Comedy

Romance

The Palm Beach Story

Paramount Pictures

United States of America

English

Claudette Colbert

Joel McCrea

Mary Astor

Rudy Vallee

Sig Arno

Robert Warwick

Arthur Stuart Hull

Torben Meyer

Jimmy Conlin

Victor Potel

William Demarest

Jack Norton

Robert Greig

Roscoe Ates

Dewey Robinson

Chester Conklin

Sheldon Jett

Robert Dudley

Franklin Pangborn

Arthur Hoyt

Al Bridge

Fred 'Snowflake' Toones

Charles R. Moore

Frank Moran

Harry Rosenthal

Esther Howard

Frank Faylen

J. Farrell MacDonald

Edward McNamara

Bert Moorhouse

Marcelle Corday

Bess Flowers

Max Wagner

Byron Foulger

Joe Gilbert

Preston Sturges

Victor Young

Victor Milner

Stuart Gilmore

Hans Dreier

Ernst Fegté

Wally Westmore

Irene

Harry Lindgren

Walter Oberst

Paul Jones

A woman leaves her inventor husband, believing that it would be better for him if she were gone.  She heads to Palm Beach to get a divorce, and meets kind billionaire John D. Hackensacker the III during crazy train ride there.  The energy is bursting in every scene thanks to film's great, seasoned cast.  Watch for early scenes with the endearing, little old "Wienie King".  The film is a wonderful, joyfully hilarious romp.

Would I recommend?  Yes.  The quintessential screwball comedy.

CinemaSerf

“Men don’t get smarter as they get older, they just lose their hair”! That’s the view of “Gerry” (Claudette Colbert) who is married to frustrated designer “Tom” (Joel McCrea). He needs $90,000 to build a state of the art airport but all of the traditional investment sources have politely declined. She decides that he would do better on his own, or better yet - she could divorce him the go marry a millionaire and try to fund him that way. He thinks this is bonkers, but next thing she is on a train to Palm Beach where she encounters “J.D.” (Rudy Vallee) who just happens to be a very rich gent who is happy to dispense his largesse generously. Hooked up with this man, they meet his open-minded sister (Mary Astor) to whom “Gerry” spins some fanciful yarns about her husband that only come home to roost when that poor soul, determined not to give up on his wife, arrives and risks spoiling her carefully stacked line of fibbing dominoes. What chance they can get the money without someone in this ostensibly spoiled and vacuous scenario cottoning on? The story is a bit on the far-fetched side, but Colbert has excellent comedy timing and there are quite a few pithy gems amidst the fairly relentless dialogue as the story takes aim at the owners of inherited wealth and at attitudes to the wealthy from those who aspire and despise in equal measure. There’s some fun chemistry on display between all four here and though the denouement is a little rushed and disappointing, this is still a fun romp that I did quite enjoy.

The Palm Beach Story ≣ 1942 ≣ Trailer

Three Reasons: The Palm Beach Story

Mick Garris on THE PALM BEACH STORY

The Palm Beach Story Official Trailer #1 - Robert Warwick Movie (1942) HD

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The Palm Beach Story

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

Claudette Colbert

Joel McCrea

Mary Astor

Rudy Vallee

Sig Arno

Robert Warwick

Arthur Stuart Hull

Torben Meyer

Jimmy Conlin

Victor Potel

Box office

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