allmovie
allmusicallmovieallgame
Rovi: Powered by AMG

enter a title or name

» Coming Soon » Quick Browse
» Essays » Glossary
» New Releases » Movie Trailers
» AllMovie Blog » In the Spotlight
 
Born Today
David Hillman (1934)
Andrew Davis (1946)
Dorothy Granger (1914)
Corinne Griffith (1894)
explore by.../type
Screwball Comedy

A type of comedy that originated in Hollywood during the '30s and that emphasized quick, funny dialogue delivered at breakneck speed, grounded in tight well-made plots. More often than not, these films focused on eccentric characters doing odd or whimsical things. Often these characters were wealthy, a rarity -- despite the Great Depression -- that allowed for strange, crazy behavior. These comedies often feature a romantic couple whose members usually start as antagonists (only to fall in love by the conclusion) or faced obstacles such as class and cultural boundaries, which too would be overcome by the end. Because of this latter formula, many screwball comedies also tackled the social pressure of the Depression as a sub-plot. Originators of the classic screwball comedy include Howard Hawks (His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby), Preston Sturges (The Palm Beach Story, Sullivan's Travels), George Cukor (The Philadelphia Story), and Frank Capra (You Can't Take It With You, It Happened One Night).

Major Works
Rating
Year
 Title
 
 Director
  9 Stars 1938 You Can't Take It with You   Frank Capra
  9 Stars 1940 The Philadelphia Story   George Cukor
  9 Stars 1935 A Night at the Opera   Sam Wood
  9 Stars 1936 My Man Godfrey   Gregory La Cava
  9 Stars 1934 It Happened One Night   Frank Capra
  9 Stars 1940 His Girl Friday   Howard Hawks
  9 Stars 1938 Bringing Up Baby   Howard Hawks
  8 Stars 1934 Twentieth Century   Howard Hawks
  8 Stars 1942 The Palm Beach Story   Preston Sturges
  8 Stars 1937 Nothing Sacred   William Wellman
  8 Stars 1944 The Miracle of Morgan's Creek   Preston Sturges
  8 Stars 1937 The Awful Truth   Leo McCarey
  8 Stars 1981 Arthur   Steve Gordon
  7 Stars 2000 Wonder Boys   Curtis Hanson
  7 Stars 1996 Flirting With Disaster   David O. Russell
    7 Stars 1936 Theodora Goes Wild   Richard Boleslawsky
    7 Stars 1937 It's Love I'm After   Archie Mayo
  7 Stars 1972 What's Up, Doc?   Peter Bogdanovich
    7 Stars 1937 Topper   Norman Z. McLeod
  7 Stars 1940 My Favorite Wife   Garson Kanin
    7 Stars 1941 Love Crazy   Jack Conway
  7 Stars 1932 Horse Feathers   Norman Z. McLeod
  7 Stars 1944 Hail the Conquering Hero   Preston Sturges
  7 Stars 1940 The Great McGinty   Preston Sturges
  7 Stars 1940 Christmas in July   Preston Sturges
  6 Stars 1997 Mr. Jealousy   Noah Baumbach
    6 Stars 1944 San Diego, I Love You   Reginald Le Borg
    6 Stars 1941 Bedtime Story   Alexander Hall
  6 Stars 1952 Monkey Business   Howard Hawks
  6 Stars 1985 Desperately Seeking Susan   Susan Seidelman
    5 Stars 1999 Matroni et moi   Jean-Philippe Duval
    5 Stars 1999 The Big Split   Martin Hynes
  5 Stars 1999 Mumford   Lawrence Kasdan
    5 Stars 1999 Südsee, eigene Insel   Thomas Bahmann
  5 Stars 1998 Radio No Jikan   Koki Mitani
  5 Stars 1997 Las Cosas Que Deje En La Habana   Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón
    5 Stars 1997 Remember Me?   Nick Hurran
  5 Stars 1994 The Hudsucker Proxy   Joel Coen
    5 Stars 1937 I Met Him in Paris   Wesley Ruggles
  5 Stars 1937 Stand-In   Tay Garnett
  5 Stars 1941 Road Show   Gordon M. Douglas
  5 Stars 1936 Libeled Lady   Jack Conway
    5 Stars 1937 Double Wedding   Richard Thorpe
  5 Stars 1929 The Cocoanuts   Robert Florey
  5 Stars 1941 The Bride Came C.O.D.   William Keighley
    4 Stars 1997 Chronique   Pierre Maillard
    4 Stars 1940 Too Many Husbands   Wesley Ruggles
    4 Stars 1940 Turnabout   Hal Roach
    4 Stars 1939 The Housekeeper's Daughter   Hal Roach
    4 Stars 1935 The Gilded Lily   Wesley Ruggles
  4 Stars 1975 The Fortune   Mike Nichols
  4 Stars 1937 Easy Living   Mitchell Leisen
    4 Stars 1934 The Affairs of Cellini   Gregory La Cava
  4 Stars 1963 Man's Favorite Sport?   Howard Hawks
    4 Stars 1940 The Doctor Takes a Wife   Alexander Hall
    4 Stars 1938 Boy Meets Girl   Lloyd Bacon
  4 Stars 1939 Another Thin Man   W.S. Van Dyke
  4 Stars 1936 After the Thin Man   W.S. Van Dyke
    3 Stars 1937 True Confession   Wesley Ruggles
    2 Stars 1951 A Millionaire for Christy   George Marshall
 
 
 
Rovi About Us | Contact | Employment | Product Submissions | Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Copyright Policy
© 2009 Macrovision Corporation. All Rights Reserved.