Okay, so, I’ve been on this whole classic movie kick lately, and let me tell you, it’s been a wild ride. Today, I want to talk about screwball comedies from the 1930s. I didn’t even know this was a “thing” until I started digging around.
First off, I got curious about this whole “screwball” term. Turns out, these movies popped up during the Great Depression. People were down in the dumps, and they needed a good laugh, you know? So Hollywood was like, “Hold my beer,” and started cranking out these wacky films.
The first thing I did was try to find some lists of these movies. I found that “Bombshell” from 1933. So, I watched it! The actress is Jean Harlow. I had never seen her before. Turns out her career was pretty short but she did a lot in the time she had. I found more titles.
Then, I stumbled upon a film called “Design for Living”. It is directed by Ernst Lubitsch. What a name, right? This one was a real treat. It had this whole love triangle thing going on, but it was so funny and clever.
I kept going down this rabbit hole, and found a name. This guy named Lewis Milestone, I learned about a movie called “The Front Page” (1931). Apparently, that was one of the first ones. But the whole thing really blew up in 1934 with a movie called “It Happened One Night”. It stars Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, and it’s about this runaway heiress and a reporter who end up traveling together.
These movies are nuts, I am telling you. They’re fast-paced, the dialogue is snappy, and the situations are just over-the-top. You’ve got your strong, independent women, your goofy leading men, and a whole lot of mistaken identities and slapstick.
What I found really interesting is that even though these movies are like 90 years old, they’re still funny. Like, genuinely funny. And some people say that even though the golden age of screwball comedies was over by the 1940s, you still see bits and pieces of them in movies today. I made a list to keep track.
Here’s my list of what I’ve watched so far:
- Bombshell (1933)
- Design for Living (1933)
- It Happened One Night (1934)
- The Front Page (1931)
I’m definitely going to keep exploring this genre. It’s like a time capsule, but also just a really good time. If you’ve got any recommendations, let me know! I’m always up for a good laugh.
