Screwball Comedy: 1931-1956 Definitive List of Early Films
Regarding the subject of debate which films are to be considered as "Screwball Comedy", the problem we have is much the same as with Film Noir, where the results are greatly depending on criteria used to define each film.
-It is worth pointing out in this context, that both Screwball Comedy and Film Noir share striking similarities, even up to a point they are actually overlapping each other. A good example of this is "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944) - which could easily be thought as a Screwball Comedy with Film Noir thematic and style.
Screwball Comedy by its most rigid terms is, to put it plainly, an exaggerated style of comedy, which makes it relatively easy to apply to any genre, such as Western.
And finally, here is a list of my own rather loose interpretation of the guide lines for the standard themes and plot devices commonly used in Screwball Comedy. However, in order for any comedy to "qualify" as a screwball comedy, at least five of the conditions mentioned below must be filled.
-It is worth pointing out in this context, that both Screwball Comedy and Film Noir share striking similarities, even up to a point they are actually overlapping each other. A good example of this is "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944) - which could easily be thought as a Screwball Comedy with Film Noir thematic and style.
Screwball Comedy by its most rigid terms is, to put it plainly, an exaggerated style of comedy, which makes it relatively easy to apply to any genre, such as Western.
And finally, here is a list of my own rather loose interpretation of the guide lines for the standard themes and plot devices commonly used in Screwball Comedy. However, in order for any comedy to "qualify" as a screwball comedy, at least five of the conditions mentioned below must be filled.
- General set-up is within upper class or upper middle-class.
- The film is utilizing any variation of the "opposites attract" or "Battle of Sexes" -theme, which often means verbal jousting between people from completely different social classes and/or backgrounds, or when seemingly totally incompatible couple first fight with words and actions of malice, then usually find attraction towards each other somewhere along the line. Often there's some kind of a hurdle or a problem seemingly preventing happy ending.
- Witty, intelligent, and often hilarious, well polished dialogs
- Gender-roles reversed/challenged
- Authority or age status reversed/challenged (such as a child is presumed, or takes a role as an adult or an adult is presumed as a child or is placed in similar situation)
- Drag (straight) skits
- Divorce/Remarrying scenario
- Multiple love interests competing (courting)
- Comic situations created or arise from "Force majeure" -lies/cheats
- Elements of screwy slapstick/pantomime/gag routines in situations, where in regular comedy they would be deemed inappropriate or unrealistic. This also includes plot devices which clearly would break established conventions in so called "normal" comedy.
- Mistaken/false identity providing comic content, followed by comedy drawn from the rising issues as a result.
- The events in the film occur around Christmas time.
- Alcohol, drugs or medicine congested has a significant role with comedy/farcical issues following as a result, and usually would have a profound effect regarding the main plot or the story-line.
- Plus in addition, as a loose rule of thumb: If a romantic comedy involves New York or Connecticut - or New England in General as a location, plus there are any three or more of the themes mentioned above included.
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- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyJames StewartPrivate detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora are back home at last and hoping for a quiet New Year when there is a murder. The obvious suspect is his wife, Nora's cousin, Selma.
- DirectorRichard WallaceStarsLoretta YoungBrian AherneJeff DonnellA mystery writer and his newlywed wife move into a Greenwich Village apartment and find themselves with a corpse and a half dozen red herrings.
- DirectorRichard WallaceStarsGeorge MurphyLucille BallEdmond O'BrienStephen is a shy, quiet man who is an executive for a shipping firm. He meets Dot at the opera where she had his seats, and the next day she shows up as his temporary secretary. Then Coffee Cup comes to town to see Dot, his gal. When Stephen is with his fiancée Cecilia, everything is boring. When he is with Dot and Coffee Cup, everything is exciting and he falls for Dot. But Coffee is getting out of the Navy in a few days and he plans to marry Dot.
- DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsJean ArthurJohn WayneCharles WinningerFacing forty, a NYC spinster on a bus tour of the West encounters a handsome rodeo cowboy who helps her forget her unsuitable city suitors.
- DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsFred MacMurrayEleanor ParkerRichard CarlsonA secretary is sent on a business trip to inform a radio personality he's just inherited two million dollars. She falls for him instantly, but he's on his way to get married.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsEdward G. RobinsonJane BryanAllen JenkinsFormer bootlegger Remy Marco has a slight problem with forclosing bankers, a prospective son-in-law, and four hard-to-explain corpses.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsSpencer TracyKatharine HepburnJudy HollidayDomestic and professional tensions mount when a husband and wife work as opposing lawyers in a case involving a woman who shot her husband.
- DirectorLew LandersStarsJack OakieLucille BallRuth DonnellyMovie star Annabel Allison has further comic adventures with her wacky publicity agent.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyVirginia GreyAn explosives manufacturer suspects a young man is out to kill him. He calls in new parents Nick and Nora to sort things out.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsCary GrantPriscilla LaneRaymond MasseyA Brooklyn writer of books on the futility of marriage risks his reputation after he decides to tie the knot. Things get even more complicated when he learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are habitual murderers.
- DirectorGarson KaninStarsGinger RogersDavid NivenCharles CoburnAn unemployed woman discovers an abandoned baby on the steps of an orphanage, and accepts an offer to take responsibility for the child in return for a job.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsGary CooperBarbara StanwyckOscar HomolkaA group of professors working on a new encyclopedia while living in a Manhattan mansion take in a mouthy nightclub singer who is wanted by the police to help bring down her mob boss lover.
- DirectorAlexander HallStarsFredric MarchLoretta YoungRobert BenchleyA playwright attempts to stop his wife from retiring so she can star in his next play.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsRex HarrisonConstance CummingsKay HammondA man and his second wife are haunted by the ghost of his first wife.
- DirectorJoseph SantleyStarsJoan FontaineDerrick De MarneyCecil KellawaySocially prominent Michael Ashburn, is the chief assistant to Rufus Trent, wealthy London loan broker. He has allowed himself to become engaged to the Rufus' daughter, Roberta, the match engineered primarily by socially-ambitious Mrs. Trent. As Michael is closing the shop in the late afternoon, a man named Douglas takes out a large loan, using his niece's (Julie Evans) earring as a deposit. He scurries right off with the money but, to his dismay, Michael finds that the earrings are fastened to Julie's ears and can not be removed. Much to his socially-prominent position he is very disgusted as he must now keep a guard of her. Soon, he finds himself in jail and Julie has his flat keys. Julie spends the night in his flat, and Michael gets out of jail in time to hurry home where Julie is just leaving. His fiancée Roberta shows up, and Roberta isn't thrilled to find another woman leaving Michael's apartment early in the morning, so the engagement is broken. This delights her father. Actually, it kind of delights Michael but he is a gentleman and wouldn't say so. Could all of this have been a planned scheme by some party unknown?
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsClaudette ColbertGary CooperEdward Everett HortonAfter learning her multi-millionaire fiancé has already been married seven times, the daughter of a penniless marquis decides to tame him.
- DirectorVictor FlemingStarsJean HarlowLee TracyFrank MorganA glamorous film star rebels against the studio, her pushy press agent and a family of hangers-on.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsJames CagneyPat O'BrienMarie WilsonTwo screenwriters in a rut come up with a story idea starring a bankable cowboy and the baby of the studio's waitress.
- DirectorAlfred SantellStarsBarbara StanwyckHerbert MarshallGlenda FarrellTexan debutante Valentine Ransome tries to reform a bankrupt playboy.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsKatharine HepburnCary GrantCharles RugglesWhile trying to secure a $1 million donation for his museum, a befuddled paleontologist is pursued by a flighty and often irritating heiress and her pet leopard, Baby.
- DirectorRay EnrightStarsPriscilla LaneWayne MorrisJane BryanThree comrades graduate from Viriginia Military Institute. Bing has a chance to return to VMI as a football coach.
- DirectorJames WhaleStarsElissa LandiPaul LukasNils AstherBeautiful woman mistakes a prince's butler for the prince.
