The Palm Beach Story ***** (1942, Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor, Rudy Vallee) – Classic Movie Review 2923

Writer-director Preston Sturges’s marvellous 1942 American classic stars Claudette Colbert as a wife called Gerry Jeffers, who runs away from penniless inventor husband Tom Jeffers (Joel McCrea) and takes off for Florida’s Palm Beach. There she soon gets her claws into ridiculous millionaire J.D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee).

But, it’s a lot more complicated than that. The inventor needs cash to develop his big idea, and his wife meets the millionaire, who gives her $700 to start life afresh. But Tom refuses to believe her story and they quarrel. Gerry, who loves Tom, decides to raise the money for his invention for him by heading to Palm Beach for a quick divorce and marrying the millionaire.

Sturges’s brilliantly funny, deliciously clever screwball comedy is delightfully absurd and fluffy, and bubbling over with wacky characters and surprising situations. In a glorious movie taken at lightning speed, the playing is nothing short of perfect – with Colbert at her best and the two men on great form – and the wit is truly in the Oscar Wilde class. Mary Astor also stars as The Princess Centimillia.

Also in the cast are Sig Arno, Robert Warwick, Arthur Stuart Hall, Torben Meyer, Jimmy Conlin, Victor Potel, William Demarest, Jack Norton, Robert Greig, Roscoe Ates, Dewey Robinson, Chester Conklin, Sheldon Jett, Robert Dudley, Franklin Pangborn, Arthur Hoyt, Fred Toones, Charles R Moore, Frank Moran, Alan Bridge, Harry Rosenthal, Esther Howard, Monte Blue, Frank Faylen, Byron Foulger, Harry Hayden, J Farrell MacDonald, Edward McNamara, Mantan Moreland, Julius Tannen and Harry Tyler.

On a night out at the movies, Preston Sturges accidentally saw the end of a second feature musical Time Out for Rhythm (1941) starring radio crooner Rudy Vallee. He was the straight man for all the film’s jokes, but every time he spoke the audience roared. Sturges immediately created J.D. Hackensacker III for him. Paramount fought casting the radio star, as his early films had flopped, but Sturges insisted.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2923

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