
Screwball comedies were a popular film genre from the 30′s and 40′s. The name “screwball comedy” is a pretty apt descriptor, the situations the leads found themselves in were most often quite “screwy” “wacky” “zany” etc etc.
The storylines were designed to provide a bit of escapism for depression era audiences. Often the entire cast would seem to be independently wealthy without a thought in the world about money troubles. Or they showed how being poor wasn’t so bad after all by having some poor person stumble upon wealth with all its “drawbacks”, or some rich person find themselves living a poor life with all its “charms”.
Against this setting there was invariably some sort of troubled romance, usually with a misunderstanding causing the two lovers to be kept apart (and occupied by screwy, wacky and zany situations) until their reconciliation at the end of the movie.
Yet though such movies could easily have turned silly and formulaic, many of the greatest American movies were screwball comedies. The thirties and forties were a time when Hollywood directors were operating at the top of their game and many of the best chose to work in the screwball comedy genre.
There were many great screwball comedies. His Girl Friday may be the best film Howard Hawks ever made, and take my word for it, that guy made some superlative films. Capra’s It Happened One Night can most accurately be described as irresistible, and The Lady Eve was just one of an amazing string of brilliant movies made by Preston Sturges. The Screwball Comedy is one of the great American contributions to the world (along with the Western and Death Metal).
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