The screwball comedy is a subgenre of the comedy film genre. It has proven to be one of the most popular and enduring film genres. It first gained prominence in 1934 with It Happened One Night, and although many film scholars would agree that its classic period ended sometime in the early 1940s, elements of the genre have persisted, or have been paid homage to, in contemporary film. Airplane! is considered by some critics to be one of the funniest movies of all time. ... Even in the early days of film history, the audience appetite for new content was voracious. ... It Happened One Night is a 1934 romantic comedy directed by Frank Capra, in which a pampered socialite (Claudette Colbert) tries to get out from under her fathers thumb, and falls in love with a roguish reporter (Clark Gable). ...

While there is no authoritative list of defining characteristics that comprise the screwball comedy genre, several qualities can be enumerated that tend to frequently appear in films considered to be definitive of the genre (see below). One proposed definition is "a sex comedy without the sex." [1]

It has close links with the theatrical genre of farce, and some comic plays are also described as screwball comedies. Many elements of the genre are apparent in Shakespeare's comedies, e.g. Much Ado About Nothing. Other genres with which screwball comedy is associated include slapstick, situation comedy, and romantic comedy. Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... Look up farce in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Shakespeare redirects here. ... Title page of the first quarto (1600) Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare. ... Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated physical violence. ... A situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. ... Romantic comedy films are a sub-genre of comedy films as well as of romance films. ...

Characteristics

Like farce, screwball comedies often involve mistaken identities, or other circumstances in which a character or characters try to keep some important fact a secret. Sometimes screwball comedies feature male characters cross-dressing, further contributing to the misunderstandings (Bringing Up Baby, I Was a Male War Bride). They also involve a central romantic story, usually in which the couple seem mismatched and even hostile to each other at first, and "meet cute" in some way. Often this mismatch comes about because the man is much further down the economic scale than the woman (Bringing Up Baby, Holiday). This articles is about cross-dressing in general, that is the act of wearing the clothing of another gender for any reason. ... Bringing up Baby is a 1938 screwball comedy which tells the story of a scientist who winds up in various predicaments with a woman who has a unique sense of logic and a leopard named Baby. ... I Was a Male War Bride is a 1949 comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan. ... In the genre of romantic comedy film, a Meet Cute is the encounter of two potential romantic partners in unusual circumstances, a comic situation contrived by the filmmakers entirely in order to bring them together. ... Bringing up Baby is a 1938 screwball comedy which tells the story of a scientist who winds up in various predicaments with a woman who has a unique sense of logic and a leopard named Baby. ... Holiday is a 1930 romantic comedy film which tells the story of a playboy who is torn between his free-thinking lifestyle and the tradition of his wealthy fiancées family. ...

Class issues are a strong component of screwball comedies: the upper class tend to be shown as idle and pampered, and have difficulty getting around in the real world (It Happened One Night). By contrast, when lower-class people attempt to pass themselves as upper-class, they are able to do so with relative ease (The Lady Eve, My Man Godfrey). It Happened One Night is a 1934 romantic comedy directed by Frank Capra, in which a pampered socialite (Claudette Colbert) tries to get out from under her fathers thumb, and falls in love with a roguish reporter (Clark Gable). ... The Lady Eve is a 1941 romantic screwball comedy film which tells the story of a couple who meet on a luxury liner. ... My Man Godfrey is a screwball comedy film released in 1936 by Universal Pictures. ...

Another comment element is fast-talking, witty repartee (You Can't Take it With You, His Girl Friday). This stylistic device did not originate in the screwballs (although it may be argued to have reached its zenith there): it can also be found in many of the old Hollywood Cycles including the gangster film, romantic comedies, and others. Look up Wit in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wit is a form of intellectual humor, based on manipulation of concepts; a wit is someone who excels in witty remarks, typically in conversation and spontaneously, since wit carries the connotation of speed of thought. ... You Cant Take It with You is a Pulitzer Prize winning comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, and was the basis for the 1938 Academy Award winning film directed by Frank Capra. ... His Girl Friday is a 1940 screwball comedy, a remake of the 1931 film The Front Page, itself an adaptation by Charles Lederer, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur of their play of the same name. ... In the classic era of Hollywood cinema (1930 - 1945) the cycles or genres matured. ...

