Twentieth Century (1934)

A flamboyant Broadway impresario who has fallen on hard times tries to get his former lover, now a Hollywood diva, to return and resurrect his failing career.

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writer:

Charles Bruce Millholland (play)

Stars:

John Barrymore, Carole Lombard, Walter Connolly

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Barrymore	...	Oscar Jaffe
Carole Lombard	...	Lily Garland aka Mildred Plotka
Walter Connolly	...	Oliver Webb
Roscoe Karns	...	Owen O'Malley
Ralph Forbes	...	George Smith
Charles Lane	...	Max Jacobs aka Max Mandelbaum (as Charles Levison)
Etienne Girardot	...	Mathew J. Clark
Dale Fuller	...	Sadie
Edgar Kennedy	...	Oscar McGonigle
Billie Seward	...	Anita

Storyline

Broadway director Oscar Jaffe (John Barrymore) is a bigger ham than most actors, but through sheer drive and talent he is able to build a successful career. When one of his discoveries, Lily Garland (Carole Lombard), rises to stardom and heeds the call of Hollywood, Oscar begins a career slide. He hits the skids and seems on his way out, until he chances to meet Lily again, on a train ride aboard the Twentieth Century Limited. Oscar pulls out all the stops to re-sign his former star, but it's a battle... because Lily, who is as temperamental as Oscar is, wants to have nothing to do with her former mentor.

---

Plot Keywords:

train | impresario | actress | twentieth century train | lunatic | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

11 May 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

20th Century

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The opening theme music is exactly the same waltz Columbia used for "It Happened One Night".

---

Goofs

When the man kneels in front of Jaffe and calls him Maestro, the position of the man's hands change between shots.

---

Quotes

Oscar Jaffe: You amoeba.
Max Jacobs: It's the truth, whether you know it or not.
Oscar Jaffe: Owen, take this creature who came to me as an office boy as Max Mendlebaum and who is now Max Jacobs for some mysterious reason and throw him into the street.

---

Connections

Featured in All the Rage (1999)

---

Soundtracks

"Happy Days Are Here Again"
(1929)
Music by Milton Ager
Lyrics by Jack Yellen
Sung a cappella by Walter Connolly

User Reviews

One of the funniest of the 1930's comedies

I have seen Twentieth Century several times and even quote one of the great Barrymore lines: After me, she's mousing around with that boy?

Barrymore succeeds so well in this film since he is parodying himself. He exaggerates and the voice is used like a singer who scoops the bottom and then rises an octave or two. It is great fun to hear him ham-up the lines. Lombard matches him in her own fashion and together they create a great comedy team. Unfortunately it is a one-time gag: there are just so many times an actor can parody himself without repeating or ruining any serious moments he might try in another film. (--or herself as Tallulah learned when she tried to perform "Streetcar Named Desire").