It's surprising they ever managed to shoot these scenes! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the funniest moments when Robin Williams induced unscripted or unplanned laughter from the cast and crew.
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00:00 "She woke up and was like, 'Oh, is that you?'"
00:02 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the funniest moments
00:06 when Robin Williams induced unscripted or unplanned laughter from the cast and crew.
00:11 "Well, surely you must be the son of God."
00:14 Number 10. Cracking up with Philip Seymour Hoffman.
00:21 Patch Adams. A seasoned pro of the screen, Philip Seymour Hoffman starred in many notable dramas,
00:26 and even won the Oscar in 2006 for playing Truman Capote.
00:30 "I'm so sorry. I've been away."
00:33 Point is, he doesn't seem like the type of actor who would break easily. Yet he and
00:38 Robin Williams were having the time of their lives on the set of Patch Adams.
00:41 "Hi, Patch Adams."
00:42 "Mitch Roman. I went to Georgetown University. I was awarded the William F. Thompson Scientific
00:48 Achievement Award."
00:49 Hoffman and Williams just can't seem to get through the scene in which Mitch introduces
00:54 himself to Patch. They incessantly giggle like a couple of teenagers on a mind-altering substance,
00:59 and they can't make it two sentences without breaking.
01:01 "I was awarded the William F. Thompson Scientific."
01:04 "I hate this part. You always do that."
01:09 We wish we were on set that day. It seemed like a good time.
01:13 "This isn't right. Not at these prices. Okay, here we go. Last time. This is it."
01:19 Number 9. The broadcasts.
01:21 Good Morning, Vietnam.
01:23 Robin Williams earned his first Oscar nomination for playing Adrian Kronauer,
01:27 an armed forces DJ who keeps morale high during the Vietnam War.
01:30 "Gooood morning, Vietnam!"
01:34 Adrian's hilarious broadcasts were largely improvised by Williams,
01:38 with producer Mark Johnson saying they, quote, "just let the cameras roll."
01:42 "It's 0600. What's the O stand for? Oh my god, it's early."
01:45 What resulted was cinematic magic, with many people losing their composure both in front of
01:51 and behind said cameras. There's also a scene where Adrian breaks from the radio
01:55 and entertains a group of G.I.s in person.
01:58 "Hey, would you like to welcome you to Vietnam,
01:59 the country that is more stimulating than a strong cup of cappuccino or an espresso enema."
02:04 Many of these extras did not speak English, yet they still laughed at
02:07 Williams' physical mannerisms, and their genuine laughter was included in the film.
02:12 "Quick newsflash. Former President Eisenhower, actually cartoon character Elmer Fudd,
02:15 he was quoted as saying, 'Thank you, America. It was fun being president.'"
02:20 Number 8. Slipping on the Floor. The Birdcage.
02:23 One of Williams' more underrated comedies,
02:25 The Birdcage contains one of the funniest scenes in his filmography.
02:29 And it's not thanks to the script, but Williams himself.
02:32 "You've got to get in there. Everything is going to hell."
02:36 "You didn't make an entree."
02:37 "What? What do you mean? We just had soup?"
02:41 "Your peasant soup is an entree. It's like a stew.
02:44 What do you think I put so much in it for?"
02:47 "Shut up!"
02:47 Armand, Val, and Aguador are panicking inside a kitchen,
02:50 and Armand eventually slips on the floor.
02:53 "Shut up!"
02:53 Williams genuinely slipped and fell, and Armand telling Aguador that he was
02:58 alright was actually Williams informing Hank Azaria.
03:01 "It's okay. We're alright."
03:03 Funnily enough, Williams is the one who breaks from this mistake.
03:06 While the other two are mostly successful in keeping a straight face,
03:10 it's Williams who briefly giggles while desperately trying to stay in character.
03:14 "What are you standing there for? Go! Go! She'll be here in a minute! Go!"
03:18 Number 7. Making Ben Stiller Laugh - Night at the Museum
03:21 Robin Williams clearly had a penchant for making even the most professional of actors laugh.
03:26 He stars alongside screen veteran Ben Stiller in Night at the Museum,
03:30 playing a living wax sculpture of Theodore Roosevelt.
03:33 "Climb aboard, boy. Take the hand, son."
03:37 One scene required Stiller to kneel over Williams as he lay in the snow,
03:40 and for some reason, it brought out the giggles.
03:43 "Listen, I'm fine. All we have to do now is to do something because
03:46 half the museum's running amok. I'm sorry."
03:48 They're barely able to string three words together without laughing,
03:52 and at one point, director Sean Levy can be heard telling them to, quote, "take a breath."
03:57 Stiller's little jig does nothing to help and he breaks again, forcing Levy to finally call cut.
04:02 "Cut it!"
04:04 We don't blame Stiller. We'd be laughing too.
04:06 Number 6. Farting - Patch Adams
04:09 We return to the medical comedy for the most universal form of humor.
04:13 That of a good, loud fart. The camera is slowly panning into Williams when he lets loose,
04:18 forcing an immediate breaking of character from everyone around him.
04:22 Monica Potter smiles and looks a bit disgusted while Daniel London
04:30 immediately laughs and turns to a slightly embarrassed Williams.
04:35 And while we don't see Philip Seymour Hoffman's reaction,
04:38 he's clearly grinning when the camera pans back to him.
04:41 Williams doesn't even have to open his mouth to get everyone around him laughing.
