Directed by Preston Sturges • 1941 • United States
Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn
Barbara Stanwyck sizzles, Henry Fonda bumbles, and Preston Sturges runs riot in one of the all-time great screwballs, a pitch-perfect blend of comic zing and swoonworthy romance. Aboard a cruise liner sailing up the coast of South America, Stanwyck’s conniving card sharp sets her sights on Fonda’s nerdy snake researcher, who happens to be the heir to a brewery fortune. But when the con artist falls for her mark, her grift becomes a game of hearts—and she is determined to win it all. One in a string of matchless comedic marvels that Sturges wrote and directed as part of a dazzling 1940s run, this gender-flipped battle-of-wits farce is perhaps his most emotionally satisfying work, tempering its sparkling humor with a streak of tender poignancy supplied by the sensational Stanwyck at her peak.
Up Next in Season 1
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Desire
Directed by Frank Borzage • 1936 • United States
Starring Marlene Dietrich, Gary Cooper, John HallidayThe smoldering romanticism of director Frank Borzage and the elegant wit of producer Ernst Lubitsch merge beautifully in this glittering comedy about a crime spree that leads to love. In the mo...
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Love Me Tonight
Directed by Rouben Mamoulian • 1932 • United States
Starring Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Charles RugglesA case of mistaken identity gives a romantic Parisian tailor (Maurice Chevalier) the opportunity to woo the princess of his dreams (Jeanette MacDonald) in this exquisite musical, r...
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Monte Carlo
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch • 1930 • United States
Starring Jack Buchanan, Jeanette MacDonald, Claude AllisterJeanette MacDonald's independent-minded countess leaves her foppish prince fiancé at the altar, and whisks herself away to the Riviera. There, she strikes the fancy of the sly Count Rudo...
