Recorded at the Historic Camelot Theater, Palm Springs, CA on May 26, 2024
TRANSCRIPT
(ALIECE PICKETT:) This is the 20th film we’ve screened for you.
Over two seasons, we’ve discussed the five social and economic factors that led to the advent of Screwball Comedy.
First, the Wall Street Crash, the Great Depression, and deprivations from 25% unemployment and terrible hardships people were suffering.
Movie studios met the needs of the masses by making beautiful films for escapism and pleasure at a time of great suffering in our country.
The second factor was the repeal of Prohibition, which led to the celebration of drinking culture.
Writers used alcohol as a device to explain wacky, madcap behavior in our films.
The third factor was increasing freedom for women to participate in society.
Women were given the vote, they were allowed to drive, they could dance in public, and drink.
They were not, with limited exceptions, allowed to participate in the traditional professions of architecture, medicine, law.
But they were on their way, and Screwball Comedy reflected that by giving Screwball heroines agency.
They were unconventional, self-directed, and they didn’t want to be dominated.
The fourth factor was the advent of sound film.
Suddenly dialogue was very important to film.
The major studios put out the siren call of big paydays for writers.
This brought writers from across the country and Europe, and from every discipline.
You had novelists, Broadway playwrights, journalists and reporters.
They all came to Hollywood to write scripts.
Those gentlemen, primarily, with few exceptions they were male writers, were an independent lot.
They didn’t like to be told what to do, which led to the fifth factor, the imposition of severe censorship on film.
Among other things, criminal activity had to be punished by the end of the film.
And there could be no visual or verbal depiction or reference to sex.
Writers were frustrated by that, and they weren’t going to allow the censorship board to tell them what to do.
They thought of clever ways to work around the rules, and you see that throughout Screwball Comedy.
We’ve also, in the series, compared and contrasted Romantic Comedy to Screwball Comedy.
While they share some attributes, there are differences.
Romantic Comedy has conventional relationships, earnest, sincere characters, melodrama and sentiment.
No satire or irony.
Screwball Comedy is the opposite.
During the series we’ve had guest speakers from around the country, from New York, Florida, Chicago, Los Angeles and one speaker from Rancho Mirage.
They’ve given us tools to appreciate and understand these treasures.
With their expertise, they’ve shared insights on gender studies, marital comedy, costume design, background and insights on the stars of the films, and the effect of music on story pacing and heightening of emotions in the films.
Before each film, at our lobby table, we display research materials used to prepare for the discussions accompanying each film.
For today’s movie, we have books by Scott Eyman and Joseph McBride on Ernst Lubitsch, today’s co-writer and director.
Our discussions include original analysis.
We challenge conventions of prior research and re-examine the role of Screwball heroines and the men in Screwball Comedy.
We believe these need fresh eyes and new attention.
Today we’ve selected “Trouble in Paradise” (1932), as our season finale.
If you don’t know “Trouble in Paradise”, you can’t know Screwball Comedy unless you know this movie and Ernst Lubitsch.
Lubitsch is known for his style, elegance, and the charm and beauty of his movies.
There is eroticism in them.
There’s wit and laughter.
After the movie, my partner, Ed Schroeder, and I will discuss the “Lubitsch Touch”, unique to his films.
I will say nothing about the plot of this film except, enjoy the dialogue.
Savor it.
It’s playful, nuanced, and lyrical in the way it’s written.
That is Ernst Lubitsch co-writer, uncredited, and his writing partner, Samson Raphaelson.
They pulled out the stops on this one.
Both gentlemen said this was a high point in their career for writing.
The actors in this film are beautiful.
In their physical beauty, it’s breathtaking.
Before there was a Cary Grant, there was Herbert Marshall, today’s star.
He has a physical grace and elegance, a deep resonant voice, and he has a light comic gift for this role.
This is the high watermark for his career also.
His co-stars are Miriam Hopkins and Kay Francis.
They are stunning beauties.
And while they are polar opposites in appearance and personality, they are both irresistible.
You will see visual cues for the sophisticated opulence.
Look for the Art Deco in the sign fonts and also Hans Dreier’s furnishings and his set decorations.
They are gorgeous.
You’ll see Art Deco in the sets, the lighting fixtures, the clocks, the furniture, and the textiles.
It’s all over and it’s magnificent, particularly on the big screen.
This film is a masterpiece.
It is exceptional in every element.
So without further ado ladies and gentlemen, “Trouble in Paradise”.🎥
Film Society of Screwball Comedy®
Edited by Aliece Pickett
Copyright 2025