- DirectorEdward H. GriffithStarsMadeleine CarrollFred MacMurrayShirley RossA wealthy young lady marries a reporter on a bet, but things might not work out so well when he finds out the truth.
- DirectorArchie MayoStarsOlivia de HavillandIan HunterAnita LouiseThe first day of spring has a profound affect on the Hilton family. The father, an accountant, finds himself unable to work, and when he tries to work, he is wooed by an actress whose taxes he is doing. The mother is mistaken by a friend's brother, who thinks she is the woman he is supposed to marry; when he finds out different, he decides to pursue her anyway. The eldest son mopes because he wants to "motor the Continent" and the father won't permit him to. The eldest daughter miserably laments the end of a romance with a married artist twenty years her elder. And the youngest moons dreamily in her morbid teen way about Dante Gabriel Rossetti. All of this in the space of one day.
- DirectorPeter GodfreyStarsBarbara StanwyckDennis MorganSydney GreenstreetA food writer who has lied about being the perfect housewife must try to cover her deception when her boss and a returning war hero invite themselves to her home for a traditional family Christmas.
- DirectorPreston SturgesStarsDick PowellEllen DrewRaymond WalburnAfter the co-workers of an ambitious clerk trick him into thinking he has won $25,000 in a slogan contest, he begins to use the money to fulfill his dreams. What will happen when the ruse is discovered?
- DirectorBusby BerkeleyStarsJoan LeslieRobert AldaJulie BishopJudy Jones, sings with a band and also works at an aircraft plant. She takes part in a "missing heirs" radio program and is discovered to be an heiress to a fortune. But the will provides that she must be married by a certain time or lose the inheritance. She then has to decide whether rivals-for-her-hand Tommy Coles or Bart Williams, loves her for herself or for her fortune. What's a girl to do?
- DirectorFrank WoodruffStarsBarbara ReadAlan MowbrayHelen VinsonA naive playwright sells her awful play, "The End of Everything," to two Broadway producers who want to get even with an ungrateful star.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsAnn SothernJack HaleyMary BolandA young lawyer is unable to get the Pembertons to sign a land sale contract until their daughter falls in love with him.
- DirectorGregory RatoffStarsTyrone PowerLinda DarnellWarren WilliamWhen a young wife discovers her husband of two years is involved with his beautiful secretary, she applies for a job as secretary to a business rival.
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsFredric MarchGary CooperMiriam HopkinsA woman cannot decide between two men who love her, and the trio agree to try living together in a platonic friendly relationship.
- DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsMarlene DietrichJames StewartMischa AuerDeputy sheriff Destry tames the town of Bottle Neck, including saloon singer Frenchy.
- DirectorRichard ThorpeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyFlorence RiceTwo sisters of differing temperaments, the younger's milquetoast fiancé, and a free-spirited artist in an auto trailer are all experiencing romantic complications.
- DirectorPaul SloaneStarsMary BolandPolly MoranNed SparksAfter losing their fortune in the Great Depression, a wealthy family embarks on a yacht voyage to the South Seas, leading to screwball antics. A musical comedy.
- DirectorMitchell LeisenStarsJean ArthurEdward ArnoldRay MillandWhen a wealthy banker throws his wife's expensive fur coat off a roof and it lands on the head of a stenographer, everyone assumes she is his mistress and has access to his millions.
- DirectorTay GarnettStarsLoretta YoungDavid NivenHugh HerbertAnita Halstead, swept off her feet by magician Arturo, finds the results less than magical.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsMarion DaviesRobert MontgomeryFrank McHughLecherous bosses make it difficult for an attractive secretary to keep jobs, so she decides to appear considerably more homely in hopes of holding onto work.
- DirectorClaude BinyonStarsClaudette ColbertFred MacMurrayRita JohnsonA bachelor marries a widow and her three kids join the honeymoon.
- DirectorGregory La CavaStarsGinger RogersWalter ConnollyVerree TeasdaleFeeling unwanted by his wife and children, a wealthy industrialist hires an unemployed young woman to pose as his mistress.
