The Palm Beach Story (1942)

Best movie ever!

A Major Disappointment

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

I am really at a loss to understand how this movie gets the reputation it has earned. Just because Preston Sturges' name is involved doesn't make it profoundly funny or profoundly insightful. Claudette Colbert was a charming cutie and all that. But born in 1903 and at nearly 40 years old when this picture was made, the motivations and emotional responses she is asked to exhibit in Palm Beach Story are way too immature for who she actually is. IMO, that can be said of nearly everyone involved in this coarsely unfunny movie. Mary Astor, another lovely and wonderful actress, is also made to act the complete noisy air-head. When the film was made there no doubt were other criteria to judge her character by. These days however, again IMO, Astor's constant screeching and especially her relationship with Toto, her annoyingly unattractive hanger on, who understands nothing, is actually offensive. Cringe-worthy to be honest. (Toto's character and how he is treated reminds me of the part played by Asta or one of those other terrier dogs that were popular in screwball comedies.) Only Rudy Vallee, who later in his career perfected the Teflon-coated stooge role, seemed to me to almost transcend the material. Everyone is entitled to enjoy whatever movie or star or whatever they like. As for me,I'm darned if I know what the attraction is in Palm Beach Story.

This movie has madness and a few zany scenes. But I think the accolades of many for Preston Sturges having a great comedy here are overblown. "The Palm Beach Story" is funny, but only in parts. And, some of those are strained. The goings-on of the Ale and Quail Club soon wear out. And Claudette Colbert's hiding from the gang on the train isn't worth any howls. The premise for the story is OK, and far out. Unfortunately, Colbert's Gerry Jeffers is too "logical" and explanatory with hubby Tom, played by Joel McCrea. And, McCrea is just too dour for most of the comedy. That always serious, almost stern look of his was OK for Westerns, but it wasn't great for most of his comedy efforts. The one exception being, "Adventure in Manhattan" of 1936. Colbert and McCrea don't have much chemistry in this film. Someone like Fred MacMurray would be able to play the straight face, serious look for real comedic effect.I think the best comedy of this film comes from Rudy Vallee as J.D. Hackensacker III, and from Mary Astor as his sister, Princess Centimillia. Vallee's character is funny in himself – fast-talking and always writing costs of items in his little black book. And Astor's princess has some of the funniest lines in the movie.The movie is okay and enjoyable. But it's not full of laughable scenes and lines. It's not up there with the best comedies of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Here are a couple examples of the witty dialog.J.D., "Chivalry is not only dead, it's decomposed."Gerry, "No, I don't want to listen to anything that begins with 'Look, darling,' so that you can get off another noble saying."J.D., "That's one of the tragedies of this life – that the men who are most in need of a beating are always enormous."

Interesting that a couple of reviewers for the film on IMDb call this picture 'one of Sturges's best' and 'Sturges at his worst'. I guess that goes to the old saying that it takes all kinds. From the outset I had a pretty good idea that this was intended to be a screwball comedy, and the story did have it's share of quirky, fast paced dialog, but for me there was an element missing to get it over the top as a credible story. What I really couldn't understand was why Gerry Jeffers (Claudette Cobert) thought the answer to all her marital problems was to run away and get a divorce, and then behave in ways that resulted in insuring the marriage.I'll say this though - for 1942, seven hundred dollars sure went a long way. The Weiner King's generous hand out to Jerry managed to cover all the back rent, dinner, a theater show, supper, the butcher, grocer and drugstore, a trip to the hairdresser and still managed fourteen dollars left over for husband Tom (Joel McCrea) to have fun with. There were good old days and then there were good old days, but man, I sure would love to stretch a buck that far.One redeeming note to the story, I thought Hackensacker (Rudy Vallee) was a stand up guy at the finale when he got jilted by Gerry and still decided to offer the loan to Tom for the airport project. Goes to show that business doesn't have to mix with pleasure for a businessman to recognize a profitable deal. But that triple wedding!?!? What were the odds?

Preston Sturges wrote and directed this wacky screwball comedy that features Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert as Tom and Gerry Jeffers, a happily married but poor couple who are about to be evicted from their apartment. Tom is a good but poor inventor and architect who just needs money to get started, and after meeting an eccentric prospective tenant(and millionaire!) who gives him money, he is quite happy, but his wife doesn't believe him, and runs off, determined to marry a millionaire to fund Tom's projects! Tom goes after her, but gets involved with the crazy family of the millionaire(played by Rudy Valle) Gerry intends to marry... Insane comedy is undeniably funny at times, and unpredictable, with a truly bizarre ending, but that's its problem: it doesn't know when, or how to quit, becoming so absurd that it took me right out of the movie, and I ultimately gave up altogether. Seriously needed some self-restraint and discipline here!