The Palm Beach Story

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The Palm Beach Story

Released Nov 2, 1942

1h 30m

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

97%

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30 Reviews

81%

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2,500+ Ratings

This screwball comedy finds married couple Tom (Joel McCrea) and Gerry Jeffers (Claudette Colbert) in a strained relationship, largely due to financial difficulties. Gerry decides to leave Tom, a struggling architect, and head to Palm Beach in order to marry a wealthy man who could fund Tom's projects. When Tom follows Gerry, they cross paths with the quirky millionaire John D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee) and his chatty, husband-seeking sister, Princess Centimillia (Mary Astor).

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Kate Muir

Times (UK)

In many ways this screwball comedy is a precursor to Some Like It Hot, but with a silkier wit and some gorgeous fashions.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 28, 2016

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Lou Lumenick

New York Post

This might not be the funniest film of Sturges' brilliant '40s heyday ("The Miracle of Morgan's Creek"), or the most subversively romantic ("The Lady Eve"), or the best made ("Sullivan's Travels"), but it's definitely a censor-baiting treat.

Rated: 4/4

Apr 11, 2015

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Keith Phipps

The Dissolve

Even as Colbert and McCrea trade fast-paced dialogue and fall into each others' arms, they sell their characters' marriage as one whose fire desperately needs tending.

Rated: 4.5/5

Feb 4, 2015

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

There's no space here to extol the individual glories...

Jul 31, 2023

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

One of the absolute greatest of all screwball comedies.

Rated: 10/10

Mar 24, 2021

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Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

I was impressed with how modern the script was in both tone and candor.

Rated: A-

Feb 28, 2019

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Steve D

The script isn't funny enough.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/27/23

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isla s

This is a quirky, somewhat madcap style comedy film (of sorts). The old man who mishears things made me laugh and some of the situations were a bit unlikely but amusing never the less. Its pretty basic comedy I suppose but I thought at times it was relatively entertaining. Its not a greatly memorable film. It is, of course, somewhat dated, having been released in 1942. There are some outdated sexist comments, cheesy foreign accents and perhaps racial stereotypes present. This is an ok watch but nothing more, it becoming a little bland and dialogue heavy shortly before an hour in and I was pretty distracted by the end.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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john g

Super. vintage Preston Sturgis. great cast, surprisingly fine job by Rudy, very clever script.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Fun and fast paced screwball comedy about a weird wife but dang she hot.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Audience Member

Sophisticated comedy for 1942 could only have been improved by elimination of the Hayes censorship office -- and the allowance of writers to write what they wanted to write.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

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Audience Member

Claudette Colbert (at least in this movie) never looks lovelier than when she's kissing or has just been kissed.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Preston Sturges

Director

Claudette Colbert

Geraldine "Gerry" Jeffers

Joel McCrea

Tom Jeffers

Rudy Vallee

John D. Hackensacker III

Mary Astor

The Princess Centimillia

Sig Arno

Toto

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Synopsis

This screwball comedy finds married couple Tom (Joel McCrea) and Gerry Jeffers (Claudette Colbert) in a strained relationship, largely due to financial difficulties. Gerry decides to leave Tom, a struggling architect, and head to Palm Beach in order to marry a wealthy man who could fund Tom's projects. When Tom follows Gerry, they cross paths with the quirky millionaire John D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee) and his chatty, husband-seeking sister, Princess Centimillia (Mary Astor).

Director: Preston Sturges
Screenwriter: Preston Sturges
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 2, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 2, 2012
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.37:1)

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