The Palm Beach Story

Plot synopsis:
This story begins with the wedding of Gerry (Claudette Colbert) and Tom Jeffers (Joel McCrea), and the wedding follows with the caption, "And they lived happily ever after... or did they?" Time then flashes forward about four years to the Jeffers apartment where the Wienie King (Robert Dudley) is touring the Jeffers apartment as a likely rental because the Jeffers aren't able to make their bills. While the Wienie King and his wife tour the apartment, an embarrassed Gerry hides in closets and the bathroom, ducking away from touring eyes. The Wienie King happens upon Gerry hiding in the bathtub behind a shower curtain and takes an immediate liking to her so much that he decides not to take her apartment and gives Gerry $700 to pay her bills.Meantime, Tom is meeting with a hopeful investor to discuss his idea of building an airport that stretches over the city. The investor doesn't seem very keen on Tom's idea. When Tom gets home and finds out that Gerry has taken money from a stranger, he's upset. Gerry calms him down, but then suggests that they get a divorce because she feels as a single woman she can get him the money he needs to build his airport.Gerry takes Tom out to dinner with the last 14 dollars they have after she finished paying the bills that day, and they both get pretty drunk. When they get home, Gerry is still discussing divorce, but discussions stop as Tom helps Gerry remove her dress.The next morning, Gerry packs her suitcase and writes Tom a good-bye letter. She tries to pin the letter to the blanket but accidentally pokes Tom waking him up. Tom chases Gerry to the streets, but a penniless Gerry manages to get away in a taxi and thanks to the kindness of strangers, in this case the members of the Ale and Quail Club, she manages to get a ticket and a private car on a train to Palm Beach. The Ale and Quail Club get a bit drunk and decide to shoot up their train car, so Gerry sneaks away for some peace. She climbs into a berth which happens to be the berth above the berth of millionaire John D.Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee) who comes to Gerry's rescue with loads of clothes, jewelry, etc., after Gerry loses her belongings due to the fact that the Ale and Quail Club train car has been disconnected from the train and abandoned. Gerry and John decide to abandon the train themselves and take John's yacht to Palm Beach.As this is happening Tom meets the Wienie King who has decided to take a different apartment in the building. The Wienie King gives Tom money to catch a plane to Palm Beach to stop Gerry from getting a divorce. When Tom meets the train, he finds out that Gerry has dumped the train for a yacht. Tom then waits for Gerry at the dock. Tom then meets John and John's sister the Princess Centimillia (Mary Astor) who takes an immediately liking to Tom. Gerry introduces Tom to everyone as her brother, and a slightly disagreeable Tom goes along with this plan solely to get time to convince Gerry to come to her senses.Gerry talks John into investing in Tom's airport. The Princess wants to marry Tom and John wants to marry Gerry. In the end, Gerry and Tom realize that they love each other and can't divorce. They both confess to the Princess and John. John decides to invest in Tom's airport anyway even though he loves Gerry. John then says, "If only you had a sister." Gerry says, "I do. A twin sister." As they express surprise over this revelation, Tom further reveals that he also has a twin brother. The movie then ends with Gerry and Tom standing side by side at the wedding of their twin siblings to the respective Hackensacker siblings where the movie ends as it begins, "And they lived happily ever after... or did they?"

Tags: comedy, romantic

Review:
"The Palm Beach Story" is a lopsided comedy (part of it's funny and part of it's not), but the movie is back-ended with all of the funniest bits, so it allows you to forget the slower parts and it sends you out on a high.After a sensationally bizarre opening credits sequence, the movie settles down into a slightly less zingy version of "The Awful Truth." Claudette Colbert thinks her marriage to Joel McCrea isn't working, even though he doesn't think likewise.
But once everyone shows up in Palm Beach, the film becomes a delight, and a bonus is added in the person of Mary Astor, who plows on to the screen about half way through the film and decimates everyone in her path with her quick-tongued and hilarious performance as a rich society lady with a lot of time on her hands and her sights set on Colbert's husband.What I liked about this film was that Colbert and McCrea don't seem to have a lot of chemistry in their early scenes together; he seems so stiff and bland, and you don't really blame her for wanting to get away.
Things don't quite work out.The opening of "Palm Beach Story" is a bizarre scene that only makes some sense (and I'm emphasizing some) at the very end of the film.
There are some hilarious scenes in this film - desperate to get to Palm Beach for a quickie divorce, but with no money, Colbert accepts the invitation of the gentlemanly Ale and Quail Club to ride in their private train car as their guest and mascot.