Screwball comedies also tend to contain ridiculous, farcical situations, such as in Bringing Up Baby, in which a couple must take care of a pet leopard during much of the film. Slapstick elements are also frequently present (such as the numerous pratfalls Henry Fonda takes in The Lady Eve). Look up farce in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Bringing up Baby is a 1938 screwball comedy which tells the story of a scientist who winds up in various predicaments with a woman who has a unique sense of logic and a leopard named Baby. ... Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was a highly acclaimed Academy Award-winning American film actor, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists. ... The Lady Eve is a 1941 romantic screwball comedy film which tells the story of a couple who meet on a luxury liner. ...

One subgenre of screwball is known as the comedy of remarriage, in which characters are divorced and remarry. (The Awful Truth, The Philadelphia Story). Some scholars point to this frequent device as evidence of the shift in the American moral code by showing freer attitudes about divorce (though marriage is always seen to win out in the end). The comedy of remarriage is a subgenre typical of American cinema in the 1930s and 1940s. ... The Awful Truth is a 1937 romantic comedy (also screwball comedy) film. ... The Philadelphia Story is a 1940 romantic screwball comedy starring Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. ...

Examples of the genre from its classic period

• It Happened One Night (1934) d. Frank Capra
• Twentieth Century (1934), d. Howard Hawks
• My Man Godfrey (1936), d. Gregory LaCava
• The Awful Truth (1937), d. Leo McCarey
• Easy Living (1937), d. Mitchell Leisen
• Nothing Sacred (1937), d. William A. Wellman
• Bringing Up Baby (1938), d. Howard Hawks
• Holiday (1938), d. George Cukor
• Midnight (1939), d. Mitchell Leisen
• His Girl Friday (1940), d. Howard Hawks
• The Philadelphia Story (1940), d. George Cukor
• The Lady Eve (1941), d. Preston Sturges
• Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941), d. Alfred Hitchcock
• The Palm Beach Story (1942), d. Preston Sturges
• To Be or Not to Be (1942), d. Ernst Lubitsch
• Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), d. Frank Capra

