Is Marriage Necessary? Commentary on The Palm Beach Story (1942 film)

Legendary film critic and author Molly Haskell on Screwball Comedy’s enduring appeal and relevance; and how Preston Sturges propelled women from passivity to action with dialogue and physicality. Introduction of Molly Haskell by Aliece Pickett, founder of the Film Society of Screwball Comedy (FSOSC.org).
Sources:
From Reverence to Rape, The Treatment of Women in the Movies, by Molly Haskell (Univ of Chicago, rev 2016).
Pursuits of Happiness, The Hollywood Comedy of Remarriage, by Stanley Cavell (Harvard 1981).
Crooked, but Never Common: The Films of Preston Sturges, by Stuart Klawans (Columbia Univ Press, 2023)
“Let’s Misbehave” (1927) music and lyrics by Cole Porter, performed by Irving Aaronson and his Commanders (1928).
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