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsDeanna DurbinRobert StackEugene PalletteAn orphaned boarding school graduate secretly attends a prestigious ball, where she falls for the boyfriend of her snobbish cousin.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsCarole LombardFernand GraveyRalph BellamyAfter meeting her in Paris, a penniless marquis relentlessly pursues a famous actress.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsErrol FlynnBrenda MarshallRalph BellamyA respected investment advisor has a double life as a mystery writer and becomes involved in the real murder of a shady client.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsRobert MontgomeryJoan CrawfordClark GableDill leaves Mary standing at the altar in order to marry his old flame, Connie, instead. Knowing that Mary still has feelings for Dill, Jeff keeps quiet about his own love for her.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsErrol FlynnOlivia de HavillandRosalind RussellRobert will do anything to get the big account that has eluded him. His public relations business makes public angels of rich scoundrels. Jean needs someone to save the paper and she wants Robert.
- DirectorAlexander HallStarsMelvyn DouglasJoan BlondellWalter ConnollyA Midwesterner waitress, scheming to gold-dig her way to Paris, gets mixed up with a wealthy New York family.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsWarren WilliamJoan BlondellGenevieve TobinFlirtatious mix-ups abound when a celebrated novelist tangles with an old flame and her befuddled husband in Cleveland. Will his savvy secretary save his neck if she is secretly in love with him also?
- DirectorSam WoodStarsClaudette ColbertDon AmecheDick ForanA newspaper correspondent who has convinced his publisher he is married implores his friend's wife to pose as his bride.
- DirectorMitchell LeisenStarsCarole LombardFred MacMurrayRalph BellamyA loafer and a manicurist, both planning to marry money, meet and form an uneasy alliance.
- DirectorAlfred SantellStarsGinger RogersDouglas Fairbanks Jr.Peggy ConklinBored New York office girl Teddy Shaw goes to a camp in the Catskill Mountains for rest and finds Chick Kirkland.
- DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsJoel McCreaNancy KellyRoland YoungRace horse owner pays so much attention to business he winds up divorced from his wife. His alimony payments are so steep he plots with his lawyer to get her married off.
- DirectorAlexander HallStarsLoretta YoungMelvyn DouglasAlan MarshalIn Paris, the estranged wife of a wealthy banker hides a fiery communist fugitive in her apartment.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGinger RogersJean-Pierre AumontAdolphe MenjouIn Paris, a young woman runs away from a reform school, joins a pickpocket academy, and finds herself falling for the handsome diplomat she's been blackmailed into stealing from.
- DirectorH.C. PotterStarsOle OlsenChic JohnsonMartha RayeOlsen and Johnson, a pair of stage comedians, try to turn their play into a movie and bring together a young couple in love, while breaking the fourth wall every step of the way.
- DirectorAndrew L. StoneFriz FrelengStarsAdolphe MenjouMartha ScottPola NegriWhen the bride's mother is supposedly swindled out of her money by a spurned suitor, the groom's father orchestrates a scheme of his own to set things right. He is aided by a cabaret singer, while placating a jealous wife.
- DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsRosalind RussellBrian AherneVirginia BruceCEO Stephen marries his secretary Kendal in name only, an arrangement made to protect his finances from an attempt at a hostile business takeover. Once the threat is neutralized, he asks Kendal for a divorce but she refuses.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsCary GrantRosalind RussellRalph BellamyA newspaper editor uses every trick in the book to keep his ace reporter ex-wife from remarrying.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsKatharine HepburnCary GrantDoris NolanA young man in love with a girl from a rich family finds his unorthodox plan to go on holiday for the early years of his life met with skepticism by everyone except for his fiancée's eccentric sister and long-suffering brother.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsAnn SheridanGeorge BrentCharles RugglesNoted writer Kenneth Bixby, in love with his witty secretary Anne Rogers, nevertheless agrees to a tete-a-tete with a former college fling, loopy Danish girl Julie who is married to penny-pinching Harvey Wilson. Bixby realizes he is in way over his head when he finds out he has become the co-respondent in a divorce lawsuit filed by Wison.
- DirectorEdward H. GriffithStarsFred MacMurrayMadeleine CarrollAllan JonesA Manhattan career woman tries to resist a man who wants her to be his wife.
- DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsHerbert MarshallJean ArthurLeo CarrilloAn executive lets an attractive cook talk him into taking a job as butler.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsJoan CrawfordBrian AherneFrank MorganKay, a bored society girl from New York, takes a trip to Greece, where she meets Terry, an archaeologist. She flirts with him and he falls for her. She heads back to New York and he follows her to propose marriage, but finds her lifestyle uncomfortable. He decides to leave, but Mrs. Gage, Kay's grandmother, encourages him to stay. Kay and Terry become engaged, but just before the wedding they have a huge quarrel. Will Terry be left at the altar?
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyFrank McHughBoring businessman Larry Wilson recovers from amnesia and discovers he's really a con man...and loves his soon-to-be-ex wife.
- DirectorRené ClairStarsFredric MarchVeronica LakeRobert BenchleyA beautiful 17th-century witch returns to life to plague politician Wallace Wooley, descendant of her persecutor.
- DirectorWesley RugglesStarsClaudette ColbertMelvyn DouglasRobert YoungKay Denham, romanced in Paris by friends Gene and George, can't figure out why George disapproves of Gene.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsCary GrantAnn SheridanMarion MarshallAfter marrying an American lieutenant with whom he was assigned to work in post-war Germany, a French captain attempts to find a way to accompany her back to the States under the terms of the War Bride Act.
- DirectorClarence BrownStarsNorma ShearerClark GableEdward ArnoldA group of disparate travelers are caught and thrown together in a posh Alpine hotel when the borders are closed at the beginning of World War II.
- DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsDon DeForeAnn HardingCharles RugglesTwo homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsClark GableClaudette ColbertWalter ConnollyA rogue reporter trailing a runaway heiress for a big story joins her on a bus heading from Florida to New York and they end up stuck with each other when the bus leaves them behind at one of the stops along the way.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsClaudette ColbertJames StewartGuy KibbeeWhen a tycoon (Ernest Truex) is accused of murder, the private eye (James Stewart) tracking him finds himself roped in as an accessory and attempts to evade police, kidnapping a poetess (Claudette Colbert) along the way.
- DirectorElliott NugentStarsMadeleine CarrollFrancis LedererMischa AuerJimmy Barnes arrives from Europe to be educated by his multi-millionaire uncle, Edward J. Barnes and in five years the extravagant escapes of Jimmy, now a lawyer, are the talk of San Francisco. Linda Gray is a mouse-like secretary to the elder Barnes who has fallen in love with Jimmy, but he favors actress Constance "Connie" Marlowe. Mr. Barnes dies and leaves everything to Linda but he has urged his partner, Alexander Duncan, to plan things so that Jimmy and Linda will get married. Coached by Duncan, Linda accepts the inheritance and announces that she is departing for New York on a wild spending spree. He tells Jimmy that the will can be broken but only after many months and he suggests that Jimmy follow Linda and curb her spending or there won't be any money left. In New York, Linda hires Jimmy as her private secretary. Connie also arrives in New York, as does the ingenious Baron Rene de Montigny with the intention of marrying the wealthy Miss Gray. Linda keeps Jimmy so busy he can't see Connie, while she, to make Jimmy jealous, starts dating Rene. When Rene proposes, she tells him she has no money and he says he couldn't marry a poor girl but will coach her into how to catch Jimmy. The latter, now jealous, rushes to Linda's apartment and attacks Rene who, being the amateur prize fighter champion of France, knocks him out.
- DirectorRichard WallaceStarsFred AllenJack BennyDon AmecheThe ringmaster of a flea circus inherits a fortune...if he can find which chair it's hidden in.
- DirectorArchie MayoStarsLeslie HowardBette DavisOlivia de HavillandAn actor of the stage finds himself pursued by a lovestruck fan while trying to patch up a tempestuous relationship with his actress lover.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJames CagneyBette DavisAllen JenkinsAn unpolished racketeer, whose racket is finding heirs for unclaimed fortunes, affects ethics and tea-drinking manners to win back the sweetheart who now works for his seemingly upright competitor.