Other films from this period in other genres incorporate elements of the screwball comedy. For example, Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 thriller The 39 Steps features the gimmick of a young couple who find themselves handcuffed together and who eventually, almost in spite of themselves, fall in love with one another, and Woody Van Dyke's 1934 detective comedy The Thin Man portrays a witty, urbane couple who trade barbs as they solve mysteries together. It Happened One Night is a 1934 romantic comedy directed by Frank Capra, in which a pampered socialite (Claudette Colbert) tries to get out from under her fathers thumb, and falls in love with a roguish reporter (Clark Gable). ... This article is about the film director. ... Twentieth Century was the title of several incarnations of a screwball comedy plot featuring an egomaniacal Broadway producer who makes a shopgirl into a star, then tries to win her back after she abandons him. ... Howard Hawks (May 30, 1896 – December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and writer of the classic Hollywood era. ... My Man Godfrey is a screwball comedy film released in 1936 by Universal Pictures. ... Born on March 10th 1892 in Towanda Pennsylvania. ... The Awful Truth is a 1937 romantic comedy (also screwball comedy) film. ... Leo McCarey (October 3, 1898 - July 5, 1969) was a movie director, screenwriter and producer. ... Easy Living is the name of a film, specifically a screwball comedy of 1937 made by Preston Sturges, starring Jean Arthur. ... Mitchell Leisen (born October 6, 1898–died October 28, 1972) was an American director, art director, and costume designer. ... Nothing Sacred is a 1937 movie starring Carole Lombard and Fredric March, and directed by William A. Wellman. ... William Augustus Wellman (February 29, 1896 - December 9, 1975) was an American movie director. ... Bringing up Baby is a 1938 screwball comedy which tells the story of a scientist who winds up in various predicaments with a woman who has a unique sense of logic and a leopard named Baby. ... Howard Hawks (May 30, 1896 – December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and writer of the classic Hollywood era. ... Holiday is a 1938 remake of the 1930 film of the same name—a romantic comedy which tells the story of a playboy who is torn between his free-thinking lifestyle and the tradition of his wealthy fiancées family. ... George Dewey Cukor (July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director. ... Midnight was a 1939 comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen and written by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder based on a story by Edwin Justus Mayer and Franz Schulz. ... Mitchell Leisen (born October 6, 1898–died October 28, 1972) was an American director, art director, and costume designer. ... His Girl Friday is a 1940 screwball comedy, a remake of the 1931 film The Front Page, itself an adaptation by Charles Lederer, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur of their play of the same name. ... Howard Hawks (May 30, 1896 – December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and writer of the classic Hollywood era. ... The Philadelphia Story is a 1940 romantic screwball comedy starring Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. ... George Dewey Cukor (July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director. ... The Lady Eve is a 1941 romantic screwball comedy film which tells the story of a couple who meet on a luxury liner. ... Preston Sturges (August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959), originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a celebrated screenwriter and director born in Chicago. ... For other uses see Mr. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was a highly influential film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... The Palm Beach Story is a 1942 romantic screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges. ... Preston Sturges (August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959), originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a celebrated screenwriter and director born in Chicago. ... To Be or Not to Be is a 1942 comedy film about a troupe of actors in Nazi-occupied Warsaw who use their abilities at disguise and acting to fool the occupying troops. ... Ernst Lubitsch (January 28, 1892 – November 30, 1947), was a German-born Jewish film director. ... Arsenic and Old Lace is a film directed by Frank Capra based on a play by the same name by Joseph Kesselring. ... This article is about the film director. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was a highly influential film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television. ... The 39 Steps is a 1935 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the adventure novel The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan. ... Woodbridge Woody Strong Van Dyke II (March 21, 1889 - February 5, 1943) was an American film director. ... →♥♥Н This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humour with an intent to provoke[[ laughter in general). ... The Thin Man was the first of six comic detective films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a hard-drinking and flirtatious married couple who banter wittily as they easily solve crimes. ...

Actors and actresses frequently featured in or associated with screwball comedy include:

• Jean Arthur
• Claudette Colbert
• Melvyn Douglas
• Irene Dunne
• Clark Gable
• Cary Grant
• Katharine Hepburn
• Carole Lombard
• Myrna Loy
• William Powell
• Barbara Stanwyck

Some notable directors of screwball comedies include: Jean Arthur (October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991) was an American actress. ... Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 - July 30, 1996) was an Academy Award-winning and Golden Globe-winning French-American actress in Hollywood film, stage, television and radio. ... Image:MelvynDouglas. ... Irene Dunne in Love Affair (1939) Irene Dunne (December 20, 1898 - September 4, 1990), was born Irene Marie Dunn in Louisville, Kentucky. ... William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... Archibald Alec Leach (January 18, 1904 – November 29, 1986), better known by his screen name, Cary Grant, was a British-born film actor. ... Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an iconic four-time Academy Award-winning American star of film, television and stage, widely recognized for her sharp wit, New England gentility and fierce independence. ... Carole Lombard (October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress. ... Myrna Loy (August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American motion picture actress. ... William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 - March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. ... Barbara Stanwyck (July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American film/television actress. ...

• Frank Capra
• Howard Hawks
• Garson Kanin
• Mitchell Leisen
• Preston Sturges
• Billy Wilder
• George Cukor

This article is about the film director. ... Howard Hawks (May 30, 1896 – December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and writer of the classic Hollywood era. ... Garson Kanin (November 24, 1912 – March 13, 1999) was an American writer and director of plays and films. ... Mitchell Leisen (born October 6, 1898–died October 28, 1972) was an American director, art director, and costume designer. ... Preston Sturges (August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959), originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a celebrated screenwriter and director born in Chicago. ... Billy Wilder (June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-born, Jewish-American journalist, screenwriter, film director, and producer whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. ... George Dewey Cukor (July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director. ...

