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Article: Screwballs of the silver screen: a treasured comedy genre turns 70: the 1934 releases of "It Happened One Night" and "Twentieth Century" launched Hollywood into an era of madcap zaniness that endures to this day.(Entertainment)(Critical Essay)
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- March 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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SCREWBALL COMEDY turns 70 this year. While clown comedy has existed since the earliest days of cinema, the screwball variety arose during the Great Depression. One might liken it to an innovative brand of farce, where the old boy-meets-girl formula was turned on its ear, producing free-spirited heroines who gave as good as they got.
The pioneering screwball movies from 1934 were director Frank Capra's "It Happened One Night" and Howard Hawks' "Twentieth Century." The former chronicles the comic misadventures of Claudette Colbert as a runaway heiress and Clark Gable as a wise-cracking reporter who battle themselves into an unexpected romance. "Twentieth Century" ...
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Article: 'Screwball Comedy' sets on DVD
Deseret News (Salt Lake City);
August 8, 2009 ;
700+ words
... ... Soloist" and "Obsession" land on DVD this week. "Icons of Screwball Comedy: Volume One" (Sony, 1935-45, b&w, two discs, $16.25)."Icons of Screwball Comedy: Volume Two" (Sony, 1936- 44, b&w, two discs, $16 ...
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