It's a zany romantic comedy given full speed treatment by director Preston Sturges who brought screwball comedy to an art form.His script, full of hilarious one-liners that fly by almost too fast to catch, is acted to perfection by CLAUDETTE COLBERT, RUDY VALLEE and MARY ASTOR--with a less enthusiastic turn by JOEL McCREA who gives the only so-so performance, perhaps because none of the wittiest lines come his way.
It's a twist that somehow doesn't ring true--the only really false note in an otherwise perfect screwball comedy.Rudy Vallee is outstanding as a nutty millionaire, a role written expressly for him (and he even gets to sing a little)--and Mary Astor, as his husband hunting sister, is hilariously over the top as a woman who can't stop talking while pursuing her man.A good way to spend a pleasant 90 minutes..
And they both wind up with a brother and sister pair of gazillionaires in the persons of Rudy Vallee and Mary Astor.I will say that Preston Sturges did kind of reach into left field for his romantic ending, but that's half the fun of The Palm Beach Story.Only half because the other half is the fun of the journey.
Preston Sturges used some of his favorite players from his usual stock company for members of Ale and Quail.Also look for a very funny performance by Robert Dudley as the 'wienie king' whose encounter with Colbert sets everything in motion.Rudy Vallee gets to sing in this which is also nice.
Even more dementedly frantic than The Lady Eve, this film is Preston Sturges's most delirious screwball/slapstick romance, with one of the most amazing bits of comic combustion in the Ale and Quail Club train sequence.
When Vallee complains, plaintively, that the problem with the world is that the men most in need of a beating are usually enormous, or when Astor slyly suggests that she grows on people, like moss, you know you're hearing Preston Sturges's wit at its peak..
When commenting on a film as brilliantly constructed and deeply entertaining as The Palm Beach Story, it's hard to know just where to start.Do you tip your hat to the uniformly wonderful performers?Do you pay tribute to the bizarre and hilarious conversations held by the Weenie King (Robert Dudley), an incidental character who manages to be a lot more than a mere plot contrivance?Do you mention the fact that the film was clearly an influence upon the (slightly superior) screwball classic Some Like It Hot?Nope.
You just say, Preston Sturges was a genius and this is his best film.Gerry Jeffers (Claudette Colbert) has decided that she needs to divorce her husband Tom (Sturges regular Joel McCrea).
The "Palm Beach Story" has a poor title but it's a hilarious movie by the sometimes cynical master of comedy, Preston Sturges.
Far fetched, but very humorous story of a wife Gerry, who decides to divorce her husband, Tom and go seduce & marry a rich man/widow, but she is only going to use the man to get the money to finance Tom's invention.
Tom does not believe that the old man gave the money to Gerry without sex and they have an argument, and Gerry concludes that she is a burden in the life of Tom. On the next morning, she decides to travel to Palm Beach to get a divorce, and marry again with a millionaire to help Tom in his project.
"The Palm Beach Story" is a cynical and unethical but dated screwball comedy by Preston Sturges.
I do not like this movie since Gerry Jeffers is a nasty woman and never a companion to Tom, who is a sucker; therefore I do not feel empathy for the ambitious character performed by Claudette Colbert.
His humor was so advanced, so ahead of its time, that it is still not fully appreciated by many film critics and historians.Only Sturges would begin a movie with a wedding sporting a subtitle, "They lived happily ever after." It seems only a few years later the happily married couple is bickering over finances--they don't have any.
"The Palm Beach Story" stars Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea as a married couple who is still in love, but is nonetheless separating after five years of marriage.
Only Preston Sturges in the director's chair could tempt me to watch a movie called 'The Palm Beach Story'.
Having been monetarily blessed by her fairy godfather (Robert Dudley as the Weenie King) Mrs. Gerry Jeffers (Claudette Colbert) leaves New York, her hapless husband Tom (Joel McCrea), and all her troubles behind.
I noticed William Demarest say his name was "Bill Docker," the same name his character had in Preston Sturges's "Christmas in July."In short, "The Palm Beach Story" is a wonderful film, whose richness can really be appreciated when seen in context, in the context of those old 1930s Paramount films, both the melodramatic ones like "Up Pops the Devil," that it lampoons, and the comedic, romantic ones like "Love Me Tonight" and "One Hour with You," that it pays homage to..
This little jewel is a madcap romp in the mold of "The Philadelphia Story." Preston Sturges' impressive direction is just light enough to keep things hopping and technically savvy to pull off the zaniness.There's a lot to like about this movie: the dialogue is both snappy and witty, the costumes are eye-catching, and the acting is inspired.Now admittedly, a willing suspension of belief and even a temporary romantic bent does help one to enjoy this movie thoroughly.
