I confess that I never cared much for the Marx Brothers. I was always aware that this was a minority opinion. I just didn’t find them funny. As a teenager, I thought they were basically just cut-ups, forcing laughs and trying to take control of every situation — uncomfortably, now that I look back, likeContinue reading “Duck Soup (1933)”
Category Archives: Leo McCarey
The Awful Truth (1937)
Many film historians feel that The Awful Truth is the first true screwball comedy. I’m not sure about that, or even if it matters, but it is a very special comedy. It was directed and basically constructed on the set by Leo McCarey, one of the giants of Hollywood comic film, and the star actors,Continue reading “The Awful Truth (1937)”
The Milky Way (1936)
The Milky Way is one of my favorite comedies of the period. It’s hilarious on every level — physical, verbal, and situational. It’s a puzzle to me why it isn’t venerated more. It stars Harold Lloyd in one of his few speaking roles after his career as one of the three comic silent film geniusesContinue reading “The Milky Way (1936)”