Twentieth Century (1934)

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

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

Release Date:

11 May 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Broadway | Train | Impresario | Actress | Lunatic

Cast

John Barrymore	...	Oscar Jaffe
Carole Lombard	...	Lily Garland
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
Edgar Kennedy	...	Oscar McGonigle
Billie Seward	...	Anita

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:

Versions presently in distribution, as shown on Turner Classic Movies, bear the updated Columbia logo and title credits from the 1938 re-release.

Goofs:

Plot holes: When Jaffe takes over direction, he addresses Lily by her new name and she responds, even though she hasn't heard it before. This gap was caused by the deletion of a brief scene in which O'Malley informs her that Jaffe has changed her name.

Quotes:

Owen O'Malley: He's going to end up in the breadline unless he finds out that these jittery horse operas with a lot of people staggering around in foul iron suits ain't entertainment.
Oliver Webb: Where did you leave Jaffe?
Owen O'Malley: At the Morrison Hotel under the name of Hemingway, which he's adopted in his grief.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#22.65)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Happy Days Are Here Again

Exceptionally good screwball comedy

Funny and intelligent comedy features a brilliant performance by Barrymore, spoofing his earlier "Svengali" role. He looks and acts a lot like Peter Sellars would in later similar performances; now morose, then practically jumping with energy. Lombard also turns in a right-on performance.

Here is a film where Hawks really finds his mark, because the comedic action is perfectly timed, flows nicely, and feels natural, and even includes some early Hawks "overlapping dialogue".

Hardly a dull moment, miles above its peers.