THE PALM BEACH STORY (1942) B/W 90m. dir: Preston Sturges

w/Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor, Rudy Vallee, Sig Arno, William Demarest, Robert Warwick, Arthur Stuart Hull, Torben Meyer, Jimmy Conlin, Victor Potel

Everything works as it should in this hilarious comedy. Colbert is the young wife fleeing her husband (McCrea), and winding up in Palm Beach surrounded by dizzy millionaires (including the delightful team of Astor and Vallee). This film is packed with delightful absurdities, and it's a romp from start to finish.

From The Movie Guide: "McCrea and Sturges had just come off the wonderful SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS, which took telling aim at Hollywood. They teamed again to snipe at the idle rich with this hysterically funny fairy tale. Colbert was never lovelier or more energetic than she is here, blithely delivering Sturges's sophisticated dialogue. Vallee is delightful as the somewhat naive and eccentric billionaire, carefully cataloging every cent he spends. As his sister, Astor is wickedly caustic, especially when dealing with her incomprehensible lover, Arno. As in SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS, McCrea is well cast, adeptly playing off the film's wild collection of characters. All the other roles are carefully cast and virtually anyone who walks on screen delivers a memorable witticism. Though this film may lack the satirical bite of Sturges's great comedies such as SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS or THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK, it remains a delight."