Telling people that my favourite romcoms are black-and-white Hollywood films from the 1930-40s often result in weird and judgemental looks. Although much lesser known among student circles, screwball comedies have been an important milestone in influencing and shaping the iconic romcoms of this century. Screwball comedies are characterised by their historic period from 1932 to 1952 (the golden age of screwballs), humorously outrageous settings, and the pioneer and connoisseur of all romantic tropes you see today (don’t take my word for it, just watch It Happened One Night). Here I’d like to make a case for screwball comedies, and why you should ditch your conventional 90s-00s romcoms for Valentine’s Day in favour of the far more endearing, earnest, and romantic screwball comedies!
- Once They’re In, They’re All In
Being set in the historical era they’re in, most protagonists abide by traditional monogamous values, where cheating or even a change of heart is inherently out of the question. Due to the average length of these films being shortly over 90 minutes, the protagonists fall in love almost immediately. They never drift apart or become subject to miscommunication, simply because there isn’t enough screen time to resolve them! It is commonplace to see screwball protagonists meet and propose marriage under two days (like in Bringing Up Baby), and while one can ridicule its danger and impossibility, there is something to be said about the grand romance of locking eyes with someone across the room, and already wanting to spend the rest of one’s life with them.
- Banter
Screwball comedies are the pinnacle of fun and loving banter, something that has been largely missing from modern romcoms. From His Girl Friday (dir. Hawks, 1940) where a previously married couple try to outwit each other through arguing a mile a minute, to Ball of Fire (dir. Hawks, 1941) where a nightclub singer gradually persuades an English professor to assist her escape through playful and flirty banter, screwball comedies are jam-packed with thoughtful dialogue. The couples’ ability to provoke each other while matching each other’s wavelength is proof of their chemistry, and often acts as the base of their relationship.
- Physical Comedy
Physical comedy is becoming less common as it is deemed forced and cheap, yet these criticisms stand no ground in these films, as these performances are masterfully interwoven into the story. Imagine Henry Fonda proposing marriage to Barbara Stanwyck while a horse behind him doesn’t stop chewing at his hair (The Lady Eve), or Claudette Colbert breaking Rudy Vallée’s spectacles thrice as she’s trying to climb on the upper bunk (The Palm Beach Story), and still managing to make him fall for her. Comedic moments are inserted seamlessly and performed earnestly, and never fail to catch you when it’s least expected.
- Class Commentary
Screwball comedies are one of their kind in incorporating political messaging within their incredibly silly and goofy stories. The 1940s saw the emergence of post-war prosperity and the capitalist system as we know today, with this inequality and class hierarchy not going unnoticed in films of the era. In My Man Godfrey (dir. Cava, 1936) and The Philadelphia Story (dir. Cukor, 1940), protagonists navigate their class differences as part of their quest for love, making these stories relevant to this day.
“Katharine Hepburn smoking 4” by Nicholas R. Andrew is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.
