Twentieth Century (1934)

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

Charles Bruce Millholland (play)
Ben Hecht (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 May 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Broadway director Oscar Jaffe (John Barrymore) is a bigger ham than most actors, but through sheer drive...

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Train | Loyalty | Religiosity | Lunatic

Cast

John Barrymore	...	Oscar 'O.J.' 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 (as Charles Levison)
Etienne Girardot	...	Mathew J. Clark
Dale Fuller	...	Sadie, Lily's maid
Edgar Kennedy	...	Oscar McGonigle
Billie Seward	...	Anita, irate woman on train

Also Known As:

20th Century (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #4312-R, 11 May 1938 for re-release)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

"Napoleon Of Broadway", the play on which 'Ben Hecht' and Charles MacArthur based their screenplay, was based on playwright Charles Bruce Millholland's experiences working for the legendary eccentric theater producer David Belasco. Although Milholland's play was unproduced, Hecht and MacArthur's play opened in New York on 29 December 1932 and had 152 performances. In the cast were Etienne Girardot (who re-created his role for the movie), Granville Bates, William Frawley, Joseph Crehan and Dennie Moore. There was a revival in 1950, and another is planned in 2004 with Alec Baldwin.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The telegram from Clark's nephew says he will pick up his uncle when the train stops in Cleveland. But the 20th Century Limited ran non-stop between Chicago and New York, so any stop along the way would have been unscheduled and only in extraordinary circumstances. Similarly, the film implies that the train makes a previous stop for Max Jacobs to board, since it wouldn't have taken him so long to find Lily's compartment, and had he boarded in Chicago, he almost certainly would have found her at the station.

Quotes:

Oscar Jaffe: Get out of my theatre, you gray rat! And don't have that fat wife of yours come around again, pleading for you!

Movie Connections:

References Svengali (1931)

Soundtrack:

Happy Days Are Here Again

One of the best films ever!

This film represents the pinnacle of Hollywood's Golden Age. The dialogue is witty and fast-paced, the acting is perfect, and most of all you will laugh until your sides split! Carol Lombard deserves to be called the queen of comedy, and John Barrymore will surprise you, especially if your only knowledge of him was from Grand Hotel. The supporting cast is great, especially Walter Connolly as Barrymore's much-put-upon associate.