- DirectorDavid ButlerStarsRonald ReaganJack CarsonWayne MorrisA GI marries the English girlfriend of his best friend to get her into the U.S. for his friend who lost track of her in the war only to find on returning home that he is stuck with the girl because the friend has married someone else.
- DirectorTay GarnettStarsIrene DunneDouglas Fairbanks Jr.Alice BradyBroadway star Margaret Garrett has spent her whole life working to support her sponging relatives. When she meets carefree Dan Webster, she learns how to have fun for the first time.
- DirectorJack ConwayStarsGreer GarsonWalter PidgeonPeter LawfordA London chorus girl tries to rekindle her relationships with her daughter, whom she gave up as an infant, and her estranged husband, when the former becomes engaged.
- DirectorBretaigne WindustStarsBette DavisRobert MontgomeryFay BainterA magazine's staff, including bickering ex-lovers Linda and Carey, cover an Indiana wedding, which goes slightly wrong...
- DirectorIrving CummingsStarsShirley TempleJoan DavisCharles FarrellShirley helps her idealistic architect father get his dream of a slum-clearance project; the little miss dances with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Based on Paul Gerard Smith's book "Lucky Penny."
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsVan HeflinMarsha HuntLee BowmanCrime lab expert Gordon McKay uses the latest forensic techniques to solve murders in a city plagued by political corruption and mob rackets.
- DirectorGregory La CavaStarsIrene DunnePatric KnowlesRalph BellamyA psychiatrist's patient, a nutty heiress, travels west to find gold in her grandfather's abandoned mine. The psychiatrist, unable to talk her out of it, decides to follow her out there.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsEdward G. RobinsonJane WymanBroderick CrawfordThree ex-cons buy a luggage shop to tunnel into the bank vault next door. But despite all they can do, the shop prospers...
- DirectorJack ConwayStarsJean HarlowWilliam PowellMyrna LoyWhen a socialite sues a big paper for libel, the editor responsible calls in the help of his ignored fiancée and a former employee to frame her and make the false story seem true.
- DirectorGeorge FitzmauriceStarsRobert MontgomeryRosalind RussellRobert BenchleyBob is a struggling artist who paints for his own amusement. Julie is a rich society girl. When they meet, it is cute and they are soon married. Living in a small apartment with the constant company of close friend Oscar, they are poor, but happy. When the papers run the story about his riot in the park, Bob is suddenly news. With his private showing he becomes the society's newest sensation. Bob becomes serious, devoid of fun and adventure. Money becomes his prime concern and all the introductions are handled by Lilly. But this is not the life that either Julie or Oscar want.
- DirectorLeigh JasonStarsFranchot ToneAnn RichardsTom ConwayAfter an Englishwoman dies, leaving behind two children, her devoted friend decides to take the children to find the woman's husband, an American serviceman who had returned to the USA. But the father, now a successful architect, claims not to remember ever having gotten married or having any children.
- DirectorWalter LangStarsCarole LombardPreston FosterCesar RomeroA rich businessman stalks another man's fiancée.
- DirectorJack ConwayStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyGail PatrickA wife suspecting infidelity starts divorce proceedings, so the husband pretends to be insane in order to delay the divorce and clear up the misunderstanding.
- DirectorTay GarnettStarsTyrone PowerLoretta YoungDon AmecheA financier's daughter spars with a newspaper reporter: he by writing about her, she by announcing their engagement.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsJoan CrawfordClark GableFranchot ToneA runaway bride and an undercover reporter get caught up in political intrigue as they lead a merry chase across Europe and uncover a spy plot.
- DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsRonald ColmanGinger RogersJack CarsonTwo strangers share a sweepstakes ticket and then embark on an "imaginary" honeymoon with their "winnings".
- DirectorLewis D. CollinsStarsCharles StarrettPauline BrooksGeorge E. StoneA college economics professor's "radical" ideas about capitalism get him fired. When he decides to put those ideas into practice, he finds that they actually do generate him huge amounts of money. Soon a local banker and others who scoffed at his ideas see the amount of money he's making and try to cheat him out of his system.