04:45 Such is the connective power of a good toot.
04:48 Number 5. Making Elmo Cringe - Sesame Street
04:52 Robin Williams starred multiple times on Sesame Street,
04:55 often bearded and wearing both a baseball cap and a colorful shirt.
04:59 "What are you gonna do with that stick?"
05:00 "Oh Elmo, there's lots of things you can do with this stick. You can start off,
05:03 you can be playing baseball in the World Series. Hit it over the fence and realize, I'm the one!"
05:09 He appeared during the 1991 special Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake,
05:13 showing Elmo the imaginative power of a simple stick. The 2018 documentary Robin Williams Come
05:19 Inside My Mind contains outtakes from this segment, and they are every bit as enjoyable
05:23 as you would think.
05:24 "Maybe it could be like a baton. There you are conducting a full orchestra. Thank you,
05:30 Madonna, for that lovely lingerie melody. I better go back, we'll never be able to do that."
05:35 "I realize."
05:38 The clips ooze with charm, as Williams makes the crew laugh with his silly antics.
05:43 The funniest part comes when Elmo accidentally calls him Mr. Robbins,
05:46 prompting a great reaction that warms the heart and soothes the soul.
05:52 "Thank you, Mr. Robbins." "Mr. Robbins? I'm taking the stick back, Elmo."
05:57 Number 4. Laughing with Robert De Niro. Awakenings. Not to belabor the "he makes
06:05 seasoned pros" laugh point, but come on, this is Robert freaking De Niro we're talking about here.
06:09 "Ellen, if you could turn this way, please. It's a camera called a Polaroid. Thank you."
06:15 In fact, De Niro earned an Oscar nomination for playing encephalitis patient Leonard Lowe,
06:20 proving that he was at the top of his game on set. Yet he couldn't help but laugh alongside
06:25 his co-star. Williams stumbles during one scene, leading to a prolonged joke in which
06:30 he starts doing another voice. "It's an idea before it's time, but let's try it.
06:35 I've wanted to talk like this for the entire movie."
06:37 This voice makes De Niro laugh even harder, and to be honest, we don't think we've ever seen him
06:44 like that. De Niro has always seemed like a very serious person, yet here he is belly laughing
06:49 with the rest of us. "Lenny and I have an idea."
06:52 Number 3. Making Everyone Laugh. Whose line is it anyway? It's hard to name the funniest
06:58 segment in Whose Line history, but may we suggest scenes from A Hat with Robin Williams?
07:02 Williams was on fire the whole episode, elevating the energy and effort from everyone else. But he
07:10 really shines during scenes from A Hat. It's just wall-to-wall hilarity, and the laughter
07:15 literally never stops for three and a half minutes. "Is this the loved one? Alright,
07:20 start the truck Johnny. Wow, look at him move! Isn't that incredible ladies and gentlemen,
07:26 with just six volts you can make your relatives dance again!"
07:29 The audience is clearly having the time of their lives, and the other performers are often doubled
07:34 over in laughter. Even the inscrutable Colin Mockrey laughs on more than one occasion,
07:39 even though he's the one usually causing the breaking. Oh, to have been in that audience.
07:44 "Who's your daddy?"
07:45 Number 2. Stuck in the Floor. Jumanji. 90s kids may remember the visual of Alan Parrish being
07:53 stuck in the wooden attic floor, the unfortunate result of playing the titular Jumanji. "That was
07:58 very quick thinking. Sarah and I would like to get out of the floor." Even having his face stuck
08:03 inside a prop floor isn't enough to stop Williams from bringing the heat. Bonnie Hunt gets the
08:08 giggles acting alongside Williams' face, and frankly, we don't blame her. It'd be quite hard
08:13 taking that visual seriously. "Do I have that effect on you?" "No, no." "What?" "It's something
08:19 else." "What is it?" "Nothing." "It's not Catholic is it?" "No, it's nothing to do with a dead
08:24 relative or anything, it's just..." Williams keeps the laughs and smiles coming, making jokes about
08:30 religion, crafting stupid puns, and screaming in her face for no reason. "What?" "I just felt I
08:37 should do that." And yes, just like Patch Adams, there's even a fart. "You're in crisis." "It's
08:43 okay, I just farted." "Let's do that one again, okay?" "The farting part." "No." Before we continue,
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09:04 Number 1. The fart story. Good Will Hunting. Okay, so Robin Williams clearly had a thing
09:09 for farting. Even a comedic genius such as him found value in it. "My wife used to fart when
09:14 she was nervous." Good Will Hunting is one of Williams' most serious roles, playing the grieving
09:19 Sean Maguire. But he still finds time to squeak in a good fart joke. "She used to fart in her sleep."
09:25 Sean tells Will a funny anecdote about his late wife tooting in her sleep,
09:29 and the entire bit was ad-libbed by Williams. "One night it was so loud it woke the dog up."
09:35 Will's reaction is genuine laughter from Matt Damon, and legend has it that the camera operator
09:40 also chuckled, causing the screen to subtly shake. Not only is the speech hilarious,
09:45 it also adds a beautifully and oddly touching dimension to Sean's character.
09:49 Such was the genius of Robin Williams. "Those are the things I miss the most."
09:54 What joke had you laughing the hardest? Let us know in the comments below.
09:58 "Quite something, very, very amazing, really funny."
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10:10 [Music]