Libeled Lady hits the sweetest spot of Hollywood comedies of the interwar era. It’s a transcendent example of the genre, a fusion of literate script, sharp-witted dialogue, brilliant acting, pacing, mise-en-scène, and all the screwball virtues: quick-reacting women, overconfident men with absurd plans, rapid-fire repartee and pratfalls, newsroom machismo and high-society suavité. It’s miraculous, actually,Continue reading “Libeled Lady (1936)”
Category Archives: Jean Harlow
Bombshell (1933)
If you’ve never seen Jean Harlow’s Bombshell before, you have to prepare yourself. It’s generally considered one of the great comedies of the 1930s, a surefire member of the Great Comic Canon. But it’s one of the oddest films in there. Imagine screwball marrying a nervous breakdown and having a meta-baby. It’s very funny, butContinue reading “Bombshell (1933)”
Wife vs. Secretary (1936)
Wife vs. Secretary was another experiment in combining comedy and melodrama, but with far more success than most of the others. The melodrama is managed with a light touch and elegance; so is the comedy. The core value of elegance is simplicity, and few films of the time can match Wife vs. Secretary for simplicity.Continue reading “Wife vs. Secretary (1936)”