The Palm Beach Story is a 1942 romantic screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges. This article is about the year. ... The screwball comedy has proven to be one of the most elusive of the film genres. ... Preston Sturges (August 29, 1898-August 6, 1959), originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a screenwriter and director born in Chicago. ...

Plot synopsis

Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert play Thomas and Geraldine Jeffers ("Tom and Gerry"), a married couple in New York City who love each other, but are down on their luck financially. Gerry decides they would both be better off if they split, so she goes to Palm Beach, Florida to establish residency in anticipation of a divorce (in the hopes of gaining funds from a wealthy second husband to help Tom). Tom pursues her and they become involved with the very wealthy John D. Hackensacker III (a take-off of John D. Rockefeller, played by Rudy Vallee) and his nymphomaniac sister, Princess Clementilla (Mary Astor). Posing as brother and sister themselves, the Jeffers find themselves romantically pursued by the pair. Joel Albert McCrea, (November 5, 1905 - October 20, 1990) was an American film actor. ... Photo still of Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 _ July 30, 1996) was a French-American actress. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York and abbreviated NYC) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, communications, music, fashion, and culture. ... Palm Beach is the name of several places: Palm Beach, New South Wales is a suburb of Sydney, Australia. ... State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... 1917 painting by John Singer Sargent. ... Rudy Vallee (July 28, 1901 - July 3, 1986) was a popular United States singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer. ... Hypersexuality describes human sexual behavior at levels high enough to be considered clinically significant. ... Mary Astor (May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an American actress. ...

Production notes

This was Sturges' second collaboration with McCrea, following Sullivan's Travels from the previous year, and they would work together again on The Great Moment in 1946. Typical of a Sturges movie, the pacing and dialogue are very fast. Also notable are the zany side characters, mostly played by members of Sturges' informal repertory company, particularly the elderly sausage magnate known as The Wienie King (Robert Dudley) and "The Ale and Quail Club," a group of drunken wealthy sportsmen (including character actors Jack Norton, Jimmy Conlin, and William Demarest, amongst others). Victor Young contributes a lively musical score (including a fastpaced variation of The William Tell Overture for the strange opening scenes). Sullivans Travels is a satirical film directed by Preston Sturges about a director who wants to direct a film called O Brother, Where Art Thou? but is being forced to direct another film instead. ... 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... William Demarest (February 27, 1892 - December 28, 1983) was an American character actor. ... Victor Young (August 8, 1900 - November 10, 1956) was an American composer, violinist and conducter. ... Guillaume Tell (William Tell) is an opera in four acts by Gioacchino Rossini to a French libretto by Etienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis, based on Friedrich Schillers Wilhelm Tell. ...

External link

• The Palm Beach Story at the Internet Movie Database
• Greatest Films- The Palm Beach Story Critique and thorough plot description/analysis.