More recent screwball comedies

Various later films are considered by some critics and fans to have revived elements of the classic era screwball comedies. A partial list might include such films as:

• The Mating Season (1951) d. Mitchell Leisen
• How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), d. Jean Negulesco
• Bell, Book and Candle (1958), d. Richard Quine
• Some Like It Hot (1959), d. Billy Wilder
• The Grass is Greener (1960), d. Stanley Donen
• Man's Favorite Sport? (1964), d. Howard Hawks
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1964) d. Richard Lester
• What's Up, Doc? (1972), d. Peter Bogdanovich
• To Be or Not to Be (1983), d. Alan Johnson (remake of 1942 movie of the same title)
• A Fish Called Wanda (1988), d. Charles Crichton
• The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), d. Joel and Ethan Coen
• You've Got Mail (1998), d. Nora Ephron (remake of "The Shop Around the Corner" from 1940)
• Queenie in Love (1998), d. Amos Kollek
• Judy Berlin (aka Babylon, USA) (1999), d. Eric Mendelsohn
• State and Main (2000), d. David Mamet
• Two Weeks Notice (2002), d. Marc Lawrence
• Down with Love (2003), d. Peyton Reed
• How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), d. Donald Petrie
• Intolerable Cruelty (2003), d. Joel and Ethan Coen
• I ♥ Huckabees (2004), d. David O. Russell