Big fan of Colbert but can't understand why people like this film.Similar concept to Midnight where a woman doesn't trust love and feels money and security are more important.Though it works in Midnight it feels very forced in the Palm Beach Story.JDHackensacker is not believable or funny and the same is true of Mary Astors character .Colbert and McCrea make an attractive couple but the plot and screenplay just don't fly.
Preston Sturges wrote and directed this wacky screwball comedy that features Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert as Tom and Gerry Jeffers, a happily married but poor couple who are about to be evicted from their apartment.
If Hollywood had a Moliere, Sturges was that.My personal favorite of his movies is the romantic screwball comedy The Palm Beach Story (1941), featuring Claudette Colbert as a woman who loves her husband too much to see him fail, and so decides to divorce him and marry a rich man to support him!
One of his most inspired comedies was this affectionate portrait of the idle rich, in which, after what must be one of the most baffling title sequences ever conceived ("that's another plot entirely", explains Joel McCrea at the end of the film), Claudette Colbert abandons her financially insecure husband (McCrea) for the life of an adventuress, while he pursues her all the way to the Palm Beach mansion of lonely zillionaire John D.
McCrea's cigar-store Indian acting style and Colbert's buoyant pragmatism are perfectly matched against the usual assortment of Sturges nut cases: the calamitous Ale & Quail Club; the philanthropic Weenie King; and (in a casting coup) crooner Rudy Valee and Mary Astor as the urbane, innocent Hackensacker and his man-hungry sister.
From the brilliant stop-start sequence over the titles, confusing right until the last frame which at last makes crazy sense (I'm sure Preston would forgive the oxymoron!) of it all, taking in a madcap menagerie of characters, every bit as eccentric as their names or nicknames indicate, for example get these; the Wiener King, the Ale and Quail Club, Princess Centimillia not to mention John D Hackensacker the Third.
Star of the show is the lovely effervescent Claudette Colbert, almost 40 at the time of making this movie but looking years younger in a variety of differing costumes, taking in over-sized men's pyjamas to the very best costumes that Hackensacker can buy.She's an audio-visual treat, putting into effect her madcap idea for the betterment of her unlucky, under-achieving, unrecognised husband, played with straight-laced, straight-faced aplomb by previous Sturges alumni, Joel McCrea.
In his "The Palm Beach Story," they are out of their minds.Rich people can't wait to give Geraldine Jeffers (Claudette Colbert) their money.
Neither Jeffers is that engaging as personalities go; hard enough as it is to believe, the richie-rich Hackensackers come off more vulnerable and worth your time, what with their personality quirks and their weird need for love.Sturges' taste for story detours is on full display here; the Ale And Quail Club taxes your patience with non-stop singing, barking, and shooting, not to mention all the Sturges stock players putting in their appearances.
From the opening sequence set to "William Tell Overture" that doesn't get explained until the very end, to Mary Astor and Sig Arno's "yitz" and "nitz", to Claudette Colbert hiding from "the Weenie King" in the bathtub, it's a nearly constant laugh fest.Preston Sturges' signature leading man, Joel McCrea, plays an architect whose dreams are never realized.
His wife, the beautiful Claudette Colbert, knows the best way she can help her husband get ahead is by using her physical assets, so she plans to divorce him, marry a wealthy man, and get her new husband to invest in her old husband's business ideas.
I have no idea why The Palm Beach Story isn't the most famous sex comedy of the silver screen, since it's so adorable, witty, and for the most part stands the test of time.A proper analysis of this wonderful film wouldn't be complete without a huge compliment to Irene's costumes.
When Preston Sturges was in his prime (1940-1944, with 'The Great McGinty', 'Christmas in July', 'The Lady Eve', 'Sullivan's Treavels', 'The Palm Beach Story', 'The Miracle of Morgan's Creek' and 'Hail the Conquering Hero') it made for one of the best golden years/prime periods for any director in my view, where five or more very good to masterpieces in a row were made close to each other.
I also thought his other acclaimed screwball comedy "Sullivan's Travels", which he made one year prior to this movie, is a tad bit overrated.Both movies also star Joel McCrea, who wasn't the biggest actor within the game but he nevertheless is a great leading man, with also the right psychics.
But along the way, she meets some memorable characters: the members of The Ale and Quail Club (headed by Sturges veteran William Demarest); an oft-married millionairess (delightful Mary Astor) and her foreign-speaking boyfriend of the moment; and a soft-spoken yachtsman (Rudy Vallee), who patiently endures Gerry's systematic breaking of his every pair of pince-nez's.
The scene begins with Tom trying to unzip the back of Gerry's dress for her, and it ends as one of the swooniest love scenes it has ever been my pleasure to witness.And just when you think the movie has run out of steam, Sturges pulls a happy ending out of his hat that has you laughing through the closing credits.
