Directed by:
Preston SturgesScreenplay:
Preston SturgesCinematography:
Victor MilnerComposer:
Victor YoungCast:
Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor, Rudy Vallee, Sig Arno, Jimmy Conlin, William Demarest, Robert Greig, Roscoe Ates, Dewey Robinson, Chester Conklin (more)Plots(1)
This wild tale of wacky wedlock from Preston Sturges takes off like a rocket and never lets up. Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert play Tom and Gerry, a married New York couple on the skids, financially and romantically. With Tom hot on her trail, Gerry takes off for Florida on a mission to solve the pair’s money troubles, which she accomplishes in a highly unorthodox manner. A mix of the witty and the utterly absurd, The Palm Beach Story is a high watermark of Sturges’s brand of physical comedy and verbal repartee, featuring sparkling performances from its leads as well as hilarious supporting turns from Rudy Vallee and Mary Astor as a brother and a sister ensnared in Tom and Gerry’s high jinks. (Criterion)
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Reviews (2)
This is a pleasant remarriage screwball. The charming Claudette Colbert carries the whole story on her own spicy shoulders. There are a thousand popular "I am someone else" situations (popular in their time). Of the male ensemble, I have to single out the sexy Rudy Vallée, who was still singing in Fleischers with Betty Boop in the early 1930s. I have to also praise the emigrant Sigi Arno, who for a change rampaged in German cinema during Weimar times (often alongside Anny Ondra) and eventually saved himself in the role of funny foreigners who, although not understood, are also not racially abused.
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Preston Sturges continues to show that screwball comedies are his forte and that he is capable of creating excellent characters. Here, it is beautifully manifested and the supporting roles are hilariously entertaining. Especially Toto is unforgettable. However, the film also captivates with its story, which may seem simple at first glance, but the plot unfolds beautifully, bringing us back to the beginning once again.
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