Elements of classic screwball comedy often found in more recent films which might otherwise simply be classified as romantic comedies include the "battle of the sexes" (Down with Love, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days), witty repartee (Down with Love), and the contrast between the wealthy and the middle class (You've Got Mail, Two Weeks Notice). Modern updates on screwball comedy may also sometimes be categorized as black comedy (Intolerable Cruelty, which also features a twist on the classic screwball element of divorce and re-marriage). The Mating Season is a 1951 classic comedy film made by Paramount Pictures. ... Mitchell Leisen (born October 6, 1898–died October 28, 1972) was an American director, art director, and costume designer. ... How to Marry a Millionaire is a 1953 film, directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, and Betty Grable as fortune hunters. ... Jean Negulesco (Craiova, Romania, February 26, 1900–July 18, 1993), also known as Jean Negulescu, was a Romanian-born American film director. ... For the religious phrase, see Bell, book, and candle. ... Richard Quine (November 12, 1920 - June 10, 1989) was an American stage, film, and radio actor and film director. ... Some Like It Hot is a 1959 comedy film directed by Billy Wilder. ... Billy Wilder (June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-born, Jewish-American journalist, screenwriter, film director, and producer whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. ... The Grass Is Greener is a 1960 comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and featuring an ensemble cast consisting of screen veterans Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Jean Simmons. ... Stanley Donen (born April 13, 1924) is an American film director and choreographer hailed by David Quinlan as the King of the Hollywood musicals. His most famous work is Singin In The Rain, which he co-directed with Gene Kelly. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Howard Hawks (May 30, 1896 – December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and writer of the classic Hollywood era. ... Hi! Youre car can speak <a href=http://immobilizer. ... Richard Lester (born January 19, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a UK based film director famous for his work with The Beatles. ... Whats Up, Doc? is a screwball comedy from 1972, directed by Peter Bogdanovich and starring Barbra Streisand, Ryan ONeal, and Madeline Kahn (in her first full-length film role). ... Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (born July 30, 1939) is an American film director and writer, born in Kingston, New York. ... To Be or Not to Be is a 1983 comedy film directed by Alan Johnson, written by Ronny Graham and Thomas Meehan, and starring Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft. ... Alan Arthur Johnson MP (born 17 May 1950, London) is a British Labour Party politician. ... A Fish Called Wanda is a movie released in 1988 by MGM. It was written by John Cleese and directed by Charles Crichton. ... Charles Crichton. ... The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) is a screwball comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, telling a fictitious story about the rise and fall of a naive executive and the invention of the hula hoop. ... Joel and Ethan Coen at Cannes 2001 Joel and Ethan Coen, commonly known as The Coen Brothers have written and directed numerous successful films, such as comedies O Brother Where Art Thou, Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski, as well as darker film noir dramas such as Fargo, Millers... Youve Got Mail is an American romantic comedy released in 1998 by Warner Brothers. ... Nora Ephron Nora Ephron (born May 19, 1941 in New York City, New York) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and novelist. ... The Shop Around the Corner is a 1940 romantic comedy film starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. ... Amos Kollek is a film director, writer and actor, born in Jerusalem, Israel in 1947. ... Translation in progress Erich Mendelsohn (21 March 1887 – 15 September 1953) was a German Jewish architect, known for his expressionist buildings in the 1920s, the first in their style. ... State and Main is a 2000 comedy film, directed by David Mamet, starring Alec Baldwin and Philip Seymour Hoffman. ... David Alan Mamet (born November 30, 1947) is an American author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, and film director. ... Two Weeks Notice is a 2002 romantic comedy film starring Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant from Warner Bros. ... Marc Lawrence in This Gun for Hire Marc Lawrence (February 17, 1910 – November 28, 2005), born Max Goldsmith, was an American character actor who specialized in underworld types. ... Down With Love is a 2003 film directed by Peyton Reed and written by Eve Ahlert and Dennis Drake. ... Peyton Reed (born 3 July 1964 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is an American television and film director. ... How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is an American 2003 motion picture. ... Donald Petrie is an American film director. ... Intolerable Cruelty is a 2003 dark comedy/romance directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cedric The Entertainer, and Billy Bob Thornton. ... Joel and Ethan Coen at Cannes 2001 Joel and Ethan Coen, commonly known as The Coen Brothers have written and directed numerous successful films, such as comedies O Brother Where Art Thou, Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski, as well as darker film noir dramas such as Fargo, Millers... I ♥ Huckabees is a film released in 2004. ... David O. Russell David Owen Russell (born 20 August 1958 in New York) is an American film director and screenwriter. ... Romantic comedy films are a sub-genre of comedy films as well as of romance films. ... Down With Love is a 2003 film directed by Peyton Reed and written by Eve Ahlert and Dennis Drake. ... How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is an American 2003 motion picture. ... Down With Love is a 2003 film directed by Peyton Reed and written by Eve Ahlert and Dennis Drake. ... Youve Got Mail is an American romantic comedy released in 1998 by Warner Brothers. ... Two Weeks Notice is a 2002 romantic comedy film starring Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant from Warner Bros. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Intolerable Cruelty is a 2003 dark comedy/romance directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cedric The Entertainer, and Billy Bob Thornton. ...

Elements of screwball have also appeared in other genres altogether: the characters of Han Solo and Princess Leia in the film Star Wars have been described as "a classic screwball comedy pair". [2] Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. ... Her Royal Highness, Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan (born in 19 BBY), born Leia Amidala Skywalker, is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe played by Aiden Barton in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, actress Carrie Fisher in Star Wars: Episodes IV-VI, and by Ann... This movie poster for Star Wars depicts many of the films important elements, such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, X-Wing and Y-Wing fighters Star Wars, retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981 (see note at Title,) is the original (and in chronological...

The television series Moonlighting (1985–1989), NewsRadio (1995–1999), Gilmore Girls (2000–), and Standoff (2006–) have also adapted elements of the screwball comedy genre for the small screen. Moonlighting is a television series that first aired on ABC in the United States from 1985 to 1989 with a total of 66 episodes. ... NewsRadio was an American sitcom, originally broadcast from 1995 to 1999 on NBC. The show was created by executive producer Paul Simms. ... Gilmore Girls is an hour-long American television drama/comedy that began on October 5, 2000. ... Standoff is an American television series. ...

External links

• Screwball at Green Cine
• (French) La Screwball Comedy