[Taviani brothers]]. Considered at the time as protagonists of [[B movie]], they were subsequently reevaluated by critics for their comedy and creative abilities, becoming the subject of study.<ref name="sentieriselvaggi">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sentieriselvaggi.it/libri-di-cinema-due-cialtroni-alla-rovescia-studio-sulla-comicit-di-franco-franchi-e-ciccio-ingrassia-di-fabio-piccione/|title=Libri di cinema - "Due Cialtroni alla rovescia. Studio sulla comicità di Franco Franchi e Ciccio Ingrassia" di Fabio Piccione. - SentieriSelvaggi|date=6 June 2005 |access-date=14 September 2018}}</ref><ref name="mondadoristore">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mondadoristore.it/Soprassediamo-Franco-Gordiano-Lupi/eai978887606548/|title=Soprassediamo! Franco & Ciccio story. Il cinema comico-parodistico di Franco Franchi e Ciccio Ingrassia. Ediz. illustrata - Gordiano Lupi|publisher=Mondadori Store Team|access-date=14 September 2018}}</ref> The huge success with the public is evidenced by the box office earnings, which in the 1960s, represented 10% of the annual earnings in Italy.<ref name="Lezioni">DVD N.9 ''Lezioni di cinema'', Repubblica-L'espresso</ref>

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the traditional formula was shunned by [[The Two Ronnies]], who completely dispensed with the need for a straight man, and [[Peter Cook]] and [[Dudley Moore]], two [[Oxbridge]]-educated comedians who used the double act to deliver satire and edgy comedy.