Preston Sturges made the wacky comedy "Palm Beach Story" in 1942.Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea are married and truly love each other but their problem is money, which isn't something new.
Preston Sturges' The Palm Beach Story(1942) explodes from the gate with a strange but funny overture montage and the main film quickly hits it's stride with the brilliantly funny performances in scenes between Robert Dudley as the Wienie King and Claudette Colbert as Gerry.
This is the essence of this off-the-wall movie, as Gerry Jeffers (Claudette Colbert) divorces her husband Tom (Joel McCrea) to marry a rich man, Hackensacker (Rudy Vallee) The premise for leaving was based on Tom's lack of stable income, a common ploy that gives this movie a timeless and relevant quality to it.
Not to mention there are several instances of hilarious sexual euphemisms - "I may have to take you up on one of your dares and make you call me Papa," showcasing that the wit of classic comedy will always trump the crass and vulgar nature of today's farcical films.Hackensacker was a particularly hilarious character, with several memorable and chortle-worthy traits, including his compulsive need to write down every single expensive in his little black book, even though he's notably one of the richest men in the world.There were several elements of awkward humor that was far ahead of its time when "Captain McGlew" was introduced, allowing for a former husband and wife to watch each other try to get someone else, although, as movies such as this always end, there's a happy warm center.
Claudette Colbert loves engineer-husband Joel McCrea but is tired of being poor; she vamps her way aboard a train heading for Palm Beach, Florida in hopes of getting a divorce, eventually winding up on the ship of natty, single multi-millionaire Rudy Vallee.
Palm Beach Story, The (1942) *** (out of 4) Preston Sterges directed comedy about a wife (Claudette Colbert) who decides to leave her husband (Joel McCrea) so that she can use her sex appeal to get them the things they need.
Simply stated...one of the funniest, craziest and most brilliant comedies of all-time....for shear laughs....it's Preston Sturges' funniest movies.You can easily read the plot-line from the other reviewers, but I want to make a point about some of the performances.Rudy Vallee, previously rather stiff on film, is simply hysterical in this movie.
Later, the raucousness of the Ale and Quail Hunting Club on the train is WAY over the top, unbelievable, unfunny, grating, and goes on for 10-15 minutes.***END OF SPOILERS***Were it not for the above annoyances, which unfortunately account for a significant portion of the movie, I would have rated "The Palm Beach Story" higher, as it does have its share of clever dialogue, an unusual premise, and gifted actors..
It's also great to hear Rudy Vallee sing again and he is not so 'up-his-own' that he doesn't mind becoming the butt of the jokes when everyone is closing their windows in hopes of drowning out his crooning.I will be the first to admit there were much better divorce based Screwball Comedies made around the same time, (such as Love Crazy with William Powell & Myrna Loy), but The Palm Beach Story is an enjoyable flick and a brilliant way to spend 90 lazy minutes on a Sunday afternoon.
The wonderful cast he put together for " The Palm Beach Story" exceeds all expectations and made this a winning screwball comedy, typical of the times.Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea made a fantastic couple.
Someone like Fred MacMurray would be able to play the straight face, serious look for real comedic effect.I think the best comedy of this film comes from Rudy Vallee as J.D. Hackensacker III, and from Mary Astor as his sister, Princess Centimillia.
And Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, and Mary Astor are definitely the highlights here.The Palm Beach Story was written and directed by the brilliant Preston Sturges, so it can't be bad, and it isn't, but the story's really too far of a stretch.
It is boarding a train when Gerry meets one of the richest men in the world, eccentric billionaire bachelor J.D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee), and travelling on the yacht to Palm Beach she also meets his sister, Princess Centimillia (Mary Astor), eventually Tom catches up to his wife, but introduces himself to them as her brother.
These moments were just too over-the-top and lacked the charm and timing of such marvelous non-Sturgis screwball comedies like BRINGING UP BABY or MY GIRL Friday.While PALM BEACH STORY isn't a bad film, it certainly didn't do anything to turn me into a "Sturgiphile".
Many of the movies made by Preston Sturges could be classed as "comedies of error." The Palm Beach Story is no exception.
A charmingly hyperactive film that's still pretty funny if you're in the mood for a screwball comedy, The Palm Beach story is also noteworthy for providing a window into American culture before World War II changed everything.This movie has one of the weirdest beginnings you'll ever see.
It starts out by recapping the story of how Geraldine and Tom Jeffers (Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea) got married as though The Palm Beach Story is a sequel to that film.
The Palm Beach Story directed by Preston Sturges is a goofy comedy involving a married couple that go through the ultimate test to see how strong their love for each other is.
Preston Sturges' The Palm Beach Story (1942) stars Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea.