Cheap The Palm Beach Story (Video) (Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea) (Preston Sturges) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Palm Beach Story

Highpoints include a trip on the railroad with the Ale and Quail Club; an introduction to The Weenie King, on of the funniest characters I know of in any film; Rudy Valee's unexpectedly delightful portrayal of a Rockefeller-like multi-millionaire; Mary Astor's excellent performance as Rudy Valee's sister; and a gentleman of unspecified ethnic origin known simply as "Toto."

The opening credits of the movie are among the most fascinating of the thirties or forties. While the credits are running, we see onscreen an entire prequel somehow involving two sets of identical twins (one set played by Joel McCrea and the other by Claudette Colbert).

Preston Sturges is not the best director the United States has ever produced, but he unquestionably enjoyed the finest five year period of any director we have ever seen. From 1940 until 1945, Preston Sturges enjoyed a run of amazingly crafted comedy masterpieces that by themselves place him on any list of the essential directors. In the late 1930s, Sturges built a name for himself by penning a number of first rate comedy scripts, including the classic EASY LIVING as well as REMEMBER THE NIGHT. Paramount gave him a shot at directing, and he responded with films like THE GREAT McGINTY, CHRISTMAS IN JULY, the great THE LADY EVE, SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS, THE PALM BEACH STORY, THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK, and HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO. But then, suddenly and without warning, his genius deserted him.

But this is one of the best of his best. Just sit back, get yourself pleasant to drink, and have a good time.

Great Slapstick Comedy
There was a time when the movies were meant to be an escape from reality. Durning the 30's and 40's this was most definitely true. In the 30's we had the "Great Depression", so maybe older movie fans notice that movies always HAD to have a happy ending. People didn't want to see a sad, depressing movie. They wanted to be entertained. And, of course durning the 40's there was "World War 2". And, yet again, they're ALWAYS had to be a happy ending. It's because of this, that I take a star off and is the only fault of the movie. It all ends to "perfectly". Everyone is happy in the end and they all find love and they live happily ever after, how sweet! lol. Preston Sturges comedy in the beginning may make no sense to you, you'll have to wait untill the very last scene to figure out what the first scene was all about. Gerry Jeffers (Claudette Colbert) and Tom Jeffers (Joel McCrea) are a poor,I guess happy married couple. Whom will be thrown out of their appartment room unless they come some how pay their rent. Gerry (Colbert) thinks since things are going so hard for them in their marriage it's time to get a divorce. She feels it's better for the both of them to go their own way. When the room is being shown to tenants an elderly man makes his way up to Gerry's bedroom and sees that people are still living there! After Gerry gives him the story of her life. The man decides to help her by giving her rent money and some over, a lot over! When her husband finds out Tom (McCrea) he can't understand that a man would give her money without [anthing else]being involved in the picture. I was shocked to hear them use that word in this movie. I thought it would of been a bit too much for an audience in those days, of course that's child's play to what's being said in movies today. The next morning Tom finds out that Gerry is going to Palm Beach to get a divorce. This makes for a funny scene as Tom tries to stop her, it's pure slapstick. After she tries to con some men into buying her a ticket Joel meets the same man who gave his wife money and decides to give him money too! Just so he can go after his wife. Now, the whole idea of a woman going to Palm Beach to try and get a divorce so she can marry a rich man might remind some of a recent movie out now called "Heartbreakers". I'm sure this movie was seen as some sort of inspiration for their movie. Soon Gerry meets John D. Hackensacker the third( say that 3 times fast!) and he becomes very taken with her and she becomes very taken with his money. He's one of the richest men in the world (It's odd how she just happens to meet him isn't it. It goes back to that happy ending habit in those days). After she and Hackensacker (Rudy Vallee) send some time together she meets his sister Princess Centimillia (Mary Astor) who has one of the best characters in the movie. When Joel meets Gerry there, Gerry lies and says that Joel is not her husband but her brother, and tries to hook him up with the Princess! Now, a lot happens, and most of it is very funny, but, I don't want to spoil everything for everyone. Besides the sappy ending, "The Palm Beach Story" is a great movie that will make just about everyone laugh. It's a good choice to start off your collection of Sturges movies also.

Buy This Film!
This is a classy, sexy, side-splitting comedy. So why is it not out on DVD?!
Buy it, Please! Maybe if enough copies are sold someone will release this gem on DVD.
Criterion, are you listening?