The Palm Beach Story

Claudette Colbert, Franklin Pangborn, Joel McCrea

Among the earliest writers to set his sights on the director's chair, Preston Sturges brought a frank, unsentimental view of the war between the sexes to his mid-'40s features that exemplify his style...( read more  read more... ), as demonstrated in this prescient 1942 gem. Architect Tom Jeffers (Joel McCrea) and his wife, Gerry (Claudette Colbert), further refine the archetypal Sturges couple--the male embodying strength, idealism, and a certain naivete, the female ultimately stronger, smarter, and (as revealed early on in an astonishing speech by Colbert) clearer-eyed and more pragmatic about the subtext of sex. This giddy shaggy-dog story follows the couple's split, and Gerry's subsequent flight to Palm Beach. This head-snapping frolic is paced by double-entendres and lampooning looks at the very rich, with standout performances by the predatory Princess Centimillia (the delicious Mary Astor), who's more than ready to comfort Tom, and the wealthy, dim-witted John D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee, staking out a new career, post-crooner, as comic foil), Gerry's new suitor. Even the predictable reunion of the star-crossed lovers is achieved with an antic surrealism. Sturges's strength in building strong character ensembles is matched by his affection for coupling screwball dialogue with physical slapstick, seldom to better effect than in the drunken target practice of the Ale and Quail Club, who make Colbert's train ride to Florida a different kind of shoot-'em-up. --Sam Sutherland

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Directed by: Preston Sturges

Released: November 7, 1942

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DVD Released: February 1, 2005

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  • June 10, 2009
    hilarious if a little heartless. colbert makes a charming gold digger. good stuff on the foibles of the idle rich though the ending is terribly contrived. still, it's sturges and stellar screwball. he burned like a comet in 40's hollywood
  • April 7, 2009
    "That's one of the tragedies of this life: that the men who are most in need of a beating up are always enormous!"

    Having come to the conclusion that her struggling entrepreneur husband (Joel McCrea) would be better off without her, Claudette Colbert heads for Palm Beach ... ...( read more )
  • December 16, 2007
    This is my all time favorite Claudette Colbert film. The director, Preston Sturges did a perfect job of filming this story of a lady that is playing a role of a wealthy lady.....this is such a comedy gem that will get you to laugh for sure. As well as one of my favorite comedies.... ...( read more )
  • October 25, 2006
    Preston Sturges reunites with Joel McCrea one year after his masterwork Sullivan's Travels, presenting us with another savvy, offbeat road movie. The Palm Beach Story finds Joel's character pursuing his wife after she bolts to find a millionaire to marry. Her natural charm and fe... ...( read more )
  • June 10, 2009
    Preston Sturges was among the very first writer/directors in Hollywood and during the war years he made plenty of masterpieces. His ear for dialogue was remarkable and the comedic performances he managed to get out of his actors is priceless. The Women in his films always tended ... ...( read more )

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