The Palm Beach Story

Preston Sturges, USA 1942, 90 minutes

Yet another comedy by the incomparable Preston Sturges sees Claudette Colbert star as the slightly screwy wife who decides to divorce her boring husband and leave her old life behind for one of adventure, romance and a very large backing orchestra.

This gentle satire on the lives of the idle rich has its best moments when the original John D. Hackensacker the Third (Rudy Vallee) starts trying to woo our heroine by ever more elaborate means. Colbert looks and acts beautifully in one of her best roles with a deft touch for playing some the film's more frantic scenes in addition to her normal light comedy. Joel McCrea as the put upon former husband has a hard time trying to play the straight man to these two but succeeds as he tries to win back his wife. Sturges manages to turn out yet another delightfully absurd film which should leave you in stitches.

"Outrageously funny *****" - Empire

Review by Alan Smithee
Taken from EUFS Programme 1996-97