- DirectorEdwin L. MarinStarsRobert YoungFlorence RiceJune ClayworthAfter a leading razor company pays inventor Tom Wakefield a quarter of a million dollars not to publicize a hair-removing shaving cream that makes razors obsolete, he makes plans to take his socialite fiancé June Baylin on a glamorous world cruise. However, before that happens he wants to spread his good luck to his friends and falls into all sorts of romantic intrigue in doing so.
- DirectorWilliam C. McGannStarsMary BolandFrank McHughHugh HerbertThe offices of a great newspaper syndicate are presided over by John B. Radway, obviously a nut, and his sister Ollie Radway, obviously the brains in the family. David "Party" Partridge, the general manager née flunky, has three tasks to get accomplished; he has to get Mike Forrester, the syndicates best cartoonist, on the water wagon and back to work; he must persuade Dr. Stryker, an eccentric writer on psychiatry, to sign a new contract' and, most importantly, he must prevent Virginia Radway, whom he loves him himself, from marrying Dimitri Kyeff, no shrinking violet in the eccentric department himself.
- DirectorJoseph SantleyStarsVictor MooreHelen BroderickAnne ShirleyMrs. Emma Foster of Fosterboro, Ohio loves to enter contests - which she never wins - the time she spends on which is much to the chagrin of her exasperated husband, barber Otis Foster. It is ironic then that the one contest for which she becomes a finalist is the Happy Noodle company's Mrs. America contest to determine the nation's best homemaker as she never has time or the want to do any housework, that burden left to Otis. The two are required to attend the contest's national finals in Atlantic City with all the other finalists and their husbands. There, Emma has to find ways of getting Otis to do the homemaker type tasks required of the finalists, those tasks which she has no aptitude to complete on her own. Otis also finds that he is in a legion of other exasperated husbands who would rather be anywhere else than at the contest finals supporting their respective wives. And Emma finds that she is not alone in doing whatever it takes to win the contest. Thrown into the mix is Steve Walton, Happy Noodle's regional representative for Emma's area, he who has fallen in love with the Foster's pretty daughter, Louise.
- DirectorNorman Z. McLeodStarsConstance BennettBrian AherneAlan MowbrayDizzy society matron Emily Kilbourne has a habit of hiring ex-cons and hobos as servants. Her latest find is a handsome "tramp" who shows up at her doorstep and soon ends up in a chauffeur's uniform. He also catches the eye of her pretty Geraldine.
- DirectorMitchell LeisenStarsClaudette ColbertDon AmecheJohn BarrymoreA chorus girl stranded in Paris is set up by a millionaire to break up his wife's affair with another man, while being romantically pursued by a cab driver.
- DirectorEdward SedgwickStarsJack HaleyBetty FurnessArthur TreacherAutomotive mogul Peter Randolph needs backers for his diesel engine. Eccentric millionaire Aloysius P. Merriweather is invited to dinner, but he sends barber Joe Jenkins in his place.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsCary GrantGinger RogersMarilyn MonroeA chemist finds his personal and professional life turned upside down when one of his chimpanzees finds the fountain of youth.
- DirectorAlfred E. GreenStarsJean ArthurGeorge BrentLionel StanderWhen the co-owner of a secretarial school visits a magazine editor to find out why he runs through secretaries, she's mistaken for an applicant. Drawn to him, she accepts the position.
- DirectorRobert B. SinclairStarsGracie AllenWilliam Post Jr.Paul KellyJerry North (William Post Jr.) and his wife, Pam (Gracie Allen) return home after a night away in a holiday spirit. That soon vanishes when the body of a man falls out of the liquor closet. The corpse is identified as Stanley Brent, the estranged husband of Carol Brent (Rose Hobart), a friend of Pam's. As the clues are unearthed, it appears that some member of the North's social circle, who knew they would be away, gained entrance to their apartment, asked Brent to come there and murdered him. Pam tries to establish alibis for all of her friends, and in doing so inadvertently establishes who killed Brent.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCarole LombardRobert MontgomeryGene RaymondA couple who have been married for three years are shocked to learn that their marriage is not legally valid.