The Palm Beach Story

Released Nov 2, 1942

1 hr. 30 min.

Comedy

List

97%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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Steve D

The script isn't funny enough.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/27/23

Full Review

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 There are some outdated sexist comments, cheesy foreign accents and perhaps racial stereotypes present.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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

kevin w

A trifle of a film, a light confectionary, but exquisitely prepared by writer/director Preston Sturges, concerns the misadventures of a married couple (Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert) when the wife decides to positively affect her husband's failing career by divorcing him, and marrying some rich guy, any rich guy. Yes, wacky (as rich old guys just walk into a scene, hand out wads of cash and then disappear again!), but nonetheless charming. And as well-rounded a piece of work as you are like to see.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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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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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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

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

Jul 31, 2023

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

One of the absolute greatest of all screwball comedies.

Rated: 10/10

Mar 24, 2021

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

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

Rated: A-

Feb 28, 2019

Full Review

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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
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.37:1)

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